How important it is that your wedding photographer worked at your venue before?
A lot of brides have asked the question if it is important that your wedding photographer worked at their venue before. Well, here is the answer. We were also curious, so we asked our celebrity wedding photographer Jan Freire, what he thinks about this topic.
Jan answered that “it really depends. If your photographer is not on the creative side and does not have enough experience, it’s better if they know the venue. But once your wedding photographer is creative with many years of experience, it really does not matter. Let me explain…”
In my case, there are chances that I have photographed a wedding at your venue before. Mainly in South Florida. I have been documenting fabulous weddings in South Florida for almost a decade. But now I travel a lot.
I personally would feel restrained if I would have to shoot many weddings at one venue. I feel like there would be no creativity involved anymore. There might even be no inspiration to create something different because you work slightly on the safe side.
But when I work at a new venue, I always like to come earlier to do a walk-through at the site, nail down the first look spot, test the location for family formals, to scoop the best light and angles for the entire wedding day.
And I like the momentum. I let myself inspire by the energy of the actual couple and how it flows with the energy of the venue. You won’t experience this with photographers that work on 2-3 places thorough their entire career.
With that being said, here is the secret: It is not necessarily an advantage when your photographer has documented too many weddings at a particular venue. Because wedding photographers, like all of us, are creatures of habits. Everyone likes to do what has worked well for them in the past, right?
Why this is important to understand with wedding photography? Just think about those tight wedding timelines. Many photographers make up time by shooting in familiar settings and proven angles. And this approach can result in your images looking like everyone else’s while simultaneously stifling the creative interpretation of your photographer.
As a high-end destination wedding photographer, I actually see new venues almost every weekend, and it keeps things exciting for me!
I have to add, that of course, I’m always happy to schedule a venue visit with you and your event planner. Who can give a better opinion on where to do the ceremony or many other essential matters.
You can check Jan’s listing and of course, his website. You also might want to check his other tips, tricks, and advice on the Wedding Meets Fashion website.
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good post. thanks for sharing about the benefits of wedding photographers and venues. i’ve heard wdw wedding photographers benefit from experience there.
Joy
I don’t think so. My photographer had never been to the location where we got married. She showed up early and walked the grounds before I even arrived. Her choices for photos was absolutely amazing! I loved them.
Interesting article that explains both sides of the fence on wedding photographers and their venues. I could certainly see where breaking out of the box would inspire more creativity instead of the “same shot.” This is certainly helpful for other photographers as well.
I’m amazed at how many photographers there are now. I’ve seen impressive work from amateurs. I think it would be more important to just get there early and explore vs working there previously.
My wedding photographer has not photographed my venue. I love his work, and he is the rare photographer in the area who has photographed a Jewish wedding ceremony. I trust his ability to document our story in any environment. However, everyone is different, and I think people should go with whatever makes them feel comfortable. There’s already enough stress around wedding planning!
It’s very interesting to hear from a pro how he’s working. As a journalist, I’m working with many professional photographers and each and everyone has his own philosophy.
Interesting perspective. I would think arriving ahead of time and a good idea would do wonders for any photo session.
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