Helpful Information About Professional Wedding Photography

We know what it's like to start planning something only realize we have no idea what we've gotten ourselves into.

It's kind of like booking a trip to Hawaii. First you're excited to do it. Then you freak out because it's an 8 hour flight and $$$$.
But then you sleep/Bloody Mary your way through the flight...get there...have the time of your life and it's 100% worth it.

We hope this guide gives you a little insight into the overall wedding photography world in Omaha.

Money, Money, Money

We would say the average cost of GOOD professional wedding photography in Omaha starts anywhere from $2500 - $5000*.

Gasp! Why is it so expensive?! I have a DSLR at home!

Professional wedding photographers have crazy expensive, professional-grade gear. And they should. Camera bodies, lenses, memory cards, flash systems, backup gear...it adds up. In addition to educational workshops...there's editing software, cloud services, web hosting, business insurance, health insurance (yay self-employment!) customer service time, etc.

For professional wedding photographers, it's not just owning a DSLR from Target and sending you some photos. There's a lot of time, money, education, art, and business work that goes into it.

EXPERIENCE. Safe to say the majority of us would rather have an experienced tattoo artist permanently ink us rather than a newbie. You're only going to do it once. Sure, the newbie might do a fine job...but you can't be sure that portrait of mom you're getting on your arm won't end up looking like Chewbaca. #hardtruths

Also, just a heads up, 9x's out of 10, you'll have to pay your full, contracted balance prior to your wedding day. It's kind of like prepaying for gas.

Not Every Photographer is the Same Style

Photography is photography, right? Nope. We totally get it! It's easily to presumed that every photographer can take the same type of photos as another photographer.

Truth is, every wedding photographer has a different style. This means they each shoot a wedding day differently than the other. Some photographers are fine art wedding photographers...some are wedding photojournalists (us)...some are portrait wedding photographers.

The important thing is to find the style that you suites you and that you love. Each photographer is trained to something specific.

Personality is important

Your longest wedding vendor relationship will be with your photographer. You book your photographer and start working with them sometimes a year or more in advance! And sometimes you're still working with them 3-6 months after your wedding is over designing albums, ordering prints, etc.

Getting along with your photographer and having a friendly, comfortable relationship with them will make your wedding day and experience a breeze. Trust on both ends is of the utmost importance.

Job vs. Passion

There is a huge difference between a wedding photographer having a job and a passion. When you have a job, you go to work, go through the motions, collect your paycheck, and do it all over the next day.

When you have a passion, you do everything you possibly can to make sure your images are filled with love every time. You go above and beyond for your clients.

The REAL questions you should ask wedding photographers

How long have you been a wedding photographer?

Do you have backup gear and an image backup process?

What's your style of wedding photography?

Why do you shoot this style of wedding photography?

Do you attend workshops regularly or have you in the past?

Have you ever shot at my venue?

Do you know how to use flash systems and/or shoot in a dark venue?

Can you see a full wedding gallery you've delivered recently?

* Not on official stat. Professional, local observation. A money number that gets you prepared for quotes you'll see in the area.