Wedding Photographer Tips

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Wedding Photographer Tips

The photographs of your wedding day will be enormously important to you and your loved ones, right after the wedding and years into the future. Lousy food or a no-show band might ruin your reception day, but lousy pictures or a no-show photographer would mean the loss of once-in-a-lifetime pictures.

There are all kinds of questions you could ask in choosing a wedding photographer, but the most important things to find out are:

Who is the photographer who will take the pictures at your wedding (if it is a group practice)? That is the person you need to talk to, not another photographer, assistant or secretary. You will be working closely with this person and need to be comfortable with THEM.
Where are the samples of that photographer's recent wedding work? This is your best way to get an idea of what your pictures will look like. Old work or someone else's work will tell you nothing.
If you want lots of outdoor pictures, you need to see their samples of outdoor pictures; ask for samples from a wedding similar to your own plans.
What are the packages and/or pricing structures?
BE FOREWARNED: Almost all wedding photographers will keep your negatives or sell them to you for a high fee; you will be paying for each print you want or get only those included in the package. This is standard for professional photography, though sometimes hard to swallow in this era of digital photographs and inexpensive prints.

Once you have found someone whose work you like and whose prices you can afford, BOOK THEM! Then you will need to discuss the when, what and where of your photographs.

Shots to Take: Experienced wedding photographers will have checklists of poses for you to consider and a schedule for you to work out. The one additional piece of advice we have, based on our customers' comments, is to seriously consider some outdoor shots if at all possible. The colors and lighting seem to bring out the best, and outdoor shots are most often the prettiest in any bride's book.

Packages/Prints to Purchase: Opinion varies on whether a leather-bound bride's book of 8x10 prints is worth the money or not. Some say that is what they look at year after year; others prefer to get more but smaller prints, or one 16x20 and many smaller prints. When committing to a package, also keep in mind the number of prints your families are likely to order.

Wedding Reception Photos: If you do not have your photographer stay and take pictures throughout the reception, which is wonderful to have but costs quite a bit for the additional time, PLEASE have disposable cameras on the tables and a few family members or friends taking informal shots. You will be enjoying yourself at the party, but later you will love to see pictures of everyone else enjoying themselves as well. Almost everyone we asked who did not do one of these things regretted it...

Videography: The same considerations apply to your videographer (if you hire a professional) as to your still photographer. A video is a nice remembrance of your wedding, though not as lasting as still photographs. If you do hire a videographer or have a friend or family member do it, make sure they take video of your guests, not just of you two. When watching wedding videos after the big day, many brides say the best part is seeing the fun everyone else was having!

Ordering Photos Later On: Finally, keep in mind that your photographer will keep your negatives for at least five years, and you can always order more prints later on if you cannot afford them now or are unsure what you want right away.

The wedding photographer is key to your wedding remembrances, so be sure to get someone you trust and whose work you like. It will be worth the extra time it takes to find the right person.