The time has come. You are choosing your wedding photographer. Intimidating, am I right?

Ya’ll, I’ve been a wedding photographer in what seems like the craziest jump of artistic talent like, EVER. I began my full-time journey over a decade ago here in Ohio, and eventually became an elopement and destination wedding photographer, and things still change every day. There are both new and seasoned photographers EVERYWHERE which always leads me to consider this: how will the people looking for us understand how they find the photographer fit for them? It HAS to be so confusing and that’s why I’m here to help you along the way. If you are currently browsing the wedding photographer world, reach out to me so that we can chat about your wedding day.

Three things to consider when choosing your wedding photographer:

1) Be sure you like their style.

That’s your first step. There are a lot of trends in photography. Do you like photographers that heavily edit the photo and alter colors? Or do you like photos that are more true to color. We are a bit of a hybrid. You’ll see our photos are somewhat are stylistic, but we keep blacks blacks, and skin tones we always keep looking like… well… skin. lol. There are a lot of styles that alter skin tone and, while that may be popular now, we think you’ll be happier in the long run with a style that doesn’t age. You have probably already searched all over Pinterest, and pinned all of your favorite pins, possibly even before you were engaged. You can check me out on Pinterest here >>>

2) Be sure you connect really well personally with your photographer.

This is huge! It will come through in your photos if you are comfortable with your photographer. Good photographers make it feel like you are just having fun with each other and forget the camera pointed at ya. You will usually find out if you connect personally with your photographer the first time you get on the phone for your consultation.

3) Be sure your photographer specializes in weddings and knows his/her craft well.

We sometimes see people cut corners for budget reasons by hiring a non-experienced photographer who has nice gear, or the sister that just bought a new camera. We oftentimes hear the regrets of someone who said at one point, “oh! my second cousin has a really nice camera and she’s just going to follow us around all day.” That’s tough to see for a few reasons.

Experienced photographers know how to backup files and shoot on dual card slot cameras so memory card failure doesn’t lead to losing all the photos — we’ve heard the horror stories and we don’t want you to be the next one.

Experienced photographers should have professional-grade equipment and the knowledge on how to use it to make your pictures consistent with what they advertise. It’s so much more than the equipment they use and we cannot stress that enough.

The other thing with experience is, your photographer is going to be there throughout your day and an experienced photographer is knowledgable about balancing when to stay out of the way to let moments happen organically, and when to step in for an epic shot you’re going to want to have. An experienced photographer is often instrumental in keeping the day running smooth, they have your itinerary in mind and are good at keeping things on track.

Regardless of whether it is me you choose or someone else, I strongly encourage you to find those 3 things in a photographer and I’m certain you’ll be happy!

Ashley Stein: Elopement + Destination Wedding Photographer