As an engaged couple, this is presumably your first foray into wedding photography options. How can you know if your prospects are credible? Let’s be honest – there is a slight possibility that the wedding photographer you’re looking at is actually a 13 year old who made a website by stealing images from the internet, asks people for deposit checks via email, and then never shows up to the wedding. Is that likely? Not really, but the point is that it’s important to find other sources that can vouch for your potential wedding photographer.
I Know a Guy Who Knows a Guy
Rhode Island is a small state and along with that comes the convenience of almost always knowing someone who knows someone. Let’s assume you’re A) not from Rhode Island, or B) Don’t know someone who knows someone. How can you tell if your wedding photographer is legitimate?
What Are Others Saying?
Reviews.
Reviews are critical when you’re searching for your wedding photographer. Here’s what to look for:
The number of reviews.
If there’s only a few, it’s difficult to get a good feel for what your experience will likely be like. For all we know, those three reviews could be from the photographer’s mom, sister, and cat.
The content of the reviews.
Is there a common thread through all the reviews? Does everyone say “Pretty good experience” or is everyone raving about the wedding photographer’s personality? Their final product? Their attentiveness throughout the planning process? Going above and beyond expectations? If fifty past brides are exclaiming the photographer’s virtues, then it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re going to get a similar experience.
Negative reviews.
Are there any scathingly harsh negative reviews? If so, how many? 1 out of 100? Probably an outlier. 3 out of 10? Better watch out. Check the content of the reviews, make sure the person’s not just a raving lunatic or a troll. Use caution if there’s more than one or two negative reviews. Ideally there are none. If you’re concerned about something you see, don’t be afraid to ask your potential wedding photographer about it. Give them a chance to explain, then you be the judge.
Fake reviews.
Are the reviews even from real people? If there’s only a couple, maybe not. If there’s fifty, then that’s a lot of effort to fake it. If you’re really having doubts, ask your potential wedding photographer if there’s a past bride they’d be willing to put you in touch with. If they have satisfied clients, then they probably won’t mind doing this. An outright and defensive refusal of that request should serve as a red flag.
Does Your Photographer Advertise?
While not a surefire way of separating the wheat from the chaff, a photography studio that’s serious will probably have a few advertising outlets. Some may be in print (magazines mainly), some with online advertisements (Newport Wedding Glam, The Knot, WeddingWire, etc…), and some may participate regularly in bridal shows. It’s a good sign if a studio is active in advertising, because a fly by night operation probably isn’t willing to spend $4,000 to get on a page in a magazine.
It’s cold out in New England, so I thought I’d include this winter engagement session photo
Series information
Next we’ll be talking about the importance of seeing a whole body of work rather than just a highlights portfolio.
If you missed the intro to this series, you can catch it right here – How To Choose Your Rhode Island Wedding Photographer Series Introduction.
