How to choose a Playa Del Carmen Wedding Photographer
Itβs a jungle out here. Not all Playa Del Carmen wedding photographers are built the same, and no two couples or weddings are the same. This leaves us with an infinite set of variables and an abundance of options that can often be overwhelming for clients living in or visiting Playa Del Carmen. The good news is that we are going to break down some of the most important factors to consider when choosing your Playa Del Carmen Wedding photographer so that you can make an informed choice and book the perfect Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer for you!
You would think we as wedding photographers want to book every inquiry that comes in, but no, we donβt. Thatβs because we want to work with clients on the same page as us. After doing countless photoshoots in Mexico and other countries for almost a decade, we know that we do our best work when we work with clients who want the same things and work with us to achieve them. So before we confirm bookings, we like to have a conversation with potential clients, either in person in Playa Del Carmen, by phone, or by video call/Zoom. This helps us quickly establish whether we can make magic together or whether someone else would be a better fit.
Ultimately all parties want the best for the client and ensure that you get precisely what you are looking for. Use these 10 tips to choose your Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer:
1. Establish a rough Playa Del Carmen Wedding Photography Budget.
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, right? But no one wants to get ripped off either. In every area and every genre, there are multiple options for clients to choose from. There are cheaper wedding photographers and more expensive wedding photographers, and guess what, sometimes the most expensive isnβt the best, and sometimes a budget wedding photographer can be excellent.
To simplify the process, you should figure out a rough budget for your Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer and establish a range you would ideally like your wedding photography to fall within. From there, you can contact Playa Del Carmen wedding photographers to get prices and choose someone within your range.
It can be tempting to price-shop but remember that these memories will last a lifetime. Donβt be scared to invest in them. If you really love a particular wedding photographer and they are only a little outside of your price range, then donβt be too rigid. Think of how much you spend every month on things that donβt last, like junk food, entertainment, and impulse purchases, and ask yourself if you would rather have amazing wedding photos or that short-lived dopamine hit right now.
If you use this guide correctly, the following 9 points will help you make an easy decision regarding this point, so keep going!
2. Find a wedding photography style you love.
I’m going to break this down into 2 parts, shooting style and editing style:
SHOOTING STYLE:
Shooting style refers to the type of images a photographer takes. There are 4 main styles which this blog does a great job of explaining- https://www.napcp.com/2017/01/12/4-styles-photography-explained/
All 4 of these styles can give very different feels, and it’s essential to identify which you resonate with. A lot of wedding photographers will incorporate multiple styles in their workflow too. We, for example, are a mix of Documentary, Lifestyle & Traditional giving clients a varied set of images.
EDITING STYLE:
There are a LOT of editing styles, so I’m not going to explain each one here, but if you want, you can read this blog post by Adobe which does an excellent job of presenting a few – https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2021/10/19/11-contemporary-photo-editing-styles-to-keep-your-feeds-fresh#gs.m6rgcr
We have a very natural editing style often referred to as “True to life.” While some people love it because it is timeless and classic, some prefer a more heavily edited and filtered image that is currently “trendy.”
You must resonate with your wedding photographer’s shooting and editing style. I’ve had clients in the past share Pinterest boards and the like with me only to find that they have different photos with wildly different shooting and editing styles, and that’s a recipe for disaster as it would be impossible to replicate in a real-world scenario and would look like a mess in a delivered album.
So again, decide what you prefer ahead of time and talk to Playa Del Carmen wedding photographers who resonate with that vision.
3. Does the wedding photographer have a great wedding portfolio?
Itβs important to view a wedding photographerβs portfolio before working with them. This is so that you can ensure that they can provide what you are looking for. As discussed above, you need to look at their past images and make sure they are capable of delivering what you require. This can be done by going through their socials like Instagram and Facebook, by looking at their webpage, or by asking them to share some past wedding shoots with you to take a look at too.
Gavin... myself and Dawie have no way to thank you enough for everything! You made the entire process professional, effortless and so special! Thank you for everything!
4. Are the photographers Playa Del Carmen Wedding Photos consistant?
Another essential factor to consider is consistency. Itβs one thing to achieve a certain look and feel in one settling, but can they deliver it consistently in others? Their portfolio should be consistent with easily identifiable similarities, styles, and characteristics. If it is all over the place, you may want to consider another option.
5. What is the wedding photographer's personality like?
This is super important. You can have the best wedding photographer in Playa Del Carmen, but if you donβt work well together the images will show it.
A good place to start is the photographerβs social media, how do they interact with people? You should definitely have a conversation with the photographer before booking them and discuss your wedding photography in more detail, this will give you a great feel for their personality and what they will be like to work with.
A good wedding photographer will make you feel comfortable and relaxed, and you should be able to just be yourself. If they do not listen to you, interrupt you, or try to convince you to do things you donβt want to, then those are some big red flags.
6. How busy is this wedding photographer?
You want to see that the photographer is shooting regularly. An excellent way to gauge this is by looking at their socials. Of course, this isnβt always true, Iβm terrible with social media, for example, and donβt post as frequently as I should, but you want to see activity.
A photographer can also be too busy, though. Do they never have time for a call with you? Do e-mails seem short and rushed? Do they try to get you off the line as quickly as possible when you speak by phone? You want to work with someone who can give you and your Playa Del Carmen wedding photoshoot the time and attention you deserve.
Accomadating, awesome personality, friendly and patient. Amazing quality pictures and very very punctual. Thank you Gavin!
7. Does this wedding photographer communicate well?
Communication is vital in the lead-up to and during your Playa Del Carmen wedding photoshoot. Do you like the potential photographerβs style of communication? Do you understand everything they say, and do they understand you?
You should both be able to communicate, discuss and adapt ideas freely within the conversation. Remember your wedding photoshoot may be outdoors, with wind or other noise, and you may be a distance away from each other. You donβt want to spend half of your wedding day awkwardly shouting βWHAT?β at each other.
8. Does this Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer have references?
So many people overlook this part of the process, and it may just be the most important. If you have friends or family that have worked with the photographer, thatβs a great place to start.
If not, look online, you want to see Google reviews and Facebook reviews, and you should be able to go through them and get a good feel for how they work.
One thing to note is that every business owner gets a negative review eventually, and we know there are Karenβs in this world that weaponize reviews to try and further their own agendas, so if there are negative reviews, have they responded, and what actions were taken to rectify the situation?
9. Beware the overworked Playa Del Carmen Wedding Photographer.
Be wary of the overworked photographer. They take forever to reply to communications, they forget the details, they are on a diet of Red Bull and Coffees.
Sometimes photographers book too much work and canβt cope. They do not rest properly, do not prepare properly and are often just going through the motions rather than approaching each project with energy and enthusiasm.
Make sure your Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer can give you the time and attention you deserve and will arrive able to give 100% on the day.
I couldn't be happier with Gavin . We had a sunrise engagement shoot and then all day with Gavin on our wedding day. He has serious talent behind the camera as well as processing the final results. He takes pride in his work and we had a lot of fun throughout. I would highly recommend Gavin as your photographer and am excited to work with him again.
10. Personalize your first-contact E-mail
Donβt just e-mail your Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer saying βHi, Iβm XYZ and I wanted to find out how much it would be for ABC.β.
Try to personalize your E-mail and give more information about your specific situation and vision for your wedding. And then expect the same back. You shouldnβt receive just a generic E-mail back; it should address the points set out in your e-mail and ideally add to that.
This will indicate to you whether you are just another number, or if your photographer is going to give you and your wedding the time and attention you deserve.
Conclusion
None of the points above are hard and fast or set in stone and of course everyoneβs situations and outlooks are different. There are definitely some things to watch out for when booking a Playa Del Carmen wedding photographer but if I can give you one solid piece of advice itβs this; look at their socials and then call them. If you do those two things and you are happy you are 90% of the way to choosing the perfect Playa Del Carmen photographer for you.
For the other 10%, work through these points, but that is really just to solidify everything for you.
If you would like to chat to us about booking your own Playa Del Carmen Wedding Photographer with Tulum Photography you can fill out the contact form on our website here, e-mail info@tulum-photography.com or call us on +52 9981 354Β 254.
