Selecting Your Wedding Photographer

You will want to treasure your wedding photographs for years to come. You will want to look at them and show them over the years to help you recall everything - the first kiss, the first dance and all the many other things that made the day special. You will want to show your wedding photos to your children and your grandchildren, therefore selecting the wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you will have to make, and this takes time and attention.

You will not get a second chance at this and it is therefore crucial to find a reliable professional, who is in tune with your vision for the day and is confident that he or she can capture this.

It is very important to book your wedding photographer as soon as you have set the date - some popular photographers are booked out a year or more in advance, especially if you are planning a summer wedding. It would be a good idea to book your wedding and reception venue, as these may influence the style and content of your photographs. You should also set a budget for the wedding photographer - as a rule of thumb, the wedding photographs can cost around 10 per cent of the total wedding budget.

You should give careful thought of how you want your wedding photos to look. Do you prefer posed shots or do you like the idea in images that have been captured on the spur of the moment, often with the subject being unaware that they are being photographed? A modern trend is to present the wedding and reception as a story told in sequence - the choice is entirely up to your taste and preference.

When searching for your wedding photographer you could ask recently married friends for suggestions, or you could ask your wedding planner for advice. If you cannot get a personal recommendation try the numerous wedding magazines, they all carry ads for wedding photographers. Many wedding photographers have websites where you can check out their previous work. This is particularly useful if the wedding photographer does not live near you.

After doing your research you should draw up a shortlist and contact the various photographers by phone. This will establish whether they are available on your wedding date and whether they are within your budget. Most wedding photographers will be happy to send you a portfolio of sample images, either as prints or digital files, before your first meeting. Make sure that the groupings are from recent weddings and are taken at a similar venue to yours and also that they were taken at the time of day when you are having your wedding - the light can make a huge difference to the finished shot.

When you meet with your potential wedding photographer try to find out who will shoot the pictures. Larger studios employ a number of photographers and even single-person outfits usually have an assistant. Sometimes the assistant takes the pictures of the wedding guests while the main photographer concentrates on the bridal party. You should request to see the work of the actual photographers that will be handling your wedding.

You will need to discuss the fees. Some studios charge an hourly rate and then charge for any pictures you may want while others quote a flat fee that includes a specified number of prints. Often you have the choice of several different packages. Make sure you understand what is included in the package. Once you have selected your photographer, you need to discuss terms of payment - you usually need to pay a deposit to secure your date and don't forget to check out the refund or cancellation policy. You should also try to establish who owns the negatives. Some photographers hand over the negatives with the wedding photos, while others keep them to make more prints on request. While it might be tempting to keep the negatives yourself, bear in mind that a professional photographer will have more experience regarding their safe storage.

The most important thing is to take up references before you engage your wedding photographer. Check out whether previous couples have been happy with their wedding photos and whether they would be prepared to recommend that particular wedding photographer.

After the wedding your photographer will select an agreed number of images to show you. Depending on what you agreed in the contract your photographer will send printed proofs or post images online at a password protected site. This is really useful, as family members can order their own prints. You could also receive your images on a CD. Printed proofs (small examples of the photographs) will arrive as contact sheets or as numbered prints in a display album, known as a proof book. You make your selection from this and your actual wedding photos will arrive in due course.

There is a great deal to consider when selection a wedding photographer. Taking the time to choose one carefully is an investment worth making. Every time you look at those wonderful images of the day, you will be very glad that you took the time and trouble to do your research before engaging your wedding photographer.

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How to Choose Your Perfect Wedding Photographer

Your EXCITED, ENGAGED and ON A MISSION to find that special wedding photographer that is going to help you and your spouse remember and relive the day you said, "I do.". If this sounds a little like a match making idea then you're right. Of all the vendors that you will choose to help you make your wedding day fantastic, your photographer will spend the entire day with you. Think about it, your baker will bring the cake and leave, your florist will hand everything over and leave, your wedding planner will check up on you from time-to-time while there but your photographer will always be there recording every moment. Once you realize this and search for "wedding photography" or "wedding photographer" in Google and you'll find yourself staring at a list between 2 - 12 million results. 

1. You can't know what you want until you know what you want.

Because there is uniqueness in your love and passion with each other your wedding portraits should reflect that uniqueness. As a result, you need to understand and be able to articulate the style of photography that will best fit for you. To do so you need to ask yourself two questions:

a. What types of movies do you and your fiancée like to watch and what types movies can you see yourself in? The movie(s) you choose will give you an idea as to the over all feeling of the photographs you most likely want to have. If you like family based movies then you are going to most likely want photographs that have an emphasis on friends and family. On the other hand, if you enjoy romantic, action or high drama movies, then you might be more interested in photographers who are able to produce dramatic photos that focus on you.

b. What magazines would you like to see yourself in? Every magazine has a customer base demographic. And this is not by accident. Do you like the photographs from Vogue, GQ, Modern Bride, or W? Look through magazines and find photographs that you would like to see yourself in and cut out those photographs for future reference.

2. Searching for photographer on the web

Because there are so many websites just using the best keywords to find what you are looking for can be a daunting task so here are some ideas to make it a little easier. Use words that are specific to you concerning the type of wedding photography that you are looking for. In addition you will want to search under the words of where you are getting married and/or where you would like to find your photographer.

3. The Photographers' Website

Making a great decision is going to be a matter of research and personal experience. So take your time and learn and see as much as you can so that when the time comes to make this important decision you will be excited and extremely confident that you made this decision.

4 - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Believe it or not, not every photographer can produce artistic portraits in any given venue. As a Bride, you need to be honest with yourself and with your photographer about your photographic expectations for that day. You must always remember that you are hiring a photographer for a specific reason, to capture individual moments from that day so that those memories will never be forgotten. A big component of your day will be the location and venue you choose for your celebration. You need to know the venue's photographic expectations and restrictions. Here are some questions to ask your venue:

1) Does the venue allow flash photography?

2) Are there any time limits in any venue that the photographer should know? (You can ask the vendor this question and let the photographer know about this.)

3) Are there any places at the venue that cannot be photographed? You need to know your venue's policies on photographs and where they can and cannot be taken.

4) Ask the venue if there is anything that the photographer needs to know that you haven't asked. (phrase this as a question as you did with the others.)

5 - Book Early, BOOK ASAP!!!!!

The key here is to make sure that you are happy and comfortable with your photographer. You never want to choose and settle on a photographer because of time or pressure from the photographer, friends, or family. Give yourself some time and space. This is really up to you. You need to feel comfortable and secure with your decision. Once you are comfortable and sure about the decision then sign the contract and be happy that that decision is out of the way.

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Careers in Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is one area in the bigger art of photography that offers the artistically-inclined person with a real passion for photography a number of rewarding career opportunities. The term 'wedding photography' itself refers to the taking of photographs on the wedding day: something that is done a great deal in the lead-up to the wedding event, during the marriage event (when the couple is declared man and wife), and after the wedding event, when a reception/party is normally held.

From a time when wedding-photography was the preserve of well-heeled couples, looking to add 'sentimentality' to their marriage ceremonies, it has evolved to be pretty much part of the standard wedding ceremony. As such, it is something that virtually any couple that is looking to get wedded goes to great lengths to 'get right.'

With the turning of photography into a standard part of the modern wedding ceremony came the rise of companies fully into that line of business. These are companies that specialize in wedding photography, so that day in day out, their business is that of approaching prospective brides and grooms, and asking to take photographs of them.

As such, one of the careers in marriage photography is that of wedding photographer (also referred to as the marriage photojournalist). This is the professional who is involved in the actual clicking during the marriage ceremony. He or she is essentially a cameraman. This is one person who can't afford to get things wrong, for doing this would mean messing the wedding couple in a big way. The marriage photographer could be a freelance professional, operating from a home office, or he could be a professional affiliated to one or another wedding photography company.

In many photography companies, the marriage photography assistant is in fact a wedding photojournalist apprentice. He is usually being exposed to real life marriage situations, before being sent on assignments on his own. He is typically also a back-up photographer: so that should something befall his 'boss' the main photographer, he would take over and continue clicking through the rest of the ceremony. This is an important role, where the back-up idea is brought into focus, for the trust that couple entrust on the wedding photography company is too huge to be abused, by just sending only one person to the wedding.

Where marriage photography companies are in question, a marketer will tend to come into the picture. This is a person who goes about scouting for couples that are about to get wedded, and offering to have his company 'cover' the event photography-wise.

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