Choosing The Right Photographer for your Wedding Day
Choosing the right wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make while planning your wedding. Your photos are the lasting memory of one of the biggest days of your life, the laughter, the quiet moments, the details you spent months planning. Here’s how to choose the best photographer for you, and why Kaitlyn Johnston Photography might be the perfect fit for couples in Chicago and beyond.
Start with style: what speaks to you?
Look through full galleries, not just highlight reels. Albums and full wedding galleries show how a photographer handles lighting changes, unpredictable weather, and an entire day’s flow.
Identify the style you want: candid/photojournalistic, editorial, fine art, dramatic, bright and airy, or moody and cinematic. Your choice will set the tone for how your day is remembered.
Personality and partnership matter
You’ll spend a lot of time with your photographer on your wedding day. Choose someone whose presence calms you, directs gently, and makes your partner and family feel comfortable.
Look for responsiveness in communication during your initial messages and consultations — it’s a sign of reliability and care.
Experience with logistics and timing
Ask about wedding-day timelines, how long portraits typically take, and how the photographer coordinates with planners, venues, and other vendors.
Make sure they’ve shot at your venue or similar venues, or can adapt quickly to unfamiliar spaces and lighting conditions.
Quality and consistency across full weddings
Request full wedding galleries or albums to ensure the image quality is consistent from start to finish — not only during the best-lit or most photogenic parts of the day.
Look for strong storytelling: images that flow and reveal the day’s emotional arc.
Packages, prints, and rights
Understand what’s included: hours of coverage, second shooters, engagement sessions, digital files, albums, print options, and print release terms.
Compare value, not just price. A photographer with a slightly higher price may include prints, album design, or experienced second shooters that save stress and cost later.
Reviews, referrals, and proven professionalism
Read recent reviews. Reviews often reflect how a photographer handles communication, timelines, and unexpected challenges.
Confirm contracts, insurance, backup plans for equipment failure, and data backup practices.
Trust your instincts
After you’ve reviewed style, experience, logistics, and value — choose the person you feel most comfortable with. Photography is a collaboration; your instincts about rapport are important.
Why Kaitlyn Johnston Photography?
A distinctive balance of candid storytelling and timeless portraits that capture emotion and detail.
Warm, down-to-earth approach that puts couples and families at ease.
Deep local experience in Chicago venues and lighting situations, plus the ability to adapt to any environment.
Transparent packages and strong client relationships — from planning through final album delivery.
Reliable professionalism: backup equipment, data protection, and a proven track record of on-time, high-quality delivery.
If you want photos that feel authentic, timeless, and emotionally truthful — captured by a photographer who makes the day feel joyful and calm — Kaitlyn Johnston Photography is built to deliver that experience. Book a consultation, review full wedding galleries, and trust your instincts: your photographer will shape the way you remember your wedding for decades to come.
