How to Pick Your Elopement Photographer

So you got engaged and decided to elope! Great!

But now are you dreading your engagement time when you’re supposed to be planning the best day of your life but you’ve heard way too many horror stories of the stress that comes with wedding planning. One of the decisions on your list now includes an elopement photographer and you don’t know where to start.

That’s why you’re reading this blog right?? You want a way to reduce that stress, make it easy to make decisions.

TL;DR

From a very biased photographer’s perspective:

Find a vendor who can help you plan and take off a load for you. For elopements this means finding a photographer who can also plan alongside you. For bigger weddings, this means finding a wedding planner. Lucky for you, I’m an elopement photographer who specializes in planning adventurous elopements for my couples!

Long Version

There are so many things to consider when you’re planning something so important as your elopement day. Photos are going to be the thing that will last a life time, so it’s especially important to pick the right elopement photographer for you. Here’s a few aspects to consider:

Do you want an adventurous elopement?

If you want an adventurous elopement, you’ll likely want to hire a photographer who can adventure alongside you. Picking a photographer based on their specialty is key! If you want to hike, your photographer has to be able to hike, and not just a casual hiker, they have to be able to sometimes go ahead of you or be behind, and be able to anticipate photos, not just huffing and puffing alongside you (although sometimes certain hikes might require that too). If you want to climb, your photographer has to understand angles for climbing photography and sometimes even have to know how to set up rigs and climb. If you want to ski, your photographer will likely need to be able to ski down with you. That way you don’t lose time waiting for them to snowshoe slowly.

As an adventure photographer myself, I’ve hiked, climbed, skied, backpacked, and snowshoed alongside all my couples. However they want to adventure is how I adventure next to them. And it means so much to have a photographer understand exactly what your adventure entails.

It takes a whole another skillset beyond portrait photography to be able to photograph an adventure elopement. So if you want an elopement that isn’t your average casual-take-a-few-photos-and-say-your-vows-sort-of-day, you’re going to want an adventure specific elopement photographer!

Do you want your elopement day to flow smoothly?

Okay, great! Most couples want that too! You’ll want a photographer who knows how to plan out an elopement timeline unique to each couple. Every couple has different interests and desires, so no two elopements should or would ever look the exact same. Maybe you want to see the sunrise or maybe you’re a night owl who loves sunsets. You’ll want to budget the right amount of time to hike or drive to your location and still have time to enjoy the views instead of being rushed around. The right photographer will have your best interests in mind and help you plan out a day that doesn’t feel too tightly scheduled with just the right amount of flexibility to flow from one activity to the next.

I’ve helped so many couples figure out their exact day and from the beginning they already know what their day is going to look like so they can plan all the details based on their elopement day outline. We review the timeline throughout the planning phase so that there are no hidden surprises and tweak timelines as needed. The importance of a timeline is so that you don’t have to worry about what’s next and I will help keep track of time and gently usher you from one place to another.

Do you want to elope in Washington or somewhere mountainous?

You’ll definitely want a photographer who understands local mountain weather and views. If you’ve been around mountains, you’ll know that weather can change quickly and it can look a lot different than nearby cities and towns. In Washington, we have super localized weather, such that we have basically 2 different climates in the state and the mountains too.

Your photographer should also be able to prepare you for what to expect when eloping on a mountain. I help my couples plan for the best views and sometimes that means shifting the schedule for the best views and reading the forecast in great detail to give you the best day. It also means I make sure my couples are well prepared for the weather, be it rainy, snowy, sunny, hot or cold. My couples know exactly what to expect when they wake up on their elopement day and are so excited for the day to unfold!

Likewise for any other scenery, you’ll want a photographer who has experience photographing in that type of landscape. But mountains particularly are unique and take more effort to plan for and the right photographer will guide you along so you’re well prepared!

Search for local Washington photographers and double check if they are based there! Local beats traveling photographers because they have a deeper understanding of the location. As a Washington elopement photographer, I not only provide weather and location assistance to all my couples, but I also give recommendations for vendors and places to stay and so forth. And if you’re looking for a traveling destination photographer, make sure they actually know how to plan an elopement from afar! For example, I also specialize in the Dolomites and Southwest US because I’ve traveled and photographed there enough to give you local tips.

Do you want to elope in a National Park or on public lands?

If so, you’ll want a photographer who understands the local permit process. Being able to elope on public lands is such a special privilege and we want to abide by local regulations so that future couples can elope there too! National Parks definitely need permits for their ceremonies (you can read more here).

As an elopement photographer, I guide my couples to applying for the permits. If there are any photographer permits, that duty falls on me so you don’t have to stress about my side of things. Think of me as someone there to hold your hand through a new process that you probably haven’t seen before. You always have me to fall back on in case you’re confused by what the rangers respond with or how best to fill out your application. Eloping should be easy and stress-free, because that’s one of the reasons why you decided to elope right? So making things smooth is one of my goals!

Do you want to do something unique for your elopement?

Gosh wow, that is so exciting! The whole freedom of eloping is so that you can do something that is unique to you. You’ll want a photographer who can think on the fly and doesn’t just run on autopilot. You decided to be different for your elopement instead of falling for yet another barn wedding. Then don’t book the barn wedding photographer! My couples often come to me with a unique idea and I love rolling with it. For example, I’ve had a couple who wanted to incorporate the TV series Twin Peaks into their elopement day and so we went to all the iconic spots!

Do you want true-to-color and candid photographs?

One of the biggest differentiator between photographers (other than experience of course) is what their photos look like after editing. You might not know what their style is called, but it helps to vibe with the photographer and with their style too. This is why I believe in consultation calls before booking any client — to make sure we vibe and I can meet their needs!

Think about 10, 20, 50 years down the line and how you want to remember your elopement day. Do you want photographs that are timeless? Then you’ll want to choose a photographer who captures your day without over-doing the hot trends of the year. Is sepia tone just a current trend or is it something you like? Do you love colors and always will? These are important to figure out! Do you want your emotions captured in your photographs or do you want it to look more posed?

My personal style is true-to-color and slightly warmer toned, but I love bringing colors to life (without over saturation — you be the judge!). I also approach every elopement and couples session with a free-form style that allows you to be yourselves, giving you just the right amount of prompts that don’t feel overwhelming.

Did you say yes to most of these questions??

Omg if so, I think I might just be your photographer! I love helping couples build their adventurous elopement day out in the mountains (especially in Washington!) and photograph their whole adventure day. It is so special to be a part of a couple’s day and be able to capture their whole story through my camera.

 

If you perhaps said no to some of these questions, I might still be a great photographer for you! I’d be so happy to chat with you and see if I can bring your elopement dreams to life. I can’t wait to connect with you!!