In the years I’ve been photographing weddings, occasionally I come across couples who say something along the lines of, “I prefer to choose a photographer who’s photographed at my venue before”. While I kind of understand where they’re coming from when this statement is uttered, the reality is that a wedding photographer does not have to have shot at a venue before to #killit. In fact, my favorite thing is to shoot at a venue completely new to me.

Here’s WHY…

1. Wedding photographers are trained in all things SHOOTING- camera settings, lighting, composition, the works. A good photographer will come prepared for any kind of lighting scenario thrown at them, along with the experience to know when and what to use. Sure, a photographer can scout a venue beforehand all they want, but if the weather conditions are different on the day of (as they often are), that can completely change the shooting approach.
   
   Exhibit A
   
   ^ I had never shot at this venue before. I showed up an hour prior to my shooting time to scout the location and select spots I felt would “work”, which brings me to….
2.  An experienced photographer will scout a new venue beforehand, even if it’s just an hour or so before we begin the work day. I make sure to leave extra early to take a look at a location- scouting can often take as little as 20 minutes. If I am anticipating terrible or inclement weather on the big day and the venue is relatively close, I’ll even stop by a week or a few days before the wedding to scope things out.
3. This one’s personal preference/I can speak only for myself when I say- I don’t like to shoot and try not to shoot the same exact thing over and over again. Every wedding is it’s own unique event and your photos should reflect that, not be a carbon copy of weddings prior. If I shoot the same venue repeatedly, it can be challenging to find new spots or a new approach using the same locations. (But yeah, of course it can be done.😉)

Alright, mi gente, I think you get the gist by now! Do your research, hire a great photographer with experience and then TRUST that they know what to look for! Can’t get any better than that. 😈

2019, I’m comin for ya

P.S. Do you think I should do a mini series of “So You’re Saying…”????