We sat down and read all our reviews in one go. Not to frame them: any wedding photographer who is halfway competent has good reviews, so bragging about stars says very little. What we wanted to know was something else, and it is more useful.
What repeats. Which words keep coming back when a couple sits down, months later, to write what they thought. Because the photographer does not decide that: it is decided by what the couple actually noticed on their wedding day.
Two of the things we found were what we expected. The third was not, and it turned out to be the most repeated after the first.
The reviews are quoted verbatim in Spanish, the language they were written in. The translation follows in italics.
1. That they felt comfortable
This is the clearest thread, and it comes up in almost the same words across several different reviews.
Nos hizo sentir muy cómodos delante de la cámara, y fue encantador no solo con nosotros, sino también con todos nuestros invitados.
He made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera, and he was lovely not only with us but with all our guests.
Supo hacernos sentir muy cómodos durante toda la boda y siempre se mantuvo discreto.
He knew how to make us feel very comfortable throughout the wedding and always stayed discreet.
There is a fairly logical explanation for this coming first: it is the only thing the couple can judge on the day itself. The photos they see weeks later. The film, later still. What they do experience live, for twelve or fourteen hours, is the feeling of having two people with cameras nearby the whole time.
If that feeling is uncomfortable, no amount of editing fixes it. And it shows on people’s faces.
2. The word that explains the first one: discreet
Here is the interesting part. Almost all of them describe the effect (we felt comfortable) and only one names the cause.
siempre se mantuvo discreto
he always stayed discreet
That is the word. Comfort is not achieved by being funny or by encouraging people to pose, it is achieved by disappearing. Getting the couple to forget you are there is, quite literally, the job. It is also why we work documentary style rather than directing the scene, which we explain in documentary or traditional wedding photography.
A tip for when you read anyone’s reviews: “he made us laugh so much” and “we never noticed he was there” describe two very different ways of working. Neither is bad. But they are different, and it is worth knowing which one you want at your wedding.
3. What we did not expect: that they would talk about turnaround
This is the one that surprised us. We assumed the reviews would be about photos, style, emotion. It turns out delivery comes up almost as often as comfort:
Trabajó con una rapidez increíble: tuvimos acceso a las galerías solo unos días después del evento.
He worked incredibly fast: we had access to the galleries just a few days after the event.
Creativos, profesionales, rápidos, y saben plasmar a la perfección lo que queríamos.
Creative, professional, fast, and they know how to capture exactly what we wanted.
Muy profesionales en su trabajo, rápidos entregando resultados.
Very professional in their work, quick to deliver results.
Three different couples mention it without anyone asking them to. And when something shows up that often in reviews, it is almost always because it is a problem in the industry.
It is. Waiting months for your wedding photos is normal in a lot of places, and it is the complaint you read most often in this trade’s bad reviews. Not because people are impatient, but because there comes a point where you are back from the honeymoon, you have returned the suits, and you still have not seen anything.
We treat it as a house rule rather than a virtue. But if you are comparing quotes, ask for the turnaround and get it in writing. It is one of the few things in a wedding contract you can measure with a calendar.
4. The detail about the guests
This one appears only once, but we find it the most revealing of all:
fue encantador no solo con nosotros, sino también con todos nuestros invitados
he was lovely not only with us but with all our guests
A couple noticing how you treat their people says a fair amount about both sides. And it has practical consequences for the photos: guests relax around someone they have exchanged a couple of sentences with, and stiffen up in front of a stranger with a camera. The group shots, the drinks reception and the dancefloor come out differently depending on it.
It is, incidentally, another reason to know who is coming to your wedding and not just which company you are hiring, which is what we cover in who is actually photographing your wedding.
5. The couples who come back
The last thread is not in a single word, it is in the story some reviews tell:
Jose tramó la pedida con ellos y tenía claro que formarían parte del día más especial de nuestras vidas. Pedida TOP, preboda TOP y el día B… increíble, sin palabras.
Jose planned the proposal with them and was clear they had to be part of the most special day of our lives. Top proposal, top pre-wedding shoot and the wedding day… incredible, no words.
Proposal, pre-wedding shoot and wedding. Three bookings with the same couple across two years. That can only happen when the people turning up are always the same, and it is probably the best review you can get: being called again.
How to read a wedding photographer’s reviews
Having done the exercise on our own, here is what we would take from it for reading anyone else’s. It applies to reading ours critically too, and especially so.
- Look for the specific, not the adjectives. “Very professional” means nothing: everyone writes it. “We had the galleries within days” does, because it can be checked.
- See whether they mention turnaround. If nobody in twenty reviews says when they got their photos, ask yourself.
- See whether they name a person. Reviews that name someone tend to come from outfits where the person you met is the person who turns up.
- Notice which kind of praise repeats. If every review is about how much fun it was, that is a photographer who directs and energises. If every review is about not noticing them, that is documentary. Choose deliberately.
- Read the three-star reviews too, if there are any. They are the most informative of the lot, far more than the one-star or five-star ones.
- Be wary of reviews that say nothing. Five stars and “everything perfect, highly recommended” twenty times over is, at best, uninformative.
And one obvious thing worth saying: reviews are the end of the process, not the beginning. They tell you how it went for other people, not how it will go for you. For that you need to meet, which is why we insist so much on sitting down together before anything gets signed.
Frequently asked questions
What do couples value most in a wedding photographer? In our reviews, first comes feeling comfortable in front of the camera, and second, getting the material quickly. That makes sense: comfort is the only thing you can judge on the wedding day itself, and turnaround is what hurts most afterwards. Style and image quality are taken for granted once you have chosen well.
How long does it normally take to get your wedding photos? It varies enormously from one professional to another, from a few days to several months. There is no industry standard, which is why it is worth asking for the specific turnaround before signing and having it stated in the contract. It is one of the few wedding commitments you can check against a calendar.
Can you trust a wedding photographer’s reviews? They are useful if you read them properly. What counts is the specific and checkable: turnaround, names, particular moments. Repeated generic adjectives tell you nothing. And it is worth reading the middling ratings, not only the five-star ones.
What does it mean for a wedding photographer to be discreet? That they work without directing the scene or interrupting what is happening: they position themselves, wait and shoot, rather than asking people to repeat things or pose. That is the documentary approach, and it is what makes the couple and the guests forget about the camera.
Why does it matter how the photographer treats the guests? Because it shows in the photos. People relax around someone they have spoken to and stiffen up in front of a stranger with a camera. It affects the group shots, the reception and the party most of all, and those are more than half the coverage.
If you want to read the full reviews they are on our Google listing, and if you would rather judge for yourselves, get in touch and we will have a coffee.