Social media is a treasure trove of amazing engagement photos, isn’t it? While some look quite romantic, others force a chuckle or two of you, don’t they? Undoubtedly, we’ve all heard from a couple or two that we know how disappointed they were in their wedding photographer. Sometimes it comes as a surprise to them after viewing their wedding photos, for other couples they will tell you they should have known better after viewing their engagement session images.

May I suggest that the reason for this is that many couples fail to improperly decide on their photographer when they secure their services BEFORE the first engagement photo is ever snapped. This might sound self-serving coming from a wedding photographer. I share this, however, because even I realize that my style of photography is not for everyone. It is very important to me to make sure the couples who commission me, do so with certainty and with enough information about what I will do for them as possible, before they sign our contract. I want to know that I am being selected for the right reasons. For this reason, I have two suggestions for couples just beginning their journey into selecting a wedding photographer. My honest desire is to offer you some advice to help you do your best when looking for a Detroit wedding photographer.

         Get a Wedding Photographer that Takes Time to Know and Understand You

Your engagement is the prologue to your wedding. It sets in motion plans for the big day and the marriage itself. Needless to say, this makes it a special and important moment that should be documented, and photos are the best medium you can utilize to achieve that. What does this have to do with selecting your wedding photographer? It is imperative you secure the services of a competent and professional wedding photographer to preserve this moment, and that’s really the key point of note here: competency. But is that all? No. Remember, the advice I am offering you here is not whether or not your photographer is skilled or experienced, but whether you will be HAPPY with the final results.

The best wedding photographer is the one who makes time to know you on a personal level; someone who can understand you almost as well as a close friend can, and engagement sessions offer the perfect medium to achieve that. Why is this important? Because this kind of photographer wants to personalize your experience with them. He wants to understand your photographic needs and knows the best way to achieve this is to actually get to know YOU. Doing so works on so many levels! Let me count the ways!!!

By getting to know you, the photographer opens a new avenue of freedom. Freedom to enable you to relax around them, to be yourselves, for the photographer to turn off the business side of their brain and be themself as well! The benefits that follow are numerous. Great photographs from your engagement session or wedding will result when you are freed up to celebrate in the moment. To be yourselves, relaxed, happy, unhindered, and expressive in your emotions to your partner. This is hard to achieve if you feel apprehensive or self aware. Your photographer, on the other hand, is also hindered if you are unable to be yourself. The resulting photographs will look stiff or contrived, rather than natural, fun and happy! Likewise, the photographer himself, if unable to be themselves, can be hindered to be creative out of fear of failure. Rather than capturing unique photos, the photographer is apt to play it safe and conservatively.

How is it possible to know this about about the various photographers you are interviewing? What can you do to possibly know whether the photographer sees you as a number, or actually cares about getting to know you so they can personalize the coverage needed to make you happy with the photos they create for you?

If you’re already in contract with your wedding photographer, use the opportunity during your engagement session to talk to your wedding photographer about personal things, like how did you two meet? Where did your loved one propose to you? Tell the photographer about your careers and anything else you feel will forge a stronger bond between you and them. Ask your photographer various personal questions similar to those you would ask someone else you are building a friendship with. Ask them about their career, how they got started in wedding photography, where are they from, and are they married and have children?

A professional wedding photographer understands the significance of this, and they’ll gladly welcome the opportunity to build friendship between you and them. The closer you become, the more confidence you’ll have in letting your wedding photographer take the reins on such an important day, and the more confidence your photographer will have in knowing how they can make you happy with the results of your session, and ultimately, your wedding day!

              Don’t Rely on Hearsay Alone

Don’t base your decision to secure the services of a wedding engagement photographer solely from what people tell you. Yes, word-of-mouth is a good way to learn about a wedding photographer, but that shouldn’t be the ONLY thing underlying your decision to commissioning one.

No matter how much you trust the person who recommends the photographer, we advise you to do your own in-depth research on the choices available to you. Speak to them on the phone rather than relying only on email communication. Make sure to meet them in person, if at all possible, to begin the process of really getting to know them better than just a service you need or want. Your wedding photographer should be thought of as a highly personal service rather than someone who can merely get the job done. If you think of them similarly to the way you think of a plumber, a car mechanic or a barber, you may find yourself unhappy with the results.

Yes, it’s important to get a feel for what they do from their highlight portfolio and greatest single images, but how do their wedding albums look or galleries of complete wedding photos from beginning to end? Are they filled with photos that are to die for? Your friends may heap their praises on the photographer because they loved the results of their work of their wedding. But photography is an art form. It is subjective and not a one-size-fits-all kind of a product. Do you love the photographers style, do you see yourselves in the photos on display?

Your engagement photo session is a prelude to your wedding photography. The results will help build your confidence and tell you how beautiful your wedding photos will look. Why not request that the photographer you are leaning toward photograph your engagement session before you go into contract with them for your wedding? The upside to this is that you will have a much more informed opinion of whether the photographer is capable to meet your specific, subjective needs photographically. It will also help you see if you connect with the photographers personality and even like the person.

With all that being said, have you secured a Detroit wedding photographer for your upcoming Detroit wedding yet? With the uncertainty of the day, the Coronavirus pandemic, we have experienced almost a complete halt in being commissioned for new weddings. Most couples, recently engaged, are playing it safe as they should be. They are waiting for signs that the virus is behind us and that the country and the economy are getting back to business as usual…or what life is going to look like moving ahead, before putting down a non-refundable deposit.

As one of Metro Detroits’ most established and most successful wedding photographers, Ray Anthony Photography has an impressive track record of capturing wonderful engagement photos and equally beautiful wedding photos. We are a boutique business that is highly interested in building relationships with our clients that last far past the wedding day! We have several years of experience and countless past clients who can vouch for how professional, talented, and skilled we are. Click here to read for yourselves several of the praises heaped upon us over the years! Ray Anthony Photography knows what it takes to capture perfect engagement and wedding photos.

We are offering an opportunity that we have never offered before. We welcome the opportunity to photograph your engagement session before you make your final decision to secure us as your wedding photographers. We will even provide you with a credit toward your final wedding collection package with your engagement session fees. Certain restrictions apply. Even if you do not have a date fixed for your wedding already, contact us via 866-UNPOSED (867-6733) or click here to schedule a free consultation.