5 Miami Beach Photographer Secrets Every Couple Must Know!

Are you looking for an amazing Miami Beach photographer? I am Antonio, an award-winning wedding photographer and founder of White House Wedding Photography. Hiring the best photographer for your Miami Beach wedding can be really hard. I know because I have been married twice. Do you think I know a thing or two about wedding photographers? This post will give you five secrets for finding your dream wedding photographer in Miami Beach.

Secret #1 – Don’t Be Aloof in Searching for Your Miami Beach Photographer

Top wedding photographers get booked up fast. It is not unusual for top Miami Beach Photographers to be booked up a year in advance. This means that you really can’t wait until the last minute to start looking for your wedding photographer. Be proactive and start your search as soon as you lock in your venue.

Most venues will have a list of photographers they will refer to you, but don’t feel bound to hire the venue referral unless you do your due diligence and you like them. It would help if you looked at photographers outside of your venue referral list.

Note that some venues will restrict you from bringing in outside photographers because they may have in-house photographers. This is especially true when you are getting an all-inclusive venue package.

Regardless of what you decide to do when looking for your Miami Beach photographer, make sure you get an early start.

Secret #2 – Take Some Time to Look at The Photographer’s Work

You may think that this is common sense, but you would be amazed to learn how many couples contact me interested in my service, but they have never seen my photos. Most of the time, someone would refer me to them, and they would get a hold of me before they even look at my website. Don’t do this!

You also don’t want to get wrapped up in trying to identify the photographer’s style. I know that there is a lot of information online about seeing if you like the photographers’ style. But photographers’ style can be so confusing. Trust me, all you need to know is if you like their photos. Of course, they need to be wedding photos.

If a photographer is selling themselves as a wedding photographer, but they only have family portraits or high fashion photos on their website, this could be a red flag. Wedding photography requires a different skillset from family portraits and high fashion.

Do you really want to know the truth? Here is the real secret sauce! Once you find a Miami Beach photographer whose work you love, ask them to show you a complete wedding? Wedding photographers, myself included, can only share a small fraction of the photos from a wedding on their website.

Imagine photographing a wedding and delivering 700 – 1000 photos to the couple. Out of that 700 – 1000 photos, only about 30 of those photos will make it to the photographer’s website. That’s approximately 3 to 4 percent. Can you really make a good decision on such a small sample size? Asking to see a complete wedding will give you a better understanding of how the photographer will capture your wedding.

Secret #3 – Ask Your Prospective Miami Beach Photographer for References

Yea, you read that right. It’s no secret that you have to provide references to the potential employer when you apply for a job. Your potential employer will want to know what others have to say about you. Hiring a wedding photographer should be no different. I mean, yes, there is a slight difference. The roles are flipped! You are now the employer looking to hire a photographer for your wedding.

Do you think you could get a job at Amazon without providing references? No, I don’t think so. And if a big company like amazon thinks it’s a good idea to ask for references, you should be asking for references from your photographer too.

Secret #4 – See if You Have A Connection with Your Potential Wedding Photographer

Do you know why it is so hard to hire a Miami Beach Photographer? Because hiring a wedding photographer is personal. Of all the vendors you will hire, your wedding photographer will be the closest to you for the longest on your wedding day.

For a full day of photography coverage, your photographer will be with you before your make-up and hair are done. Your photographer will be close to you throughout the entire wedding day. When you cry, they will be close to you when you smile, when you are unsure when you are tired beyond belief, your photographer will be right by your side.

Therefore, it only makes sense that the photographer you hire is someone you can have fun with, someone you can enjoy having around you all day, someone your family will enjoy, and most of all, someone you can trust.

Secret #5 – Ask to See a Copy of The Contract Before You Commit to Hire

First, here is a little bit of Disclaimer – I’m not an attorney, and the information given in this section is not to be taken as legal advice.

A Miami Beach photographer contract is a legal document when you and the photographer sign it. The contract should spell out what you will get in return for the money you will pay the photographer. The terms of the contract agreement should also address cancelations, payment schedule, retainer fees, acts of God, copyrights, and many more.

Asking to see a copy of the contract before committing to hiring can help you identify areas in the contract that might not be in your best interest. You can address it with the photographer before hiring. Everything in a contract is negotiable and should be fair to all parties bound by the contract. It should be a win, win situation.

If you can’t see a copy of the contract before committing to hiring, which I can’t see any reason you wouldn’t, make sure you carefully read through the contract line by line and understand everything before you sign it.

This concludes my 5 Miami beach photographers’ secrets to know! As a wedding photographer for over eight years, I have seen a lot of what works. Wedding photography is my ultimate passion. My office is in the Design District, but I live and work here in Miami Beach. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions or just to say hi!

Have questions? Let’s connect here.

If you like this post, you may also be interested in these other posts:

Five Questions to Ask Wedding Photographer Before You Booked Them!

5 Best Miami Beach Wedding Venues for Your Epic Wedding

 

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