How to choose a wedding Photographer

Since choosing a photographer is not an everyday event (nor is your wedding) i will try to answer the most frequently asked questions about wedding photography.



1. Why should I hire a professional Wedding photographer?

A professional will be timely - arriving at your wedding promptly, and get you the results you need on time. A professional has just the right equipment, its easy to buy a truck full of equipment but without the craftsmanship it will stay just equipment.

Having attended many weddings, an experienced wedding photographer will be at ease at your wedding and more importantly will keep you at ease and help to avoid problems. A professional uses pro color lab that is in the business of meeting high professional standards of print quality. And, a professional is used to working with individuals, couples, and groups to make the formal photography go smoothly. When you think about the cost of photography, remember that the photographer's fee is only part of your investment: You, your parents, your extended family and your friends will be investing time with the photographer during your wedding. Don't waste time on your wedding day with a photographer who won't produce results you love! and make sure you click, i can't stress how important that is.

2. What do I look for - how can I tell good from bad photography?

Look at the photographer work to meet these standards:

Impact. The images must be more than a snapshot. You have to react to the photos, the photographs must have impact.
Consistent. Every now ant then even a blind squirrel can get a nice snapshot :) look for consistent and a special look that define the photographer. it could be groups, candid, black and white, maybe his personality!
Correct color, density, focus. Most images should have a full range of tones, from black to white. We want to see details in the brightest spots: the dress and flowers. Poor lighting produces off-tones. It is reasonable to expect gorgeous color and rich tones from beginning to end of each wedding, a professional photographer will know how to use the right tools to get these results .
Composition. compositional techniques will lead the viewer's eye to the drama of the subject. For example leading lines - a path your eye can follow into the picture. If part of the image is not the main subject, then the photographer has not created a professional image - the eye is taken away from the subject. Remember everything in the picture either adds or subtracts from the image power.

Corrective Lighting and Posing: We all have part of us that make us self-conscious. The experienced and skilled photographer brings out the best by highlighting your best features with light, camera angle and composition. Every bride is beautiful, let's hope the photographer captures that beauty.

3. Is it fair for photographers to charge so much?

Photography is art and as such offers different levels of craftsmanship. Couples who see the difference between the expensive photographer and the apprentice should spend the extra bucks. If you can't see the difference, then maybe you won't mind saving money in this area. However, when your children and grandchildren look at your wedding photos, you will feel wise having stretched the budget to get the photography you really wanted

4. Do I want proofs? Online Viewing? A Slide Show? How Many Images? Files?

Almost all photographers are using on-line proofing, either on an online store or hosted by a 3rd party. Web proofing allows guests and family from all over the country to see the images and to purchase prints without forcing you to get involved at all. We also offer proof book for the bride and groom who prefer to look at a print directly.

A slide show, usually set to music, highlights the best images of the wedding day and is available on line as well as a DVD slideshow. The presentation can be very moving.

How many images? Most of us are overwhelmed if we have to look at a few hundred wedding images, but if it's your wedding, you might want to see five-hundred images or more - there are so many wonderful moments you may have missed, and now you get to see them. Your wedding album will have a selection of the best images that tell a story and not just represent a chronological set of images.

The high-resolution files, as they come out of the camera, also known as digital negatives, these files should be backed up and stored in more then one location. the professional photographer will have a backup system in place to ensure nothing can happen to your wedding images. Of course he should also archive the images so you can always ask for a print should you need one.

5. What are the trends in wedding photography?

Unlike clothing, which you can replace when it goes out of style, your wedding photographs will be around for a long, long time. The classic elements of art will never go out of style. The picture of you and your mom hugging doesn't need to be stylish and trendy - that's not the point. But when we are selecting a photographer, we are often drawn to the slick, trendy images, not the ones we have seen over and over at every studio. Think of the convertible on the showroom floor: it gets you in the door, but you'll probably end up buying the car that with the best compromise of style, utility and reliability.

Having said that your photographer should be well versed in todays trends and style, there are some images that can benefit from that and others that should stay classic.

6. Should I get a magazine album, or a traditional one?

When wedding photography went digital, we gained the ability to print a collage, rather than assemble it with paper and scissors. Flush Mount Albums, feature a mix of images and graphic elements on each page, usually a two-page spread. The main advantage is that each image can be cropped and sized perfectly, without constraint to standard sizes like 4x5 and 5x7. A panoramic image can easily spread across the fold for impact. Matted Album features individually mounted images, one or more per page. They are three dimensional in that the images are slightly recessed behind a matt. A very elegant presentation is an oversized album (11x14) with one small, single image on each page, or just the right-hand page. This highlights each photo, but leaves out a weaker photo that helps tell the story more completely.

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