How to Choose the Best Wedding Photographer For You: An In-Depth Guide to Editing Styles

When you're looking to hire a photographer, you'll quickly notice that a photographer's editing style is one of the most important aspects that differentiates one from the other. But for most people, trying to identify and narrow down a preferred style can be overwhelming, especially if it's their first time hiring a professional photographer. Disagreements over editing are common pain points, and sometimes can lead to negative experiences if realized too late. The best thing you can do to ensure that you love your photos is to do your research and spend time looking at multiple photographer's portfolios, paying special attention to how their style translates across different settings.

​What Are the Different editing styles?

There are many different editing styles - common ones include true to color, light and airy, dark and moody, film and editorial. And even within these categories, every photographer refines their own style and brand in their own unique way. Your next question might be, "Well, what does light and airy look like? What about dark and moody? If I like a certain style, how do I search for photographers in this style?" Because terms like "light and airy" or "dark and moody" are specifically used in the industry but not known to the common public, you won't find them written on photographers' portfolios. You'll likely find photographers instead describing themselves in terms of their shooting style, such as documentary, photojournalistic, candid, traditional, classic, or fine art.

How, then, do you find photographers in the editing style you like if you can't search for specific terms? Instagram has become one of the best sources of finding a wedding photographer because it provides a visual collage of different photographers' work. Search using hashtags such as #cityweddingphotographer or #cityelopementphotographer. Here's an example using the hashtag search #bigsurelopementphotographer. Save the photos you like, and look for patterns within those photos. Do you consistently like a certain style? If you notice that you're consistently saving photos from one photographer, that might be the photographer for you!

How does Light Affecting Editing?

You can't talk about editing styles without talking about light. Most photographers will agree that light is one of the most - if not the most important - fundamental elements of what makes a good photo. Every photographer composes, lights, and directs their subjects in a specific way that is accentuated by their editing style. That is why a photographer's editing style goes hand in hand with their shooting style. The two are intertwined and influence each other to produce the images that you see in a photographer's portfolio. Just like every photographer edits differently, every photographer also shoots with light differently. Some prefer to shoot in natural light, others prefer artificial light (like on or off camera flash). Some prefer to shoot with the sun on their subjects, others prefer to shoot with the subjects backlit. No matter what lighting style your photographer uses, it's important to make sure that they are familiar with the setting that your wedding or session will be in. Look through their portfolio for examples of lighting in different settings, or ask to see specific examples if you don't see any.

How does Weather, Location, and Time of Day Affect Light?

Weather, location, and time of day are all important factors to consider, especially for outdoor weddings and sessions. A moody forest elopement will never look the same as a sunny villa wedding. With locations like Big Sur, weather changes by the season, by the day, and even by the mile. You might find yourself basking in the sun in one location, and watching the fog roll over the mountains in another location.
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FOGGY AND CLOUDY DAYS: These are often a photographer's dream. Cloudy days provide even, consistent lighting, and foggy days add an extra layer of otherworldliness to the landscape. My favorite part about cloudy and foggy days? You get to shoot in so many new angles and landscapes that otherwise would've been in harsh light on a sunny day. Some views like Bixby Bridge are in harsh light most of the day due to the angle that they face, so I always love a cloudy or foggy day when shooting there! When shooting a traditional wedding where the photographer has less control over the settings and timeline, cloudy weather is especially welcome because the photographer has more flexibility in how and where they shoot.

SUNNY DAYS: With sunny days, most photographers love to shoot at golden hour, or sunset, especially for portraits. This is the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset. Golden hour creates a natural warm glow across the landscape, as well as dreamy light for portraits. But midday photos can be beautiful as well! ​Midday light can bring out vibrant colors and a creative play of light and shadow.

But what happens when you're not shooting in an open landscape? In places with tall trees, buildings, or other tall objects, light will be completely different. For example, in the redwoods, the light fades much faster. If you plan for golden hour, you won't get magical sunbeams streaming through the trees, but instead you'll be completely shaded. Every redwoods location is different as well. The density of the tree cover and direction of the path all affect how you shoot in the redwoods. That's why it's so important that a photographer knows how to capture light in the redwoods - it can be completely different depending on how you photograph the same exact scene. Below are three photos taken on the same exact day, within a few minutes of each other.

Let's talk specifically about sunset portraits. If you ask photographers their favorite time to shoot, most photographers would say sunset, also known as golden hour. There truly is nothing like seeing a sunset in person, but capturing all of its beauty and vibrant colors can sometimes be challenging. Shooting and editing style both play a huge factor in how sunset portraits turn out. This is because in order to capture sunset portraits, you have to balance the light and color of both the subject and the background. To truly preserve or enhance a beautiful sunset portrait, it takes shooting in a certain way, having the right combination of weather and light, and editing with extra attention.

Alternatively, you can keep the subjects in the dark, almost as a silhouette to keep the colors of the sunset This can be a deliberate choice in editing to highlight the sunset colors. The key thing to note by comparing these two edits is that you cannot keep both the colors of both the subject and sunset without creating an unrealistic photo.​

​Now you might look at a photo taken at sunset and think, "Yes! That is exactly what I want! I'll plan for sunset and get that exact same light." You likely already know that time of year affects the weather, which is why it can be so helpful to hire a local photographer who is familiar with the general weather patterns of the area (even if weather can still be so unpredictable!) But what you might not think about is how the sun's angle changes every day. As the seasons change, the earth moves ever so slightly, causing the sun to hit the ocean, the rocks, the cliffs at a different angle every day. When shooting in landscapes that have large formations like rock formations or trees, that can mean that certain locations will be shaded at certain times of year. Not all views face the sunset, so make sure your photographer can guide you to the best times of year and locations for sunset portraits if that's important to you.

How do I know if the photos are true to color?

Now that you know how weather, location, and time of day all affect editing styles, let's dive into true to color editing. This is one of the common questions - and one of the most common complaints - when it comes to editing. True to color editing is a style of editing that maintains an accurate representation of colors. When you look at the world around you, your eye perceives colors and your brain maintains consistency even if the colors change due to the light around you. That means that you'll perceive a blue dress as the same shade of blue whether it's indoors or outdoors. This is the same in photography - your eye perceives colors even if they are changed in the editing process. However, some editing styles will change colors more dramatically than others. Is one style better than the other? Not at all. Just like how movies are color graded in specific ways to bring out emotion and tell a story, photos are edited to do the same.

Is my editing style true to color? In some ways, yes, and in other ways, no. My editing style leans towards warm, romantic, earthy, and moody, with attention to true to color representation. It's a balancing act - bringing out the emotions and feelings of the day while ensuring that colors generally reflect what it looked like on the day of. Whether that's the soft blues of the ocean on a cloudy day, or the warm glow of the sunset, I aim to highlight the colors that make you awe at the landscape, while still maintaining a consistent style throughout the photos no matter how the lighting and weather changes.

So what does that mean if a groom has a blue suit? Or bridesmaids have rust orange dresses? Remember that blue is also in the colors of the sky and ocean, and orange is also in the colors of the skin tones. That means suit and dress colors are affected by the overall editing style to create the color scheme you see in the photographer's portfolio. Below is an example of how wedding colors can be affected by editing style. Another example of how the brain perceives colors - drag the slider all the way to the left. Notice that the white dress is still perceived as white in the edited version, even though it's not pure white.

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​Why is this important? You will almost never see a photographer's unedited photos, which means you may never know how true to color their portfolio is. But this may not matter if you love the way that their style brings out emotions and tells a story - it may be those very color changes that help to bring about the artistic vision that you love. Imagine if you watched a movie with no color grading. It would not only feel inconsistent from scene to scene, but also may lose its artistry, emotion, and storytelling. Only you can decide if having accurate colors are important to you. Look for an example of a wedding day from start to finish, and not just their Instagram which may be primarily portraits or sunset photos. If having your colors represented accurately is important to you, be sure to ask this before hiring a photographer so you can see if they are a good fit!

​Can I get Photos Edited Differently?

Changing editing styles is not always as simple as clicking a button - one change oftentimes cascades into a myriad of other changes. If you like a photographer's candid, documentary shooting style but don't like their editing, keep looking! Make sure to look at a photographer's recent work as well. Many photographers will refine their editing styles over time as they build their brand and portfolio.

​So what happens if you get the photos back, and you realize that you don't like the editing? If you do ask to have photos edited differently, ask yourself this question first - "Are my photos consistent with my photographer's portfolio at the time of booking?" If the answer is no, then reach out to your photographer and let them know what specific aspects you loved about the photographer's portfolio and how these aspects are not reflected in your photos.

But if the answer is yes, chances are that your photographer will turn down your request because you hired that photographer for their specific style. ​Maybe over the course of wedding planning, you started to look at a different style and realize you liked it more. Maybe you didn't realize when booking that the photographer's style - while beautiful - didn't suit your wedding style or location as well as you would've liked. If you truly are unhappy with your photos, kindly communicate this with your photographer. Let them know that you realize that your photographer has every right to turn down this request, and that you know that you are requesting edits beyond what is included and are willing to pay a fee for the additional work. It is also important to communicate thoughtfully and with transparency, because emotions can run high in high stakes like wedding photography. At the end of the day, most photographers absolutely want you to be happy with your photos, and are willing to work with you to find a solution as long as you communicate your thoughts and feelings honestly. Even so, understand that there may be cases where a photographer may be unable to fulfill your request. This may be because their shooting style does not fit a different editing style, or because developing a different style would require starting from scratch.
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Can I get raw or unedited photos?

​Before talking about RAW and unedited photos, let's clarify what they are. Oftentimes they are used interchangeably, but they are actually two very different things.

• RAW photos: These are digital negatives, or files stored with all the original data captured by the camera. They come in large file sizes and commonly end in extensions such as .dng, .cr2, or .nef. RAW photos can only be opened in specific programs such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. Because they store all the original data, they allow photographers to have greater control in editing.
• Unedited photos: These are exported RAW photos without any editing applied to them. They commonly end in extensions such as .jpeg.

It is industry standard to only deliver final, edited photos for a few reasons. Delivering unfinished and unedited work is similar to going to an author and asking for the first draft. When you read a story, you don't want to fixate on the first chapter which didn't peak your interest and put down the book to gather dust, but instead be fully engaged and completely satisfied in the investment you made in the characters. RAW or unedited photos are those first drafts. They aren't just unedited photos like you would take from your phone - they are actually oftentimes purposefully shot dark and underexposed in order to recover detail in post processing. Professional photographers want to deliver the very best to their clients - and that means providing a final, edited gallery that's been thoughtfully put together and crafted to tell a story.

What about retouching?

"Oh, you can just Photoshop that later" is a line photographers will often hear. And while this may be possible, every photographer is different when it comes to the amount of retouching they do. Some might not retouch at all. Others may retouch certain things, and charge an additional fee for others. Keep in mind that photographers are often delivering hundreds of photos as well, so not every photo will be retouched. When possible, it is always best to fix things before the photo is taken. Here are some tips:

• Wear outfits that make you feel confident. This is so important! Your photos are meant to be an authentic reflection of how you feel, and when you feel confident, you will look incredible.
• ​A good hair/makeup artist makes a huge difference. And this doesn't have to be just for brides! If there are blemishes you want to hide, let your hair/makeup artist know.
• For weddings, have someone in charge of paying attention to the little things - like fixing hair, fluffing the dress, making sure the tie and boutonniere are straight. While photographers oftentimes will help with this, they also have a million other things on their mind. They also might not know how you like things!

When it comes to retouching, personally I include:

• Removal of people in the background of portraits
• Skin smoothing and blemish removal (i.e. pimples) of close-ups

I also occasionally make other changes such as removal of a stray hair in the face, removal of a double chin, or swapping of waves or dress flips. This is not done on every photo, but on photos where I know that a minor change may drastically improve the photo.

When in doubt, always ask! If you have minor requests on a few photos, your photographer may include this without charging an additional fee, but always offer to pay for retouching requests if they weren't specified to be included ahead of time.
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Final Tips

That was a lot of knowledge to digest! Here are final tips to help you choose the right photographer for you:

• ​Spend time looking through different photographer's portfolios. Look through their social media, websites, and galleries. Pay attention to how the photographer captures different parts of the day and different settings. If you love a photographer's portfolio but don't see any examples similar to your wedding style, location, or setting, ask if they may have examples that are not posted on their portfolio.
• Look for consistency. A professional photographer should have a consistent look and feel in their portfolio, even across different locations, settings, and times of day. This doesn't mean that a sunny day photo should look like a cloudy day photo, but rather that the photos feel like they are all a part of the same story. You don't want to get your photos back and be surprised by the results.
• Ask questions early in the process. Before you hire a photographer, do your due diligence and ask questions about anything you're unsure about. If you have any questions throughout the process, try to ask them early on, ideally before they start working on your photos. Don't wait until you receive the final gallery.
• If sending inspiration photos, be thoughtful about the photos you send. Most photographers don't mind, or even welcome, receiving inspiration photos. Sending photos from their own portfolio can show them the photos that you specifically love and are drawn to. If you want to send photos from another photographer's portfolio, just be mindful and specific about why you are sending the photo. Do you want a photo in that specific pose? Is this photo a "would love to have" photo, or a "must have" photo? Don't ask a photographer to copy another photographer's photos - you hired that photographer for a reason!
• Communicate with transparency, honesty, and kindness. Negative experiences oftentimes stem from breakdowns in communication. Remember that the photographer can't read the client's mind, and vice versa. Most photographers (if not all!) want their clients to love their photos. Especially in the wedding industry, photographers understand that they are capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments that can't be redone. Keep in mind that emotions can sometimes be lost in emails, and at the other end of the computer, both the photographer and the client are human.

At the end of the day, there is no "best" photographer for everyone, or "right" or "wrong" way to edit. The most important thing is that you find a wedding photographer with the best fit for you!