Tips for Hiring Wedding Photography from a Top NYC Fine Art Wedding Photographer

Congratulations – you’re ENGAGED! You’ve been on Instagram scrolling through wedding photos for hours. But where do you even start when it comes to actually finding vendors?! As a top fine art wedding photographer in NYC, I’ve got tips to find the best wedding photography professional for you.

Find the Best Photographer for Your Personality

When reaching out to the best wedding photographers in New York City, you should always have a conversation. Schedule a phone call or coffee date with potential photographers whose work you love! It is important to have a relationship with your wedding photographer as it sets the mood for how the final wedding day pictures will turn out.

Very often, the vendor you would spend the most time with on your wedding day is your NYC wedding photographer. Find someone who you can click with, and who you are comfortable with in front the camera.

Schedule an Engagement Session

Once you’ve found your wedding photographer, schedule an engagement photoshoot in NY. The engagement session is an opportunity for you to bond with your photographer. This is a great time to test your chemistry and get to know their fine art wedding photography style.

Sometimes, it can be awkward to pose and to kiss your partner in front of a camera. You need to find a professional that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Your New York wedding photographer should be able to guide you through the process. This is essential to create emotional, beautiful, joyful images.

The engagement session is like a trial run for the wedding day. For example, I had a bride who disliked her side profile. Throughout the engagement session, she’d pinpoint to me the angles that she loved and the angles that she didn’t. I remembered these pointers for the wedding day and created images where she loved every angle of herself.

Check out this article for my recommended locations in New York City for your engagement session.

Request for a Full Wedding Album

Very often, what you’ll see on Instagram, social media, or a portfolio site are highlight images. Wedding photographers in NYC want to show off their very best work. Ask for a full wedding album to see what an entire wedding day looks like from the photographer.

This can help you:

  1. Understand how the photographer culls through the wedding day
  2. Notice how the photographer captures the day in different lighting conditions – a bright sunny wedding day looks very different to a cloudy rainy day.
  3. Understand how they direct when shooting wedding days. How does the photographer pose the family and wedding party photos?
  4. View more reception photos – most photographers post very few photos from the reception as guests did not sign a model release form.

How Much Does Wedding Photography Cost in New York City?

The cost for wedding photography in New York City averages to be around $3500 for an 8-hour full-day wedding coverage. For some award winning photographers, this can go up to $10,000!

I’ve been there where you feel like you have to stick to a strict budget for your wedding. Talk to your fiancé about what the total budget is for your wedding, and decide on the percentage you would like to spend on wedding photography. An average percentage to spend on Wedding Photography in the United States is 15%.

Figure Out Your Budgeting Priorities

Can you save on one aspect of the wedding and allocate more percentage of your budget to photography? Can you save on florals by opting for seasonal blooms rather than pink peonies if you’re having a fall wedding?

Once the wedding ends, photography is what lasts through the years and it becomes an heirloom for your family history. The ability to re-live special memories through photos is why investing in good photography is so important!

Where is Your Photographer Based?

Having your photographer based in the city where you’re having your wedding is super beneficial! This can help with your budget too, so you don’t have to pay for travel fees for your vendor.

Hiring the Best Wedding Photographers in NYC is Great, Because…

  1. They can suggest the best locations for your photos
  2. Your photographer can help to plan your timeline accurately as they are familiar with how much time it takes to get between locations
  3. You can schedule a venue walkthrough together

I have lived in New York City for several years, and I still feel like I’m learning something new every day when I navigate through this city.

When I first moved to NYC as a photographer, I remembered taking my clients on the wrong route in Central Park. Google Maps didn’t work in Central Park, and we aimlessly walked through pathways for an hour. Thankfully, my clients were so kind and understanding. If you hire someone who is based locally, these are things that can be easily avoided.

Decide Which Style of Photography You Like

There are so many types of wedding photography. But what is the best wedding photographer style for your wedding day? Let’s take a look at the different types.

Figuring Out an Approach to Finding the Best NYC Wedding Photographer

What kind of colors are you drawn to? How does each photographer in their genre approach the wedding day? Keep in mind that these are generalizations and each photographer has their own voice with their approach.

NYC Fine Art Wedding Photography

The edited colors are mostly bright and airy with a pastel tone to the pictures. The approach to shooting is carefully crafted with a strong attention to detail. Directions are given to help the couple look natural without being heavily posed.

Fine art photography that can also include the use of Film. There are some wedding photography studios who shoot solely on film and there are some hybrid shooters. As a top NYC fine art wedding photographer, I shoot 80% digital and 20% film. This helps me achieve bright and airy results that make you look amazing.

Growing up, film photography has always been part of my life. My mom documented every second of our lives with film. I remember getting rolls developed with my mom. This was the start of my photography career – viewing and curating images with my mom for our family’s archive.

Shooting film has taught me to see things in a “calculative” way. It challenges me to be a better photographer. Film has taught me to slow down, to take shots in the moment, and to see artfully.

Adventurous Wedding Photography

The color editing is more desaturated with an orange, dark tone. This kind of photographer has an active lifestyle like hiking, skiing, and loves nature! Rachel Barkman is one of the adventure photographers I look up to.

Hiking and an adventurous spirit is needed to get these stunning locations. A few locations could be Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Zion National Park.

My husband and I met a photographer – Kursatcar Photography on our honeymoon photoshoot at Cappadocia. He picked us up at our hotel in the morning at 4:50 AM in a JEEP. He knew the terrains of Cappadocia and the timings where the hot air balloons would be the best at. 

Throughout the entire shoot, my husband told me he has never been on such an exciting shoot before. Kursat drove his jeep across terrains and created pathways. We felt like we were going to topple out of his jeep any time – it was so much fun.

Wedding Photos with the Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia
My husband and I on our honeymoon at Cappadocia

Photojournalistic Wedding Photography

When it comes to photojournalistic wedding photography, most color editing looks like it’s straight out of the camera, black and white and shot mostly with a wide lens. The methodology of approaching the wedding day is being a “fly on the wall” to apply a non-intrusive way of photographing the day. These photographers give little direction. If you love the “in the moment” photos, this option could be good for you!

Creative Wedding Photography

These photographers choose a very saturated color tone to catch the eye. I find that these artistic kind of photos can be fascinating! This kind of photography usually emphasizes on a subject using tools like architecture and light.

Couple and their dog at DUMBO brooklyn.

Choosing the Best NYC Wedding Photographer for You

There are plenty of options for photographers in New York City. But choosing the best NYC wedding photographer for you takes time. If you’re interested in fine art wedding photography, reach out and let me know. I would love to hear more about your wonderful wedding plans.

How to Find the Best Wedding Photographer in New York City

April 25, 2020

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