hoosing a wedding photographer and videographer is often where couples make a mistake. We put this in a risk category right up there with DJs and Planners
While the sting of most bad vendors likely fades with time, photography and videography is forever. Or at least every time you look at your wedding photos.
Here's the root of the problem. The barriers to entry for photographers are so low that the professions attract a lot of hobbyists. Since we all have smart phones in our pocket with editing and filter apps, we all think that we're great photographers. But despite our vanity, most of us will never be professionals.
Before we recommend how to go about picking your wedding photographer and videographer, let us tell you how not to do it. If you have a friend or family member who is gifting you the service, or giving you a discount, don't do it. Merely knowing someone doesn't provide any indication of the quality of their work. And if the friend or family member is gifting the service, they really should be attending the wedding and not working it. Who gifts an expensive service out of friendship and isn't even invited to the event?
And don't select your photographer because a friend used them. Your styles are likely to be very different.
Last, don't select your wedding photographer based solely on cost. New wedding photographers enter the business by heavily discounting their rates. They shouldn't go to school on you. We do our very best to prevent this from happening with our curated approved vendor list.
Then how do I choose a wedding photographer?
We have seen photographs from every wedding at our venues for the past 13 years. We've officially become wedding photography critics. We seem to know every style, backdrop, formula, lineup and trend.
Apart from the photography itself, photographers can sometime be....artists. Like musicians, but with cameras. Some can be hard to work with when it comes to a timely and thoughtful presentation of photos to both you and your other vendors who would love to brag about how great your wedding was on social media.
You'll likely go no farther than our large list of approved photographers. The list links directly to each photographer's website, where you may view their work. Photographers tend to have a style and you should find one that suits your's. Even though it's an important category, picking a photographer is generally easier than picking any other vendor since you can see their work and how they represent it right on their website.
A photographer should also be very familiar with your venue so they have a plan in advance which includes where they wish to shoot and when (as light moves through the space). The photographers on our list have been to our venues many times (and know how to capture the Golden Hour).
Of course, once you find one you like, availability may be a factor. We recommend that you select a photographer immediately after booking our venue. Like a venue, a photographer is either booked or available on any given date, and peak season dates fill quickly for good photographers.
Most of what applies to photographers also applies to videographers. Go to our approved vendor list and look at the list of videographers. There you'll find many wedding and music videos filmed at Clementine and Ruby. Watching 15 wedding videos shot at our venues is an interesting way to spend an evening.
