I Just Want My Snappy Snaps! The Photographer Reveal

I Just Want My Snappy Snaps! The Photographer Reveal

April 24th, 2010 @ 11:25 am by Mrs. Lobster
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I have to be honest here. I thought the photographer search was going to be easy peasy—find some pics I like, call them up, meet, and done. Except it ended up taking 2 months to find the right photographer.

In the end we chose CLY Creation, the same photographer as Mrs. Martini and the FIRST photographer we met with. I had fallen in love with CLY even before I got engaged when I helped a friend sift through photographers. Every interaction I had with them from the beginning was professional and responsive to my questions and requests. And double whammy, they do videography too—check and check.

CLY Creation

Here are some of my lessons learned in the process:

Stalk photographer blogs. They show the most recent wedding pics and are an accurate mix of the photographer’s portfolio.
Request a 2nd shooter. A second photographer is key to capturing different angles and views of your wedding. They might free up your primary photographer to take interesting shots without missing any of the action. It will cost more but will be worth it.
Know how many hours coverage you want. Do you want pictures of the getting ready process? Of the whole reception? Make sure you include travel time for photo locations. I have heard that 1 hour of coverage yields about 100 usable photos.
Ask for a customized package. Tell the photographer exactly what you want and don’t want if they offer prepackaged pricing.
Ask how long it’ll take to get preview pictures, in addition to the digital ones, and the album turnaround time so you’re not waiting around a year later to see the pics.
Responsiveness matters. I had communication issues with some photographers whose work I really liked. You want someone who is going to answer your questions and keep you in the loop. After all, they are the keepers of your wedding memories!

Now that we’ve learned some lessons, peep out these gorgeous photos from CLY:

CLY Creation

What lessons did you learn from the photographer search? Did you choose the first photographer you liked?

Tags: brooklyn, photography |

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22 Responses to “I Just Want My Snappy Snaps! The Photographer Reveal”

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Bee

Miss Seashell (message) 1,713 posts, Bumble bee

You’re going to have gorgeous pics, Lobsty! For me, choosing our photog was “love at first sight”.

4/24/10 @ 11:30 am (reply)

Member

tea (message) 7,295 posts, Bee Keeper

oooh, your photos are going to be fantastic! great pic!

4/24/10 @ 11:39 am (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Lovebird (message) 1,002 posts, Bumble bee

Great tips and great choice! Your wedding pics are going to be gorgeous!

4/24/10 @ 11:41 am (reply)

Guest

Tracy Torre-Walsh

That gorgeous bride on the taxicab is my friend, Katie.

I used Cly in June 2007, my cousin-in-law used them in June 2008, Katie in July 2009, and our friend Lauren for her wedding in October 2010! Countless other friends have been so happy with their work too–they couldn’t come more highly recommended.

4/24/10 @ 12:43 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Jellyfish (message) 1,450 posts, Bumble bee

I think a second shooter is nice to have, but if you don’t have it in your budget (we didn’t) then another option is to just have a second shooter for the ceremony. That’s the most important part anyway.

4/24/10 @ 1:10 pm (reply)

Member

LisaM (message) 160 posts, Blushing bee

Can’t wait to see how your pictures will turn out. Love the pictures that you have shown already…

4/24/10 @ 2:19 pm (reply)

Member

OttawaBride2011 (message) 4,510 posts, Honey bee

Awesome photographer!

We went with the first photographer we met with, but it was mostly a price thing!! We’re on a budget and photography just wasn’t up high on our list of priorities. I have been following his website now though, and thankfully I really like his work!

4/24/10 @ 2:29 pm (reply)

Member

krissybee (message) 3,921 posts, Honey bee

great tips!! your pics are going to be amazing, i just have a hunch!

4/24/10 @ 3:23 pm (reply)

Guest

Courtney Goldman

As a professional photographer, I totally agree with your tips! Additionally, I’d ask to see an entire wedding. Anyone can show you the top 10 photos from a wedding, and they are gonna be good. What you want to know is if your photographer is going to give you consistently great photos throughout your day! (Stalking the blog is also a good way to see this…)

4/24/10 @ 5:10 pm (reply)

10.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

Gorgeous photos! Looks like you made an excellent choice!

4/24/10 @ 6:48 pm (reply)

11.

Member

neontl (message) 1,135 posts, Bumble bee

The best suggestion I have for anyone shopping for a photographer is to ask them to see an entire wedding album. Since their blog and websites generally show their “Best of” pics, seeing a whole wedding shows me the consistency in quality, the way they tell the story with the pictures and the final product that I would also potentially receive. I loved some photographers blogs, but once I saw their albums, I realized that they were not consistency in the quality of the pictures (either subject, or finishing).

4/24/10 @ 10:44 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

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[...] I Just Want My Snappy Snaps! The Photographer Reveal | Weddingbee [...]

4/25/10 @ 5:57 am (reply)

13.

Bee

Mrs. Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

your photographer looks awesome!

4/25/10 @ 11:05 am (reply)

14.

Bee

Miss Lobster (message) 668 posts, Busy bee

@Miss Jellyfish: Great advice! I agree, the ceremony is most important for the 2nd shooter
@neontl: Another good tip. Consistency is key especially if you like their photos for a specific style or subject focus.

4/25/10 @ 12:12 pm (reply)

15.

Bee

Miss Argyle (message) 2,516 posts, Sugar bee

I picked our third and am BEYOND thrilled I did. We could not be more happy with her. She’s awesome!

4/26/10 @ 12:34 am (reply)

16.

Hostess

Jessie516 (message) 5,480 posts, Bee Keeper

These are great photog tips. I think you’re so right–it’s worth it to ask for a custom package. I know we were afraid to ask at first, but I’m glad we did. It was the best way to ensure we got exactly what we wanted and paid a fair price.

4/26/10 @ 9:02 am (reply)

17.

Member

alivoo01 (message) 2,625 posts, Sugar bee

I found my photographer via viewing a friend’s wedding pix on FB!! haha! I loved the bridal’s they took for her and have been very responsive and helpful!

4/26/10 @ 11:02 am (reply)

18.

Member

cnuptain (message) 330 posts, Helper bee

The photographer is my big debate right now. Yours looks amazing!

4/26/10 @ 11:45 am (reply)

19.

Bee

Miss Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

CLY is amazing, we looked at them too! Your photos will be beautiful!

4/26/10 @ 11:58 am (reply)

20.

Member

thebriz (message) 448 posts, Helper bee

I think a second shoot depends much on the skill of your primary one, how large your affair is, and there’s also bugetary restraints. I considered it or always thought it was a no-brainer, but when everything was put to writing, what we have to do, when, where, the extra cost wasnt’ worth it. Plus, we are having a videographer, so I feel that between those two, whatever isn’t caught by one will be caught by another - and I saved money.

4/26/10 @ 12:08 pm (reply)

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