If there’s one thing that you can expect when planning a wedding, it’s a lot of research. When you’re not viewing venues, you’re listening to bands and reading reviews on caterers. Finding the right photographer is a vital part of the wedding research process, if not one of the most important!

Photographers come from all walks of life and can either help you commemorate your wedding day in the most special way possible or create unnecessary problems for you. Prices, photography styles, printing options, and personalities all need to be considered when researching photographers.

To ensure you make the best choice possible, here are the top red flags to watch out for as you consider your options.

1. A Poor Personality

It’s essential for you to get along with your photographer, especially if you want your photos to look relaxed and natural. Some photographers can end up being pushy, rude, or uncreative. When meeting with a potential photographer, gauge how comfortable you feel and how open they are to your ideas and answering your questions. You don’t even need to meet a photographer in person to determine whether they’re a match – a simple phone call or Zoom session will do. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your photographer, which is why personality is such an important consideration! If a photographer brushes you off, talks over you, or insists on running with their ideas, it’s time to move on. The ideal photographer should be friendly, knowledgeable, a good listener, and take the time to understand you as a couple.

2. Vague Pricing

When you receive a quotation, exactly what you’re paying for should be clear. A photographer that simply adds unwanted products or services to your quotation is probably not the best fit. A photographer who understands what you’re looking for will quote you on exactly what you asked for. If after enquiring more about the specific costs for their services, the photographer is vague or rude, it’s best to go with someone else.

3. An Amateur Portfolio

Photography style is one of the main considerations when hiring someone to shoot your wedding. A photographer might claim to have a specific style such as artistic, traditional, or photojournalistic, but does their portfolio reflect that? Take the time to browse through their wedding galleries. Does the style fit in with what you’re looking for or do the photos look outdated and amateurish? Ultimately, your wedding photos should be timeless – do their images match this requirement?

4. A Lack of Equipment

You don’t need a photographer to go into detail about every bit of equipment they have, but every good wedding photographer does have backup equipment. This way, if a camera or lens had to break on the day of your wedding, you won’t be left without photos. If they don’t have backup equipment, find out whether there will be a second shooter.

5. Over-Editing

Every photographer has their own editing style. However, a photographer that edits photos to the point of a person not being recognizable is not someone you should consider for your wedding. If the bride and groom look more like porcelain dolls than actual people, you may want to continue your search for the right photographer. With that being said, couples have different preferences, so if you’re looking for a specific editing style, ask your photographer about the possibilities.

6. Very Few Reviews

What past clients have to say about a photographer will tell you a lot about what you can expect. If you can’t find many reviews or most of the reviews are negative, it’s best to keep hunting for a wedding photographer. When looking at reviews, try and find specifics such as how quickly a customer received their photos and how good the photographer’s communication was.

Overall, you want the process of finding and working with a wedding photographer to be exciting and pleasant! There is no shortage of excellent wedding photographers, you just need to know what to look for.