How to Find Your Wedding Photographer

Hello and welcome to the Justin and Lauren Photography blog! We are Justin and Lauren, photographers based in Charleston, South Carolina. Our journey began in 2015 when we met during training to become photojournalists for the U.S. Air Force. Our passion for photography has only grown since then, which led us to start our own business. We’re your photographers for all kinds of events – Weddings, engagement and couple photos, branding, and more! If you’re interested in learning more about us and what we offer, visit our website! We love taking photos in unique locations, so if you’re up for traveling to a beautiful, secluded location, we’ll get along great! As your photographers, we are dedicated to providing you with the best of the best in images and an unforgettable experience. Candid photos are some of our favorites to capture. We pride ourselves on being raw, real, and authentic. We also provide prints, canvases, and albums. Contact us today so we can help bring your dream photoshoot to life. We can’t wait to meet you!

Our last post talked about some of our favorite engagement session locations in Downtown Charleston. We’ve got two more blog posts coming though with even more of our favorite spots, so be on the lookout for those! Choosing your engagement session location is pretty important because it will determine the overall vibe and feel of your photos.

You may have seen today’s topic as a post on our Instagram feed, but just in case, we wanted to share here too. Here are the 6 things you should consider before hiring us as your wedding photographers!

Let’s dive in!

1. You Just Want to Have a Good Time

Making memories with your future spouse, friends and family is your top priority. You don’t want the day to feel like a tight schedule with no room to enjoy seeing all the people who traveled to celebrate you!

But most importantly, you want to enjoy your wedding journey from start to finish. You don’t need things to be “perfect” as long as you can laugh and be yourself along the way. At the end of the day, you know you and your partner coming together is the only thing that matters.

2. You care about photography

If you filled out our contact form where it says “How Important is Photography To You?”, you probably said, “It’s the most important!” or “We value it so much because we know it’s all we’ll have left after the day has passed.” We didn’t make those answers up. Those are responses we received from past clients! We know when couples tell us that, we’ll likely be a really good fit, because they see the lasting value and impact that photography has. They probably view it more as art than just images to post on their Instagram feed. Not only are we focused on capturing moments of you on your wedding day, but all of the people that are important to you – whether that be parents, grandparents or even your dog!

3. You want an experience

Weddings are a one-time event, and you want to surround yourself with people who are only going to add value to your planning process and make the wedding day the most amazing day it can be. You’re not looking for someone who’s only going to show up on your wedding day with a camera because hiring a photographer is more to you than checking an item off your wedding to-do list. Finding the right people who you can trust your memories with and who are going to surprise you along the way with more than they even promised is a big deal!

4. You expect above and beyond when it comes to communication

Meeting up for drinks, coffee or dinner sounds like a blast! You know that having a relationship foundation with your photographers opens the door to candid, emotional and intimate moments being captured authentically. Not only do we either meet in person or over video for our initial consultations, but we always try to meet up for engagement sessions and then again just to hang out and become better friends before your wedding day. We also plan one last call before your big day to go over any questionnaires and your timeline, just to make sure nothing has shifted since we last spoke. Communication is one of the biggest focuses of our couples’ experience working with us, because we understand the stress that is alleviated when you can let go and know that your vendors got this.

5. You value professionalism

Whether it’s being licensed and insured, or it’s the gear they’ve invested in or the care they’ve taken to store your images in multiple places, a photographer’s work goes beyond just the wedding day. You find worth in the time and experience it takes for them to offer the value they do.

6. Price isn’t your first consideration

There isn’t a simple comparison when it comes to looking at one photographer’s 8-hour package to another’s. The experience and what every photographer brings to the table should be highly personalized. For us, it’s providing timeline planning and a wedding guide that gives tips for each part of the day. It’s also giving you location and outfit recommendations for your engagement session. You’ve reached out to that photographer because you connect with their body of work and appreciate all the years it’s taken them to be able to give you worthwhile, trustworthy tips and vendor recommendations.

Of course there are the other questions to ask, like…

• How long does it take until I’ll get my full gallery? Do you do sneak peeks?
• How does payment work?
• Can we order prints or an album through you? Do we have rights to the photos?

But we hope these suggestions helped consider other aspects as you search for your wedding photographer, and we’re pumped if you’re considering us! If you have any questions about our services or would like to book a consultation, reach out to us today so we can meet in person or over Zoom to talk about your ideas and help bring them to life. We would love to connect with you!

At Justin and Lauren Photography, we are all about capturing candid moments that show who you really are as a couple. We are dedicated to capturing the unique beauty of those special moments in your life and celebrating love! We are located in Charleston but are available to travel. Let’s have an adventure together!

Details

We love to take photos in unique locations, so if you’re up for a hike or a drive to a secluded. peaceful spot, we’re your photographers.

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