How to choose a photographer for a small wedding

To choose a photographer for a small wedding, start by looking at complete weddings, from beginning to end, not just individual photos. After that, it is worth meeting the person who will take the photos on the day. At a wedding with only a few guests, everything happens up close: the ceremony, the meal, the family seated a few metres away. That is why the documentary style suits it well, and it is the style seen most often in Spain today. In this style the photographer observes discreetly, does not interrupt the celebration and looks for spontaneous moments. The budget matters too. According to the Libro imprescindible de las bodas, the usual amount to pay for a professional photographer in Spain is €1,500, although the price varies quite a lot from one autonomous community to another. A small wedding does not always need someone photographing it all day. It is worth knowing how many hours the service covers, how many photos are delivered, how long delivery takes and whether travel is included. All of this should be set out in a contract.

The steps, in order

The steps usually go in this order. First, look for photographers whose style you like and ask each of them for a complete wedding. The mistake here is to rely on social media, which only shows the most eye-catching images. A few photos can be very good and the full album may still not be what you were expecting. The second step is to pay attention to the light. If the meal or the party takes place indoors or at night, check how the photographer deals with that kind of light. Many couples only look at photos taken in daylight and get a surprise afterwards. The third step is the interview. A brand name does not always tell you who will photograph the wedding, so it is worth asking who will come and how the team works. What goes wrong is speaking to one person and then having someone else turn up on the wedding day. At a small wedding one photographer may be enough, but when the couple get ready in two different places, a second photographer helps. The fourth step is asking specific questions. Do you receive all the material or only a selection? What backups are there? Is the pre-wedding session included or paid for separately? That earlier session usually helps the couple get used to the camera. If these questions are not answered, they tend to come back later as extra costs. The last step is the contract, with the date, the services and the final price. If you also want video, the same questions apply to the videographer.

Where to start

The next step is simple. Write down the date, the venue and how you want the day to feel: more or less posing, with or without a pre-wedding session, photos only or video as well. With that note, you can write to a few photographers, ask each one for a complete wedding and ask who would be there on the day. Then it is worth meeting the ones you like and listening to how they answer a small question. Their answer usually tells you a lot about how they will act if something changes.

The steps, in order

Where to start

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