Your wedding is one of the most important milestones of one’s life. Finding the photographer that will immortalize this moment in time is equally important.
Some of the factors that will influence your choice is your budget, the style of photography you are seeing in your mind.
Whether you are looking for traditional, editorial, photo journalistic or fine art, there is a photographer best suited for your photographic needs.
Chances are your search will start on the internet or through recommendations and word-of-mouth.
Though the internet is a great place to begin your search, you should not hire someone without meeting them in person first, unless you are getting married in a vacation spot or a location where it is impractical for you to meet with them.
In that case, you might consider finding a local photographer that does "destination weddings."
If time is not a precious commodity, then you should meet with all your prospective photographers.
Focusing on this fact is paramount. The best photographer in the world with the worst attitude, no matter how good a price, is a sure guarantee for a stressful wedding day for everyone.
The interview is important to both sides because it allows both sides to gauge how they will get along.
That's why a contract that spells out the details will prevent any misunderstandings.
So don't base your decision on a hiring a photographer on a price quote over the phone. Your initial phone call should just be to see if they are available on your wedding date.
Most don't charge for that consultation, so you have nothing to lose.
Good wedding photography tells a story of how that day went for the bride and groom. The intrusting of those moments is not done lightly.
So there is no question your search should start online but you should be aware that the pictures on most photographer's website are not necessarily a good representation of their true abilities.
What you'll be seeing is a showroom of sort with their best photos taken over multiple events and over the length of time they've been in business. Keep in mind that your needs may be different. You are hiring them to document your all-important day from “start to finish.”
What you are looking for is consistency in the imagery. Don't confuse consistency with repetition. There should be consistency in how the photographer works with available light.
Are the images well exposed? Is there a lot of variety in their shots i.e. does it look like they moved around using different angles, lenses and shooting from different locations?
The skilful photographers and truly professional ones do all this. Some even set up lights of their own when the lighting conditions are bad. Examine the pictures of the brides to ensure that the lighting complements their décor and surroundings, and brings out their best features.
These days, almost all wedding photographers shoot in a digital format, so ask about your digital Proof .
Depending on the package you choose, you may or may not have access to the digital photo files. So ask about the proof: How many images will you get? What format will the negatives be in (raw image files or JPEGs)? Will the files be high-resolution enough for you to print quality photos from later? How long will you have to wait after the wedding before receiving your proofs? And will you get the retouched versions of your proofs (images?)
Speaking of retouching, come to your meetings educated about the process of post-production. Photoshop effects range from simple white balancing to beauty retouching and stylized art effects like super-saturated colors. Ask what retouching your photographer will do and what effects may cost extra.
Make sure that their photo package fits with what you are looking for. Many photographers offer an internet gallery and a chance for your guests to purchase photos of the wedding for themselves. This helps reduce the stress of getting prints to all interested friends and family.
Taking all those facts into consideration will help make your wedding day an event forever immortalized in awesome pictures.
