How to shop for a wedding photographer

Part 1: What’s your style?

Planning a New Jersey wedding? Finding a photographer can feel like a daunting task, especially when you’ve never shopped for one before, let alone a wedding photographer. Your friends and parents all have advice and probably gave you a few references, but it’s important to make a choice that’s right for YOU. In this three-part blog post series, we’re going to help you tackle the tricky subject of shopping for a wedding photographer.

In this first post, we’re going to help you discover what style of photography you like. (Don’t worry, we’ll cover budget in Part 2.) Here we are defining a photographer’s style as the types of images they shoot and how those images look after editing. Believe it or not, there is a style of photography that is perfect for every couple, but no one-size-fits-all-solution because we all have different style sensibilities. Photographers may be the epitome of one style or a unique blend of two or more styles. We’ll be talking about the most common styles of wedding photography in this post. Read on to learn about the most general styles of wedding photography and photographers we love in each style.

Light & Airy is a really sweet and romantic style characterized by lots of white, muted colors and pastels, and soft bokeh. (Bokeh is the soft blurry circles or lines in the areas of the image that are out of focus.) Here are some great examples of Light & Airy style photography from real weddings at our Central NJ banquet venues.

Photographers whose light & airy photos we love:

Nicole Klym Photography | nicoleklym.com

Meghan Leigh Photography | meghanleighphoto.com

KSS Photography | kssphotos.com

Moody & Dramatic is a style where there is a lot of contrast between the light and dark areas of an image. Light is used to bring the viewer’s attention to a specific part of the image, while the rest of the image is much darker. This style tends to have a more serious tone, but can be elegant and classic if done well.

Photographers whose moody & dramatic photos we love:

Danny U Photography | dannyuphotography.com

Moses Cruz Photography | mosescruzphotography.com

Vibrant & Colorful is exactly as it sounds… full of bright colors and contrast. The photos strike a balance between being light and dark but the colors are vibrant and saturated. Many times this style goes hand-in-hand with fun, happy, laid back images. Here are some colorful images taken at our Hotels Unlimited banquet venues.

Photographers whose vibrant & colorful photos we love:

Kristen Driscoll Photography | kristendriscollphotography.com

Love Ever More | loveevermore.net

Traditional photographers tend to only do subtle edits to the photos in an effort to keep them looking true-to-life and timeless. A traditional photographer will be skilled at posed photos and give direction to the couple, as well as family members, to set up the shots they want. Generally they will take a mix of posed and candid photos throughout the day. Look for a photographer who can capture genuine emotion and elegant, tasteful poses, like these photos from Crystal Ballroom.

Photographers whose traditional photos we love:

Pearl Paper Studio | pearlpaperstudio.com

Photojournalism in its purest form does not interfere with the subjects or their environment at all. Obviously that is an issue for wedding photography because many posed photos are expected, such as family portraits. Those who call themselves photojournalistic usually mean that they prefer to focus on unscripted moments or their posing style may involve giving you a few instructions to get you moving. They would rather capture genuine emotion during that action, rather than a stiff, forced pose. Most photojouralistic wedding photographers will still do posed photos of the couple and family but if you have certain photos in mind, be sure to clearly state that to your photographer ahead of time.

Photographers whose photojournalism we love: 

Inspire Me Imagery | inspiremeimagery.com

The Markows | markowphotography.com

Based on what style you like best, look for photographers whose work embodies that style and looks good indoors and outside, in all weather conditions. If you don’t like a photographer’s style but you try to book with them on price alone, you may not be happy with your final images. They should try to work with you to capture and edit photos that you are happy with, but like any other artist, to a certain extent they will have a style that is unique to them. It’s unrealistic to ask or hope that their work will somehow look like another photographer’s work that you liked better. Just like you wouldn’t order vanilla ice cream if you really wanted chocolate ice cream, don’t go with a photographer who has a Moody & Dramatic style if you really like Light & Airy images or visa versa.

We hope this helps you find a style that you love and some talented NJ wedding photographers to check out! Reach out to any of our catering professionals for a list of photographers we have worked with and recommend. Check out our Central New Jersey banquet venues for more photo inspiration:

Windsor Ballroom | East Windsor, NJ

Crystal Ballroom | Freehold, NJ

Sterling Ballroom | Tinton Falls, NJ

Versailles Ballroom | Toms River, NJ

Atlantis Ballroom | Toms River, NJ

Happy planning!