Helpful Thoughts Before Hiring a Photographer

This subject is one which Oehme Oasis is PASSIONATE about… hence the length

• Generally couples book Oehme Oasis, then quickly book their photographer. Photographers generally only shoot one wedding per day and book quickly in the planning process. 

• When choosing a photographer you should be looking for someone:

  • **who has your date available.

  • **who is a small business owner preferably, not a package deal through a company

  • **who fits your budget (some photographers list pricing on their website)

  • **who fits your style (light & airy, dark & moody, bright colors, etc.) 

  • **who has shot many weddings (preferably 25+)

  • **who you actually LIKE as a person! (This is important! You will be spending A LOT of time with them on your wedding day.)

• We highly suggest hiring a semi-professional or professional photographer. If your budget absolutely doesn’t allow for this, PLEASE read the article about photographers within WEVEN.

• There are LOTS of traits of a professional photographer, other than the fact that they “shoot lots of weddings” or “take pretty pictures.” 

  • **They are competent in designing a wedding day schedule that actually works. We are happy to help with this too, but we can usually tell when a photographer isn’t a professional by the way they layout your schedule. We promise you - THIS MATTERS. If your schedule isn’t realistic, you are either not going to get all the photos you want, or something else will suffer. (Like your guests waiting for food for a million hours while you are taking pictures.)

  • **They actively and audibly organize family photos. This is the photographer’s job. If this doesn’t happen, you miss important photos (like that one with mom - uhh important!) There should be a checklist, and your photographer should be actively marking things off to make sure they get it all. *Note: It is your responsibility to make this checklist. If you don’t, you are going to miss photos you wish you had. 

  • **They bring adequate backup equipment, and often a second shooter. One camera + one photographer + camera breaks at the wedding = photos are done. Yep, we’ve had that happen, and it is NOT a situation you want to have happen to you. 

  • **Wedding photography is their primary business or at least primary focus for photography.  A photographer who primarily shoots families or landscapes (in our experience) is really not ready for the stress of a wedding day. It can be tricky to wrangle two+ sides of the family for photos or under estimate how long things take, etc. Wedding photography is a completely different animal than other types of photography. Hiring a wedding photographer is about so much more than taking good photos.

• Often, when couples hire a photographer & aren’t completely happy after the wedding, they are unhappy because of who they hired. Now, I will tell you that’s not what you will HEAR. You’ll hear: “I didn’t get this photo with XYZ,” “We ran really far behind on schedule,” “I didn’t get as many photo spots as I had hoped,” etc. These statements are most often due to hiring a less than professional photographer.

• Photographers who have shot at Oehme Oasis that we were impressed with can be found under your Vendors Tab within your personal WEVEN account.  Those range from a starting investment of about $1,800 - $3,600. If you need to hire a less expensive photographer, just be aware that if you choose a COMPANY instead of a SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, the portfolios you see could very likely NOT be from the person who will actually shoot your wedding. THIS IS IMPORTANT. We’ve had brides in tears on their wedding day, or losing sleep the week before because the person they were assigned was not who they wanted to shoot their wedding. This is not the scenario you want when you have paid in full, it’s the week before your wedding and there is nothing you can do about it.

• Hiring a photographer that includes a “second shooter” is usually not that much more of an additional cost, and often are SO WORTH IT. A second shooter isn’t a luxury in our opinion. It’s a wise choice. A second shooter means the potential for many more photos, for candid photos of guests while the other is with the couple, for different angles (some shots from the balcony, others up close & personal)  to get the shot of both faces of a couple when walking down the aisle, etc. It also can be seen as a type of built-in security. If the first photographer gets sick, gets a flat tire, their camera malfunctions in the middle of the ceremony, etc, you already have built-in backup.  (And yes, we’ve seen all of these scenarios happen.) 

• Don’t forget to look at a photographer’s ENTIRE PORTFOLIO before hiring. ASK THEM to view several “Full Wedding Galleries” to see the type of getting ready, ceremony, reception, wedding party, first dance, etc shots they typically take (or miss) You’ll want to see their FULL wedding day collections, not just what they put on social media or their blog. You’ll want to see indoor photos, photos at night, photos with crumby weather, etc. Don’t just look at someone’s BEST work and make your decision. **I have known this my entire wedding photography career, and yet for MY OWN wedding, I fell into the “instagram trap” and went solely by the images on the page… HUGE mistake & now lifelong regret**

• Again, you’ll want to make a WRITTEN list of the INDIVIDUAL, GROUP or DETAIL photos you don’t want to miss. We are not saying take away a photographer’s creative freedom and give them a list of Pinterest poses to copy. I’m saying you need a list of bride + mom, bride + mom + grandma, etc if you want to make sure you don’t miss something (or someone) important. 

  • Click here for a SAMPLE CHECKLIST

• Ask your photographer if they want a friend or family member to help make sure people are ready for photos when it’s time. There is not much that stinks more than being on a tight timeline and Uncle Joe or the Mother-of-the-Bride (or whomever) is nowhere to be found for photos. If your photographer thinks this would be helpful, be sure to choose someone who knows the family members they are looking for to “get on deck.” OR choose two individuals, one who knows each side of the family. 

• Consider starting with family photos immediately following the ceremony. If you are not doing them beforehand. Start with the side of the family that is the hardest to wrangle. Tell them to NOT LEAVE THE CEREMONY AREA after the ceremony so you can get right to it before they scatter. This is often an announcement given by your officiant, even before “main loved ones” start walking down the aisle. *Example: Officiant announces for everyone to take a seat, the ceremony will be starting shortly. Then says something like: “Before we get started, I would like to take this opportunity to give a few announcements on the couples behalf. Immediately following the ceremony, they ask for immediate family (or whomever you need) to stick around the ceremony area for family photos. The rest of you may head into the venue, grab a drink and they will join you shortly. There is a bar inside, as well as a patio bar located out back. (if you have chosen to have this bar staffed for service) They can’t wait to see you all after photos.” **This is also where some couples have reminded guests about outside alcohol and no parking lot drinking so their guests know it ultimately affects them**

• First Look Photos - Here is why you should highly consider doing them:

• You will get more photos (seriously, you will)

• A significant amount of pressure is taken off the couple and the ceremony seems more enjoyable

• Couples can get the crying out of the way before the ceremony (so no one sees it if you don’t want them to!) 

• Your guests won’t have to wait so long/just be drinking, saving you money.

• You can skip spending money on appetizers & maybe use that money on a better photographer OR add more time with them. Since if you have your guests wait longer than 45 minutes, you are required to provide them a catered appetizer.

• If you are also having a videographer - you will have more time for dedicated video shots. These are the shots you’ll probably love when you watch your wedding video now.

• It’s staged & that’s a GREAT thing. It means the lighting is good. It means that your photographer & video team are standing in the right spot to capture your amazing reactions (and not in each other's shots). It means they are ready to get that great photo, vs hoping that your Aunt Sue with her cellphone doesn’t stand up in your ceremony, getting in the way, having them miss the shot. 

• It’s an AMAZING private moment between the couple on a crazy day.

• It will be one of your favorite parts of the day!

• You won’t have to SHARE the moment of seeing each other for the 1st time with tons of others (your entire guest list) You will have already gotten to see each other, all done up, and in private.

• There will be less pressure on your schedule and you’ll get to relax more

• And finally…. It’s your wedding day! You’ll LOVE not spending most of it HIDING from each other.

• Photo Locations - MOST photo locations are easily accessible, except for certain couple portrait spots. Those locations are farther in distance and therefore take longer to walk to. *ProTip: Don’t forget to add in “walking time/location change time” when figuring out your timeline. Also remember that sometimes it’s the SUN that decides where your best location is. As always, pray for clouds/overcast weather on your big day ;) 

• Who Edits Your Photos? Some very professional photographers outsource editing because it takes forever and they are very busy photographers. They have trained someone to edit JUST LIKE THEM and I think that is okay. That is completely different than someone shooting your wedding and then sending it to a corporation to edit. That decision in my opinion compromises the creative process. It also has the potential to create a situation of less responsibility on the photographer’s part, because to them, “they did their part” just shooting the wedding and don’t have to worry about the final product. 

• One last truth -- We have some strong opinions about photography. It’s true. However they are based on our experience here at Oehme Oasis, owner Ronelle’s 15+ years as a wedding photographer, and the experience of our past couple’s weddings.-- They are not just random opinions. 

 Here’s Why We Feel Strongly:

**We have had multiple brides be unhappy with their photos over the years. We want you to LOVE your photos. They are what you will have after the wedding. They are what is capturing & preserving all the details that you have spent so much time (and money$$) on. They are also something you can’t recreate. If photos are important, you need to choose a photographer with deep experience in weddings. It makes all the difference. 

**Typically there is NOT a big difference in pricing between amateurs and semi-pro photographers. Initially it’s hard to tell how much experience a photographer has/when they have made that transition from amateur to semi-pro. Except on a wedding day, we can certainly tell the difference. There is no doubt it has an impact on your overall experience and day.

**We’ve seen several situations where brides were SO HAPPY with their photographer after the wedding, BUT we saw how the photographer got lucky. That is not the same thing as being prepared and qualified for your wedding day. It went right on their wedding day, but honestly we saw where it could have gone SO WRONG. You don’t want to be in the latter scenario. There are a few examples of vendors in our Facebook group that a bride loved and we would not recommend, because we watched them luck into “getting it right.” Please make sure you do your own due diligence even on recommended vendors by other couples in our group. You may also feel free to reach out to me via WEVEN if you have a specific question