This post is written by Dan Cassuto, founder of Original Weddings. Dan is a 5-time EMMY Award Winner.
When you’re looking for a wedding photographer, you may think it’s better to hire someone who has experience at your wedding venue. I totally understand why you’d think so. Couples ask us this question all the time. Many venues seem to encourage hiring photographers who’ve worked there before. People seem to think it’s better.
It’s a myth — and here’s why I encourage couples to hire photographers who have not worked at their venue.
I’ve photographed 100 weddings personally. I can speak from experience: photographers are much more excited to work at a new venue than somewhere they’ve been a dozen times.
Wedding photographers are artists. They thrive on creativity and ideas. Working at a new venue is exciting. Your photographer is energized and passionate. They can’t wait to create art at a new space, exploring the venue and the landscape.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have an artist who is excited about my wedding venue on a personal level. Because it’s new to them, they’re personally excited to create art and photographs at a new space.
You might be asking, “Doesn’t my photographer need to be familiar with the venue and know all the good spots for photos?”
Easy answer: no.
On a basic level, venues are really similar to each other. There’s a ceremony space. There’s a reception space. Maybe a garden, maybe some trees. I promise you: a great photographer will never have trouble finding great spots for photos.
On a technical level, the same venue can look differently from one wedding to the next. Couples arrange chairs differently. It’s sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, mostly sunny, afternoon, evening, morning, late morning, sunset, etc. These things make a huge difference. Photography is all about light. The light changes dramatically from one moment to the next just based on the weather conditions. It means the location a photographer used for couple’s portraits last week may not look good this week because the light is different at the venue. Wouldn’t you rather hire a photographer who understands that every wedding is unique and needs a unique approach? Or, do you want to box yourself in to someone who does the same exact thing every time at the same exact spot?
The important part is hiring a passionate, experienced and reliable photographer who understands their equipment and has a creative eye.
I’m definitely not trying to say it’s a bad idea to hire a photographer who’s experienced at your venue. They might do an incredible job. That’s not my point. Instead, I’m saying it’s a great thing to hire a photographer who is looking at your venue with fresh excitement, fresh passion and fresh creativity.
