But it can be very difficult to shop for photographers, find out what makes them unique, and know the right person to photograph your other half on the big day. It is therefore important to choose a wedding photographer you love now and will love for many years to come. To help you with this, we have put together some tips and tricks for you on how to choose your wedding or elopement photographer. We've covered countless weddings in San Francisco Bay Area, California and worldwide.
First of all, I would highly recommend to any bride and groom to booking a venue together with their chosen photographer. It's like having a free second opinion. An experienced photographer can offer a "behind-the-scenes" point of view when it comes to lighting, time of the day, weather, pros and cons and so on. He can even recommend a similar venue that perhaps offers better value when it comes to professional photography.
Weddings are unique in scope and speed of action, so you will want to choose a photographer with a wide range of skills (not just ability to work with natural light is a good example) and experience as well as a great sense of style. You will be with your wedding photographer for most of the wedding day, so get to know him and make sure his personality matches yours. Don't ask the photographer a list of 100 questions by copy & paste from sites such as the Knot but rather let your photographer's personality and style play a bigger role in choosing a wedding photographer who is just right for you. Make sure they have enough time to get to know you and give you a sense of security.
Documentary Style
The contemporary style wedding day photography has become a very popular and widely used by many California and International wedding photographers, features a series of candid moments captured throughout the day usually using natural light. Documentary Wedding Photographer (elopement photographer as well) takes series of unique natural light images aimed to “tell the unique and beautiful story” of your wedding day or in other words to capture a true love. Drawbacks: There is no pre-planned “shot list,” only the photographer’s instincts; images are unpredictable. Low levels of available light may cause some pictures to look grainy. Most of our work is based on this style. This style is less popular on Instagram but we love it when it comes to City Hall weddings. This style is loved by engaged couples who are looking for a passionate photographer!
Editorial Style
The editorial style San Francisco, California wedding photographers place the subjects in certain settings to take advantage of good lighting, specific location or backgrounds. Then, once the scene is set, the couple and their party are free to be themselves, and this results in a more spontaneous feel. Unlike the photo-journalistic style, editorial photography takes advantage of the photographer’s artistic judgment rather than capturing a series of fleeting moments. Many wedding photos on Instagram feature this style. We often use it when we cover natural light SF City Hall weddings and during styled shoot collaboration with other wedding vendors.
Traditional Style
The history of wedding photography starts with a traditional approach. This is the timeless style that you’ve probably seen time and time again in wedding albums. The hallmark of this style is carefully posed photographs of the key moments. Benefits: The traditional local or destination wedding photographers usually use a planned “shot list”, which means you’ll get all the important images. Drawbacks: The photographer virtually becomes a “wedding official,” directing the wedding party and guests according to a pre-planned list (all wedding pictures will be choreographed). This approach is very time-consuming, and as a result, the bride and groom end up spending less time with their guests. We use this style when taking posed family and group pictures but no natural light candid shots. This style used often on the Grand Staircase for posed portraits during SF City Hall weddings to capture family and bridal party members.
Hello and thank you for visiting. My name is Joseph and I am a founder of IQphoto. We are family owned SF based award winning wedding photography and videography studio that was established in 2004. For us everyone is equal (no matter the race, sexual orientation, religion or gender identity) and deserves epic wedding photos! While our main specialization is 70% indoor 30% medium to large (100-300 guests or bigger) outdoor weddings, due to COVID pandemic we shifted our focus on smaller weekday and weekend elopements and even created a verified list of covid-safe wedding venues. We also offer free mini sessions each Wednesday since we are training a new photographer (Kate - my daughter) and need volunteer models, engaged couples and families. Contact us for details (this option is booked till January). Our style can be described as documentary and story-telling. We prefer to capture not just a couple with a picturesque background but rather depth and intimacy of human relations and atmosphere of the moment. Contact us to see our wedding and elopement packages.
Wedding Photography by IQphoto
1941 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States, (415) 939-5877