How to choose your Amalfi Coast wedding photographer

How to choose your Amalfi Coast Wedding photographer

LIFESTYLE  /  TRAVEL  /  WEDDING

1. CHOOSE SOMEONE YOU REALLY LOVE. I am local, yet don’t trust who suggests to you that being local is always the best option. It’s definitely true that a local Amalfi Coast Wedding Photographer knows very well places, locations, receptions, lights, and many other elements. On the other hand, you risk limiting your choice at the ones suggested by some wedding planners who have an interest in promoting someone rather than another. I am in contact with several professional wedding planners, but not all of them are professional.

2) You have the right to extend your research. You should. Many photographers all over Italy travel a lot and know all the most popular Italian wedding destinations. It’s also true that unknown destinations can be a source of inspiration for photographers. Local photographers are often in a “comfort zone” and tend to likely repeat the same photos with the same backgrounds.

A photographer who has never been to a particular location can be pleasantly surprised to find something completely different and the final result could look different and even better sometimes. I say this against my interest as a local amalfi Coast wedding photographer, but this discloses how realistic and objective is a matter of fact. The positive aspect of being a local wedding photographer is definitely knowing local people who can be very helpful in opening private spaces for shootings. So this is the first tip on How to choose your Amalfi Coast wedding photographer.

3) WHO IS SUGGESTING WHO AND WHY? When you ask a hotel to give you suggestions about wedding planners, photographers, and other vendors in most cases they will give you a list of names. Some of them love giving you the list even if you don’t ask for it. Be careful: in some cases, they are just telling you who represent their own interests in the business.

I strongly suggest you search on google all of the vendors and analyze how they introduce themselves on the websites. For photographers, it should be smarter to do on your own as you are the only one who can receive feelings by watching a portfolio, pictures, and reading texts on websites. Why stop at a small photographers list and don’t try to explore the wide opportunities that google offers by the search field? You will be proud of yourself after you will have chosen the photographer on your own.

4) BE SURE THAT THE CHOSEN PHOTOGRAPHER WILL PERSONALLY BE AT YOUR WEDDING AND SHOOT FOR ALL THE EVENTS. Many photographers always work with a second shooter who is supposed to shoot mostly at the groom getting ready and also at the ceremony as well as the party. It’s not uncommon that in some sad cases the second shooter is the one who spends most of the time with couples and the official photographer works only in particular circumstances like in the couple pictures.

I personally can work with a second shooter when it’s required, but in the contract, I guarantee my work for the hired hours and couple will see me shooting along the event. My second shooter will just take pictures from another point of view and will be more focused on details, settings, guests while I will be working with the bride and groom. I personally don’t take more than 50 weddings in one year. This is my choice to keep a good quality level and so I can guarantee my stay for all of the booked weddings.

5) PHOTOGRAPHER GENDER. I would not trust who says that a male is better than a female or a female is better than a male. These differences are ridiculous in my opinion, also because these sexist thoughts don’t take into account gay and lesbian photographers or metrosexual, bisexual and other genders and sensitivity. I believe in the efficiency of a good mixture between sensitivity and empathy. This is the only way to work well with people. Obviously, empathy is not such an important component for those who love to show off fashionable style and loves acting like the best photographer in the world. I am totally different and down the earth and I am so proud to don’t be sexist.

6) THE BEST PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS A DEAL. The market is full of photographers. What makes the difference is not the price, yet the style, and being distinctive is very rare today. If you are focusing on how to choose your Amalfi Coast wedding photographer based on your budget you should be conscious that you get what you give. When someone is too cheap there must be some reason. Probably this photographer is not distinctive and the pictures look like the ones of millions of photographers all over the shop.

It’s likely possible that you are meeting a not-so-experienced photographer and you should expect not such a high-quality level final result. Yet many photographers came along with really high prices. In order to evaluate how this price is fair enough, you should first love the style and be conscious that the portfolio is distinctive but also make sure that the photographer will personally come along at your wedding and won’t send another one. Also make sure of how many edited pictures you will get at the end, the delivery time, as well as video and other offered options on the package list

7) A DISTINCTIVE STYLE – It looks like photographers love making a strong difference between photojournalism and posing. I think that having a distinctive style is very important as well as doesn’t make a strong difference between reportage and portrait photography. A wedding is a mixture of lots of elements. There are family and friends pictures, getting ready pictures, ceremony pictures, creative couple pictures, and the reception. A real wedding should include all these parts and the album design should be a good element in order to choose a photographer, as it shows how the photographer is consistent with the storytelling.

A portfolio with lots of flying veils and extremely focused on beauty and headshots are in my opinion old fashioned and not timeless. If you are looking for a good record of your experience in a wonderful place like Amalfi Coast and Ravello or Positano is pretty much possible that you are asking for environmental portraits, emotional portraits, moody portraits without losing the reportage of your wedding. Giving a strong push on posing is also old-fashioned and could be stressful for a couple.

I personally love natural and spontaneous movements under a directional and natural light with amazing background. It’s ridiculous that in order to grab posed images photographers risk wasting precious time that will represent just the taste of themselves and the images won’t give back a real record of a couple of experiences. Try to see the facial expression of the portfolio pictures and see how much they look natural if they are in a mood or just in a photographer’s cage. It’s not color grading and the vintage style that makes a picture timeless. There is something more on How to choose your Amalfi Coast wedding photographer.

8) PHOTOSHOP AND SIMILAR – Don’t trust who says that the use of photoshop is limited. A true professional has always a retoucher in his studio and retouchers always use photoshop or something similar. Professional retouchers would never use presets or Instagram filters. Photoshop should not be used to change the skin and the faces of the bride and groom. I personally use photoshop to enhance the mood and make my style more distinctive. Yet you shouldn’t trust who writes to avoid the vintage effect. It will never exist a camera that will reproduce perfectly the colors. What makes the difference is the way a photographer uses photoshop. I can personally show lots of pictures where photographers add fake flares or put some magenta in the whites or even some red in the shadows. Timeless is not made by photoshop but it’s made by the images in themselves, by the mood, and the way to communicate and interact.

9) COMMUNICATION – It’s obvious that a photographer must have good and fluent English. But communication is not just this. It’s made of empathy and it starts from the very first beginning. Photographers who don’t personally answer emails are likely not telling the truth when they say to book just a few weddings per year focusing on quality if they even don’t have time to answer emails. Empathy and communication are so important in photography that starting a  signed conversation by the manager is a big mistake that I will never make.

10) AWARDS AND EDITORIAL – They are important in order to build trust, yet you should know that in many cases photographers purchase the publications (as it used to be in Style me Pretty journal) and the awards of many websites are given to the ones who make the same style of pictures. A very distinctive photographer could not be interested in publications and awards. I think in the almost 20’s of this century people have the power, the knowledge and the opportunity to choose by observing images and have their own idea of who want to prize.

11) FLEXIBILITY – Finally make sure to chose a photographer who works well and it’s confident also with a cloudy sky, harsh light, not just beautiful top models.