— eight things to check before you book —

How to choose a wedding photographer in Gothenburg

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You open ten photographers’ sites and they all look good. The same sunny portraits, the same warm tones, prices ten thousand kronor apart with no visible reason. And the day happens once: if the photos go wrong, there is no second take.

Two things separate photographers in practice: whether whole weddings hold up — not just the best ten frames — and whether what you get is written down. The rest is taste.

I have been photographing for 15 years, more than 3,000 shoots, and I am ranked Top 1 among wedding photographers in Gothenburg on MyWed. Here are eight things I would check myself — even if you end up booking someone else.

15 yearsin the profession 3,000+shoots Top 1in Gothenburg on MyWed
A couple reflected through gilded ornaments in a hall
01

Ask to see whole weddings, not single frames

A portfolio is a selection of the best images from several years. It tells you how good someone is on their best day, not what an ordinary Saturday looks like. So ask for two or three complete weddings, start to finish.

Look closely at the hard parts: the ceremony, speeches over dinner, the evening when the light runs out. Do they hold the same level as the golden-hour couple portraits? Check the guests’ faces too — a photographer who only shows the couple leaves you without half the day.

If a photographer cannot show one single complete wedding, that is an answer in itself.

Ask for2–3 complete weddings
Look atceremony, speeches, evening — not only portraits
A couple under string lights and lanterns at the evening party
02

Check photos taken in light like yours

Sunshine in a field is easy for almost anyone. What separates photographers is a dark church where flash is not allowed, rain on the west coast, a dinner room lit by yellow lamps, a dance floor with nothing but party lights.

Ask directly: “Do you have photos from a dark church?”, “What do you do if it rains all day?”, “Do you use flash in the evening, and how does it look?” The answer should be images, not words.

This is also a question of gear and habit. I started with three and a half years in a nightclub, five nights a week — dark rooms are ordinary working conditions for me, not a problem that turns up at your wedding.

Ask fordark church, rain, indoor evening
The answer should bephotos, not promises
The bride in a robe on the bed in morning light before the wedding
03

Read what is included, in writing

This is the most common surprise afterwards: the couple assumed all the photos were included, and received a selection plus an offer to buy the rest. Or found out that “full day” ended at 10 pm and the dancing cost extra.

Before you book, five things should be in black and white: how many hours, roughly how many photos, when the photos arrive, what an extra hour costs and what you may do with the images. Also ask whether travel is included and whether VAT is on top.

With me, every good photo from the day is included, edited — nothing ends up “outside the package”. Prices include VAT and are published openly on the site.

Should be in writinghours, number of photos, delivery time
Also ask aboutextra hour, travel, VAT, usage rights
Couple backlit at sunset, black and white frame
04

Ask how the images are edited

Heavily toned images — muted green shadows, orange skin — look current today and dated in five years. They also lose contrast and natural skin tones, and it cannot be undone: you never get the original back.

Ask to see work from several different years. If the colour looks identical throughout, that is a preset, not craft. I stay with classic processing: reasonable contrast, no blown highlights, colours close to reality — a filtered version for Instagram can always be added later, the other direction cannot.

Ask forwork from several years
Warning signthe same toned look on everything
A couple hugging by a tree, the bride holding her bouquet
05

Meet the photographer before you book

The photographer is the one supplier who stays with you all day — from the morning robe to the last dance, closer to you than any guest. Cake and flowers you can choose from pictures; a person you cannot.

A twenty-minute video call is enough. Listen to how they talk about the day: do they ask about you, or only about times and price? Does it feel easy to be in the same room? If you tense up during the call, you will tense up in the photos too.

I am not an invisible photographer in the corner. I stay close to what is happening, help when help is needed and gently push the schedule when it slips — so that you get to be at your own wedding.

Enougha 20-minute video call
Checkwhether they ask about you, not only about timings
A couple dancing close in the dark, the wedding ring in frame
06

Ask about the backup plan

The dull questions nobody asks until it is too late: what happens if the photographer falls ill that morning? Is there a second camera on site if one dies mid-ceremony? How long are the files kept, and where?

Reasonable answers are: a colleague on standby or a clear written agreement on what applies, always two cameras on site, and copies of the images in more than one place until you have them.

Talking about this is not bad luck — it is the difference between a professional and someone who photographs on weekends.

Ask aboutillness, second camera, copies of the files
Champagne being poured into glasses during the wedding dinner
07

Compare prices for the same thing

A price means nothing until you know what sits inside it. Three hours with one photographer and eight with another cannot be compared, and “from 6,000 SEK” can end up double once the evening, extra images and travel are added.

Convert everything to the same terms instead: hours on site, number of finished photos, delivery time, what is included without surcharges. Two quotes usually separate themselves immediately after that.

My packages: 9,000 SEK for 3 hours, 20,000 SEK for 8 hours and 30,000 SEK for a full 12-hour day, all including VAT. The first photos arrive within a day, the full gallery within four weeks.

Comparehours, photos, delivery, surcharges
My pricesfrom 9,000 SEK for 3 hours, incl. VAT
The groom lifting the bride in a field at sunset
08

Checklist for the meeting

Take these questions to a conversation with any photographer — the answers tell you more than any portfolio.

1May I see two or three complete weddings?
2Do you have photos from a dark church, rain, evening?
3How many hours and how many photos?
4When do we get the photos, and in what form?
5What does an extra hour cost?
6Is travel included? Is VAT on top?
7What happens if you fall ill?
8May we use the photos as we like?

Shall we talk about your date?

Tell me your date, where the ceremony is and roughly how the day looks — I will say straight away whether the date is free and what it would cost. No deposit is needed to hold the date, and you pay after the wedding.

Fastest on WhatsApp, otherwise through the contact form.

Check our date Wedding photography

Common questions

What does a wedding photographer cost in Gothenburg?

With me: 9,000 SEK for 3 hours, 20,000 SEK for 8 hours and 30,000 SEK for a full 12-hour day, including VAT. Across the Gothenburg market a full day usually sits between 20,000 and 42,000 SEK depending on the photographer.

How early should you book a wedding photographer?

Popular Saturdays in June to August are often booked six to twelve months ahead. It is still worth asking late — cancellations happen, and weekdays and winter dates are considerably easier.

How do I know the photographer can handle a dark church?

Ask for photos from exactly that: a dark church or an indoor evening party. Words are not enough — those who can do it have the pictures, those who cannot change the subject.

What is the difference between a photo story and a wedding album?

The photo story is every finished image from the day in the right order — with me, around 500 of them. The album is a printed book built from the strongest images, roughly 200, ordered as an add-on.

Planning the day yourselves? Try my free wedding timeline planner →

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