How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
A thoughtful approach to choosing someone you trust with your memories
Choosing your wedding photographer is about so much more than liking a gallery of beautiful images. This is the person who will witness the quiet moments, the in-between glances, the deep breaths, and the emotions you may not even realize are unfolding in real time.
Long after the day has passed, your photographs will become the way you remember how it felt.
Here’s our take on how to choose a photographer with intention, trust and confidence.
1. Start with How You Want to Feel
Before comparing packages or scrolling portfolios, pause and ask yourself this:
How do I want to feel on my wedding day?
Calm and grounded?
Fully present?
Guided but not overly directed?
Free to be yourself?
Your photographer plays a significant role in shaping that experience. The right fit will feel steady, reassuring, and deeply attuned — someone who knows when to gently guide and when to step back and let moments unfold naturally.
2. Ask how they handle unexpected moments
Because real weddings aren’t perfect, you want someone who knows how to move with the day.
Rain, delays, dim lighting, or timeline shifts:
- “What is your approach when the timeline shifts?”
- “How do you handle low-light situations?”
- “What’s your backup plan with equipment?”
A seasoned photographer answers calmly and confidently.
3. Ask what the experience feels like
Your photographer is with you more than almost any vendor.
You want someone who feels grounding, adds calm, artistry and organization to your wedding experience.
Ask:
- “What does your process look like from booking to delivery?”
- “How do you help couples feel comfortable?”
- “What can I expect on the wedding day?”
4. Ask about the full gallery, not just the highlights
A beautiful image can catch your eye — but a consistent body of work earns your trust.
When reviewing galleries, notice:
- How moments are documented from beginning to end
- Whether emotions feel genuine and unforced
- How light, color, and tone remain cohesive
- How couples move and interact within the images
Full galleries tell the real story — not just how a photographer captures the best moments, but how they hold space for all of them.
5. Ask about their values
You want someone who listens, who cares, who sees you. Their presence on your wedding day is one that matter to your legacy. How they make you feel and what they value is reflected in the images they take. Take a moment to see if your values align based on the images you see in the full gallery.
The right photographer doesn’t just capture moments —
they document what matters to you.
6. Consider Their Approach, Not Just Their Style
Style is important, but approach is everything.
Some photographers are highly directive. Others are fully documentary. Many, like myself, blend both — offering guidance when it helps you feel confident, while leaving room for authentic emotion to lead.
Ask yourself:
- Do I want to feel guided or hands-off?
- Do I value candid moments as much as refined portraits?
- Does this photographer’s approach align with how I experience connection?
The best images come from an approach that honors who you are.
A Final Thought on Choosing the Right Wedding Photographer
Choosing a wedding photographer is a deeply personal decision. Beyond style or portfolio, it’s about finding someone who understands the significance of your day and approaches it with reverence, intention, and care.
The right photographer doesn’t simply document your wedding — they protect the moments that matter most, preserving them in a way that feels honest, timeless, and true to you.
When you find that alignment, the experience feels natural, grounded, and effortless. And from there, everything else has space to unfold beautifully.
If you’re drawn to an experience that feels intentional, calm, and deeply personal, I’d love to learn more about your story. You can begin the conversation here.
To connect with us online, of course we’re on instagram! Send us a message~ we’d love to here from you!
Cheers,
Renee Jael
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Growing up my mom was always well dressed and documented. There was one image, framed, where her hair was in a soft curly afro, dark lipstick, and a subtle smile. She was breathtaking. In the portrait, she wore a one shouldered velvet top, or dress-I couldn’t tell because it was taken through the window of a vintage car. I moved to the US at 18 and returned home on year to find that it was no longer there! One of my biggest wishes was that I had it. While it was my favorite-I have many others to remind me of the beauty she carries and the style she values.
As a little girl, I would flip through our albums looking at her life and mine. Taking portraits on disposable cameras or going to the studio near our home in Trinidad for Christmas and special occasions. Those are days I cherish so dearly and know the weight of it’s value. I saw my parents work hard and wanted to be what they were, but I became what they modeled for me—a preserver of life’s moments, with an appreciation for timeless, elegant style and an advocate for those who need compassion. Post college, I searched for who I was meant to be as an artist and it was undeniable—when I show up I add beauty to the world and started my company to replicate that with each person and moment I am trusted to capture/photograph.
My clients experience the best of me, with care and rave about my professionalism/expertise and passion, as someone who “knows she’s not just clicking a button….but anchoring memories to photographs that will become artwork, gifts, treasures that capture our moments forever.” They “feel that on the other side of the camera throughout the whole process.”
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