Help me pick a photographer!

[shinythings]

Hi everyone! I''d love to hear opinions on these two photographers. They are really different styles and budgets, but I love them both! sorry their websites take so long to load!



http://portergifford.com/weddings/color/index.html



http://mermin-christie.com/

 

[surfgirl]

Rather than tell you which one I like - which doesn''t really matter because they''re not my wedding photos - I''ll say this...Look at the wedding portfolio of as many photographers as you can in your area. When you see photos that make you think "I want THAT photo for my wedding!" then you will have found your photographer. I was looking for photogs and when I found someone who had taken some photos where I found myself thinking "I want that EXACT photo but with me and my FI in it", I knew that was the person I wanted to hire. Good luck!

 

[budgetbride]

I take it the 2nd photog is the pricier one. Although I love both I'm more partial to the 1st photog. I like that there are pictures of the dad dipping his daughter with the high speed blur. I also liked the pictures of the grandparents on the chairs. The 1st photog looks for fun and lively. The second photog seems really serious.

But definitely shop around and go with your gut on what you like

 

[labbielove]

style is such a personal choice- they both do beautiful work,
it''s so hard to tell from a website- for us anyway so much of it depends also on the artist as a person- can you envision spending your day with them, do you have personalities that mesh,etc.
but everyone is different.
i wish you luck, and i agree with prior post- look at a TON of work- in person, not just websites if you can.

this was the one vendor we spent the most time on (and money) as it''s the most important to us.

 

[monarch64]

For us the deciding factor had more to do with budget, because we''d chosen our dream venue and sunk most of our budget into that, and we didn''t feel any photographer would not be able to capture either our happiness or the beauty of the location. Even though we met the owner of the photography studio and felt comfortable with him, we did not get to meet our actual photographer but she turned out to be wonderful anyway... a lot of things factor into this decision and I think it''s best to go with your gut on this. The photographers you''ve chosen both look great, though! Good luck in your decision!

 

[Kit]

To my untrained eye, I would def go with the second one. The first one''s photos look a bit grainy, her exposures look off and her focus is not terribly sharp. The second one looks much better in all these areas, and her photos look digital (not sure) which IMO is better because you are really taking a gamble that your photog knows how to process and print well if you go analog. Trust me, this happened to my sis and there''s little you can do if your photog doesn''t process the film properly from the beginning.

Do you know anyone who has/is getting a BFA or MFA in photography? Because there are actally some quality standards out there for photography, it''s not just a point and shoot thing. Also think about comparing the educational backgrounds of the two photogs to get a sense of their training.

Good luck!

 

[shinythings]

Thanks for the help everyone! AS far as I know they are both digital, and the first one is a photojournalist. Yes, the 2nd one is more expensive by almost $2k!

I''m also considering this one if you''d like to take a look, and I''ll try adding it to my first post. It''s so fun to see all the pictures!


3rd photographer-dennis curran

 

[budgetbride]

i still prefer the 1st one

 

[Gypsy]

They have different styles.

The first one draws you in to the action... you feel like you are there sharing the emotion of the day.

The second one is apart, isolated from the action. I feel the distance in the shots. In hers I feel like an intruder on a private scene. In the first, even with the emotional or private scenes I don''t feel like an intruder.

Personally I like the style of the first, it''s much warmer and I prefer that. The first photographer interacts a bit with the wedding, is a part of it... and it shows. The second is apart from the wedding, an observer a chronicler.

I do think the craft of number two is better. But if I had to choose between these two photographers, I would pick number one. I don''t want to feel like a stranger at my own wedding when I look at the pics.