Now a days the wedding photography industry is flooded with talent. Filters and Lightroom presets (the color or tint that photos are edited with) make it harder to distinguish between new and seasoned wedding photographers. Why does it matter? Glad you asked! :D A good wedding photographer is going to help you and your day flow with ease. They are going to help minimize stress and keep you on schedule. They are going to be able to command large groups and make sure you get all the beautiful moments you envisioned. Here are 5 Reason why you should hire an experienced photographer.

Command Large Groups with Ease. Wedding days can be stressful and not staying on schedule can make it more stressful. A seasoned wedding photographer is going to be able to help keep you on track. They are going to be able to wrangle all your relatives up for family portraits. Plus, they should be able to get both sides done in twenty minutes or less. If a photographer is new, they may not have the confidence to command the group. Are they looking and making sure dad is smiling? Does the photo look balanced? Is the light right? Is there a glass reflection on people wearing glasses? If photos are inside, do they have a flash or lighting kit? Did you get grandma Mary with just the bride? Did you forget aunt Karen?
I always send out a family portrait shot list to the bride 1-2 months before the wedding. I make sure I have it in hand the day of the wedding and we check off the photos as we go. That way, we don’t miss anybody or any portraits that you wanted with family. And you aren’t trying to think of who you want in photos last minute.

2. They have invested in their camera equipment, lenses, lighting and education. It is true the camera doesn’t make the photographer…but a person who is willing to invest in their equipment is serious about their job. When I go to a wedding, I’m bringing with me about $7,500-$8,000 of equipment between my main camera, backup camera, lenses and lighting kit. You also want to make sure they have a backup camera! Accidents happen…it could get dropped or bumped or sometimes technology fails us…so a backup camera is a must! Every year I also invest in my education between workshops, conferences, online tutorials, books and even creative styled shoots. I want to keep learning and getting better and you should want a photographer that strives for that too!

3. Handle any lighting situation. Does the photographer know how to use off camera lighting and flash? This is an important question to ask! You want to make sure your family portraits are well lit and you want to make sure they can handle the reception that usually has low lighting. You don’t want to worry about the photographer shooting blurry reception photos or missing moments. Also, if your family portraits are outside in the afternoon, you want the photographer to know that they need to shoot in the shade. That way you won’t have harsh sunlight and shadows on everybody’s face.

4. Pose you and your sweetheart with ease and make you feel comfortable. This is one reason I love when couples do engagement sessions before the wedding. You get to see how the photographer poses you and how they make you feel and how the photos turn out. A good photographer should be able to get a lot of great images even in 15-20mins. I like to pose my couples and then also give them prompts to interact, which leads to laughing/smiling and the couple naturally interacting together. I had a recent session with a couple that had hired me after trying to use a newbie photographer and she said in the first few minutes the difference was huge!

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5. Anticipate & Curate Moments. I have 15 years of photography experience and photographed and filmed almost 100 weddings, I know what moments to anticipate. I’m looking for your tears of joy and happiness and I’m also looking for your parents and siblings reactions. It is your day but I also love capturing your loved ones joy in the celebration.

A seasoned photographer should excel at “curating moments,” meaning they are going to make sure that you are in the best light and the best areas. When you are getting ready, they are going to rearrange the room if it doesn’t look good. They are going to make sure there are no objects in the background that could distract from the moment. They should also scout out locations a day or two before the wedding or engagement session to make sure they are perfect for each couple.