Looking back on wedding photos is something that every married couple treasures throughout their lives. Reminiscing about all the beautiful details from your magical wedding day can be such a special tradition. Above all, you want to be sure that you’re making the right choice when it comes to your Las Vegas wedding photographer. The right ceremony and reception photographer is crucial to ensuring that those special wedding moments are captured beautifully. Your wedding is a once in a lifetime, magical day, and the photographer at your wedding can make or break the memories you and your loved ones share.
Professional Las Vegas Wedding Photographers Know What They’re Doing
Simply put, a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer knows their profession inside and out. These photographers have a lot of specific and essential experience with photographing wedding ceremonies and receptions.
They have photographed a lot of weddings. As a result, they know which moments are essential to capture. Here are a few reasons why a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer is the right choice for your wedding.
An Excellent Ceremony & Reception Photographer has a Good Portfolio
When looking for a photographer, the first thing you need to see is their portfolio. A great photographer will have a professionally compiled portfolio of photos from past clients for you to peruse. This is more than your high school buddy’s photography Facebook page; these are professionally captured and edited photos from multiple weddings. To clarify, this means that your photographer not only has experience with multiple venues, couples, and styles; they have proof of their success.
You can get a good feel for what your photographs will look like when you’re able to browse a professional portfolio. A portfolio may also showcase different styles your photographer offers. This can include different ways the “getting ready” moments, the ceremony, and the reception are shot. You can better explain what you’re looking for when you have a point of reference, and a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer can provide that.
Professional Wedding Photographers Make the Most of Every Moment
A great photographer can take any shot and make it into a beautiful moment. They can take bad lighting, awkward angles, weird backdrops, and turn them into gorgeous photos. Essentially, a professional wedding photographer knows how to make the most of whatever they’re given, and they have several creative ways to make this happen. An inexperienced or amateur photographer may only know how to work in situations with the ideal background and lighting in every shot. This just isn’t realistic for the entire day of your wedding. A professional photographer has an amazing capability to turn mediocre into magic. Moreover, they can spot tiny, special moments to capture that an amateur may not notice.
Photographers with Industry Experience Know How to Edit
Any photo can be incredible with the right editing. Similarly, even a good photo can lack what it needs to be great if it doesn’t have professional digital editing. A professional Las Vegas wedding photographer should know how to edit your photos to perfection. Weird lighting in some of the photos? Not a problem for a professional wedding photographer. Got a blemish that makeup couldn’t cover on the biggest day of your life? Your photographer can edit it right out of all of your photos. However, the level of editing applied to your photos will depend on the package you choose. Your photographer has the ability to edit out blemishes, adjust lighting, and tweak dozens of tiny details to make your photos absolutely perfect. There are also basic photo packages that involve less editing but ensure that your photos have the essential quality that can’t be found with amateur photographers.
Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer Provides Peace of Mind
Knowing that you’re working with a professional provides a feeling of security that is worth every penny. At the end of the day, you don’t want your wedding photographs to look amateurish. A professional wedding photographer knows how to expertly stage, photograph, and edit photos of your entire dream wedding day. They’ll be on the sidelines working to capture everything from your bridal party getting ready, to your first dance, to your joyful sendoff. They’ll already know their cues, and won’t need to ask you questions.
The last thing you need on your wedding day is to be dealing with a photographer that doesn’t know what they’re doing. In short, hiring an amateur can result in a lot of mishaps. Photos can take too long and mess up the wedding schedule, photos can be poor quality; these things cause a lot of stress. You don’t want to look back on the happiest day of your life and remember how your photographer forgot to get a shot of you walking down the aisle. You don’t want to be flipping through wedding photos and see that blemish on your cheek stealing the show at your fabulous reception. Hiring a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer ensures that none of these things have to be a part of your dream wedding.
Common Questions When Choosing a Las Vegas Wedding Photographer
There are several things to consider when choosing the right wedding photographer, and couples often have a lot of questions about the process. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions pertaining to professional wedding photography in Las Vegas:
1. What does a typical Ceremony & Reception photography package include?
Just like any aspect of your wedding, you get what you pay for when it comes to photo options. Some photographers offer basic packages that include a set number of hours covered, a basic level of editing, and a choice of how you’ll receive your photos. There are also packages that include certain times of the day, such as pre-ceremony, ceremony, and your Las Vegas reception.
Often, higher-priced photographers will give you the option to have a wedding album curated for you. This album will include all of the highlights of your wedding, expertly edited and placed in an album that is made just for you. Furthermore, another detail usually exclusive to more expensive photographers is a secondary shooter, or in other words, a support photographer. This will enable every moment to be captured from multiple angles at the same time, ensuring the best possible photo op for each shot.
2. Will my wedding photographer be able to edit everything I want?
Many professional photographers offer multiple packages for wedding photography, ranging from more basic packages to all-inclusive ones. Basic packages usually come with essential editing features consisting of lighting and exposure changes. Fuller packages and all-inclusive packages will have more sophisticated editing options available. If you’re mostly concerned about essential tweaks, a basic package may be just right for you. On the other hand, if you want each and every detail edited to perfection, you may want to set aside a bigger budget for photography.
3. How much does a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer cost?
If a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer sounds like the right choice for you, you may be asking yourself: can I afford one? The answer depends on your budget and what you’re looking for. Professional photographers usually average about $2,000 for a wedding, but price can vary. A Las Vegas wedding photographer can cost anywhere from $500-$5,000 depending on their level of expertise and what they offer. Usually, the basic packages cover less time, so this is something to consider if you want your entire day photographed start to finish. Another cost to consider is the tip. If your photographer is an independent business owner, they will receive all of the money you give them. However, If they work for a larger company, a tip is a nice gesture as some of their money goes to the company.
Other Things to Keep in Mind When Hiring a Wedding Photographer Near Downtown Vegas:
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to a successful wedding photography shoot. With this in mind, you will want to be aware of several key factors. Let’s take a look:
- Think of Travel Time: If your photographer has to travel a long distance, prepare for the price to increase. It costs time and money for your photographer to travel. A long-distance photographer may not be the right choice if you have a tighter budget.
- Make a Shot List: When planning the photo shoot, a professional Las Vegas wedding photographer will require a photo list of individual shots that you want them to capture. For example, the list can include individual shots of the bridal party, groomsmen, bride’s family, groom’s family, both families together, etc. Make sure to go over your shot list with your fiancé and your photographer.
- Experience is Key: The more experienced a photographer is, the better the editing. In other words, a huge portion of the price is actually paying for editing experience. This is because editing requires a lot of skill and takes quite a bit of time.
- Read the Reviews: Always be sure to check out reviews of your photographer from past clients. This will give you an indicator of how they work with people and how satisfied their clients were with their services.
- Know Your Printing Rights: Make sure to ask your photographer about the rights you’ll have to your photos. Some photographers give you full printing rights, while others require you to print only through an exclusive service or company, which can be a hassle. All this to say, make sure to negotiate the ownership of your wedding photos.
- Sign a Contract: Having a written contract with the terms of what you want for your wedding is never a bad idea. This ensures that your photographer knows exactly what you expect of them. This contract can include the number of photos, the time frame in which you’ll receive your photos, and the printing rights.
Helpful Links for Planning A Stunning Las Vegas Wedding:
There’s so much that goes into planning a wedding, and it can often be overwhelming figuring out where to start. However, there’s no need to worry! There’s plenty of information out there to help you get the ball rolling. Here are some ideas to give you inspiration for your big day.
- Want a gorgeous live water feature cascading during your ceremony? We thought so.
- This adorable, elegant venue takes wedding chapels to a whole new level.
- Need to figure out hair and makeup for the bride? We’ve got you covered.
- Dive into this post if you want to learn about having a large wedding in Las Vegas.
- Click here if you need helpful tips for getting your marriage license.
- Here are some floral options and details for beautiful blooms!
- Check out this guide on choosing the right music for your dream Las Vegas wedding.
- Read about our Las Vegas Wedding Packages for some outstanding ideas!
Lakeside Weddings & Events Can Make Your Wedding Picture Perfect!
Here at Lakeside Weddings & Events, we want to make planning your dream Las Vegas wedding a breeze. We hope that this post helped you discover the ins and outs of choosing a Las Vegas wedding photographer. We are proud to employ expert wedding photographers who have worked with us on countless occasions and offer multiple photo packages. With our gorgeous location in the desert shores of Summerlin, our photographers have stunning lake view venues to work with and can create magical moments with ease. Reach out and find out more about our process and our photographers!