"Hiring A Photographer That Has Never Been To My Wedding Venue" - Debunking A Common Myth...

With six years under our belts as wedding photographers and videographers, we hear similar questions arise from potential TréBrides. Whenever we hear the same question asked more than once, we always try and use it as opportunity to write a blog post, educate our current brides or create a resource to serve any bride planning her wedding.

One question we hear often when meeting with potential couples is "Have you ever photographed a wedding at our venue before?" This question could come from pure curiosity, it's great to hear what a photographer thinks about the photo location. But we've also heard it mentioned in a way that makes us think there may be a false belief in there, a myth that needs to be debunked.

We had a meeting with a potential couple recently, they were looking to have us make them a wedding film. Sometime during the meeting we asked them if they had ever considered combining photo and video and if they wanted to learn more about our photography experiences as well. They quickly mentioned that the venue they were getting married at had recommended a preferred photographer who has shot at that particular venue before and how that was important to them.

As a Bride, it's hard to know who to believe, what resources to learn from, and the right questions to ask. At TréCreative our goal is to help you along the way and guide you with our best tips from working with hundreds of brides.

This idea that you should hire a photographer or videographer that has worked at your venue before is a myth.

Here's why...

You're hiring a professional. Hiring a professional wedding photographer or videographer means that they know how to walk into any given lighting or venue situation and capture amazing imagery for you.

Imagine calling up a world class chef and hiring them to come to your house and make a meal. Do you think the Chef is going to make terrible food because they've never been in your kitchen before? What about a professional sports team, do they forget how to play the sport when visiting a new field?

When you hire a professional photographer or videographer, it is their job to make magic no matter the situation they step into.

Speaking from experience, whenever Stephen and I are shooting at a new wedding venue (which is most of the time), we always arrive either the day before or before our coverage begins to get the lay of the land. This is just part of our technique to ensure we're going to go above and beyond for our couples. We'll walk the venue, determine a efficient route for photo locations and check the lighting for different parts of the day. We use an app that allows us to see exactly where the sun is going to be and when. This helps us plan out the entire day of photo locations and be prepared for any lighting situation.

As a destination photographer, more than 75% of our weddings each year are shot at weddings venues we've never worked at before, and the same goes for many top wedding professionals.

As an artist, we actually LOVE working at new locations. It's so creatively fueling for us and causes us to think outside the box and be inspired, causing us to create even better imagery. This is why hiring someone who isn't always shooting at the same venue every weekend can be in your favor. Imagine a photographer who works at the same venue every Saturday... 

Don't you think their photos might start loose a little of their magic after placing couples in the same location over and over? We think so! We're not saying people can't work at the same venue every weekend and get amazing photos, but having a change of pace is a good thing, trust us!

If you're in the process of hiring a wedding photographer or videographer who hasn't worked at your specific wedding venue, do not worry! As long as you're hiring a professional, they will take care of you. Don't let other research online or someone scare you away with this myth that will hold you back from hiring your dream team. More than anything, our best advice is to choose someone you really love. Someone where you absolutely love their work but also that you love being around!