Your photos should be a beautiful and timeless account of the most important day of your life and should help every bride and groom to re-create the romance and excitement all over again. When choosing your wedding photographer, you want to assure they create the wedding album you’ve always dreamed of. No matter how large or small your wedding celebration is, hiring a professional photographer to capture all the love, emotion and in-between moments during your celebration will be well worth it to have images of your celebration to hold onto forever.
Choosing The Right Wedding Photographer
I don’t want to assert all-economy photographers are not good at what they do; everyone has to begin someplace and many do have a great eye yet as you figure out where you have to compromise on wedding arranging possibly those madly modest photographic artists are likewise compromising someplace too. When you hire an experienced wedding photographer, you aren’t simply paying someone to be a warm body to click the camera. You are paying for the experience. Their experience shooting weddings and the experience from start to finish.
Your wedding photographer should capture every detail of your wedding day. From your place card holders to your hair accessories and your makeup applications, it’s your photographer’s responsibility to capture everything. Your wedding day will be loaded up with amazing moments, emotions and remember those little imperfect moments too. one of those imperfect moments should NOT be worrying about your wedding photographer. This way, you don’t have to depend completely on memory. We firmly have confidence in investing in the right wedding photographer as your photos are one of the most significant aspects of your wedding day.
Portfolio :
When you are shortlisting a wedding photographer make sure he/she has the right portfolio. The quality of a photographer’s portfolio should be the first thing that captures your attention. A good photographer should be able to offer clients a variety of styles, capturing the personalities of the bride and groom and showcasing the happiness and fun of the day. The wedding photographer should have few individual weddings listed in his/her portfolio. You may not want to shortlist a wedding photographer who shares only the selected one or two best images from each wedding for his/her portfolio.
Be aware that photographers have different photography editing techniques. If an image is heavily edited then chances are this will be a usual theme within their photography portfolio and is usually an attempt to try to cover up their poor quality pictures.
The personality of Photographer :
It’s true that the personality of the wedding photographer reflects in the pictures. As a bride and groom, you put a lot of trust and faith in your wedding photographer. In order to get the best images on the most important day of your life, it is imperative that you feel comfortable and relaxed in their presence.
Do your personalities mesh well? Your photographer is going to spend a greater chunk of the day with you…. make sure you can tolerate them and maybe even like them. You can usually tell within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone, whether you feel compatibility or connection. First impressions are key and if you instantly strike a bond then you are on to a good thing. If you feel uncomfortable around your photographer for whatever reason then this will turn out to be obvious in your wedding photographs.
Remember, a genuine smile is impossible to fake so choose wisely and ensure you meet with your wedding photographer a few times before confirming your booking.
Value for money/cost :
This can often be a deciding factor for a lot of brides and grooms and although it is an essential element, it shouldn't be the basis for your decision. High-end prices do not always guarantee the best quality but likewise, reasonable pricing does not always illustrate the low quality.
A photographer should be open about their pricing structures and in turn, you should be clear in your mind while deciding on the budget. Neither one of you wants to waste any time so a clear dialogue right from the beginning will resolve this. Don’t blindly follow the advice of someone who had an extravagant or just a few thousand bucks spending on wedding photography. Love and admiration for photography are key contributors in deciding a budget.
Your photographer should offer a variety of packages to suit for all and should always be flexible with pricing and what is included within each package. Your photographer is providing a service and each couple will have different expectations and requirements so ensure that your photographer can tailor make a package to suit your needs.
Always remember to ask about any hidden extras. Some photographers charge an additional fee for editing, GST, creating artwork for an album or even travel and food expenses. You should always clear that all costs are detailed in a quote before.
Love and admiration for photography are key patrons in deciding a budget. Think wise and see how much you see your wedding pictures as an investment. Don’t lose the chance to spend a little extra for better style and quality of photography. I bet you will love it later.
Experience:
The experience of the photographer is the most important thing especially now when the camera doesn't matter so much. A highly skilled photographer can conform to hard situations anytime he meets them. In a wedding, everything happens fast and so he has to deal with it straight away. He always has to be ready for anything. I am sure many photographers will agree that they have regularly assumed the role of coordinator, photographer, master of ceremonies and children’s entertainer.
Through years of experience, the photographer is able to see the light and catch the moments better than a new photographer who has just started. The best way to know how much experience your photographer has is to see a few full finished weddings, to see if the files that he delivered to the clients have the same quality from start to end. Taking the photos is just a small part of being a wedding photographer and without the necessary experience and the ability to perform under constant pressure, important moments can be easily missed.
Also, you can check the photographer's blog and see weddings made a few years back and see how the photographer evolved. If you see beautiful moments, creative shots, and consistent editing then for sure that photographer has enough experience to deliver your beautiful photos.
Recommendations / Word of Mouth :
A lot of our bookings have come through recommendations from previous clients. If your friends and family have been happy with the quality of the service and work of a particular photographer then chances are, you will be too. If he/she has already covered a wedding in the family/friend circle, you will have clarity on all the above points. You can easily shortlist him/her and evaluate with other shortlisted photographers.
In conclusion, these tips shouldn't be considered to be in any request for significance. Each point is as significant as the next and while choosing the right photographer for your wedding, a combination of all these factors should be used as a basis for your decision.
I wish you all the best of luck in your wedding planning and a long and happy future together.