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There is a big difference between looking at a wedding photographer’s portfolio and looking at a wedding photographer’s album. Let’s first define each of those things, then we can talk about the importance of one versus the other.
The Wedding Photography Portfolio
A wedding photography portfolio is a collection of highlights, usually the best of the best from any and every wedding the photographer has been a part of. If the photographer has done 100 weddings, took an average of 1500 photos per wedding, and has a portfolio with 50 pictures in it, then you are looking at 50 out of 150,000 images. Those are not unrealistic numbers by any means. Now, if you took 150,000 photos, do you think you would have 50 that are pretty good? I should hope so. Therein lies the fundamental problem of basing your wedding photography decision on portfolios alone. You are only getting a tiny glimpse of a photographer’s work. What’s a portfolio good for, then? They are a great way to get a feel for the style of your prospective wedding photographer. You better love their portfolio if you’re thinking of hiring them. Below is an example of a wedding photographer’s portfolio image:
The Wedding Photography Album
So how about an album? I always encourage my prospective brides and grooms to look through at least one wedding album from a real wedding we have done. An album is a collection of images from one wedding, start to finish. This is a complete body of work that will give you a much better idea of what type of finished product you’re going to end up with from your wedding photographer. Pay attention to the flow. How do they tell the story? Are there enough candids? Are all the moments captured? Do they catch the types of emotion that are important to you? Get the idea? Do you see the value of looking at a full album? Below is an example of six consecutive images from a wedding:
Use the portfolio to get some confidence in the style and see if you want to meet the wedding photographer. Once you sit down with them, ask to see an album or collection of images from one wedding. If they don’t want to show you – you guessed it – run away. An album will prove consistency. If you receive 400 images from your wedding, do you want 1 good one and 399 mediocre ones? Probably not. Check out the album before you commit.
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