When your wedding day finally arrives, you must be certain that the person you chose is smart, talented, and above all, reliable. He or she must be willing to make a commitment, to honor your decisions, to stand by you during your darkest hours. And no, the aforementioned person is not the groom…it’s the wedding photographer!
While picking a groom is obviously the most important wedding decision, choosing a wedding photographer follows as a close second. If the photographer does not suit your needs, scope out other options.
1. Ask if they are the only photographer working for the company. Often, companies recruit freelance photographers to do the job for them. If you meet with someone that claims to be the photographer, make sure they will be the one to actually show up for your wedding, and not one of their “workers.” Failure to ask about this important detail can result in disastrous results with an unsuitable, under-qualified photographer.
2. Request to see 2 or 3 complete weddings that they have shot. Occasionally, you will be shown highlights from a plethora of weddings, and highlights on their own do not paint an accurate picture of a photographer’s all-around abilities.
3. Inquire about the fee. Some wedding photographers have packages to choose from, while others let you customize your own creation. Make sure you find a photographer that is willing to work within your budget.
4. Ask them for several references. If they don’t offer references from other weddings they’ve shot, the process can start to get iffy. In this case, evaluate your decision. (Should we really trust this photographer, even though we’ve heard no testimonials?) If you are supplied with a list of references, be sure to ask the former customers if they enjoyed working with the photographer, if the results produced were of excellent quality, if they would recommend him/her to a friend. The references will be honest with you; if they didn’t enjoy their experience, chances are they have a lot to say about it.
5. Find out if they fit the photography style you are looking for. Are you in love with black and white photography? How about traditional wedding photography? Or, maybe photojournalistic photography is more your thing. As stated in number two, reviewing a portfolio or several complete weddings can help to put these questions at ease.
6. Make sure you find out how they expect to be treated on your big day. Some photographers require breaks in shooting, while others simply want to leave the wedding early. On occasion, the wedding party offers food and drink to the wedding photographer, but be sure to establish boundaries! Tell your photographer what is to be expected of them as far as their hours, so as to avoid awkward and untimely problems.
Before you know it, your wedding day will be here! So long as your wedding photographer fits your own personal needs, you will be gifted with gorgeous wedding pictures, and above all, beautiful memories.
So get started! It’s a long but enjoyable project. And before long, like the sound of a camera capturing a lifetime of memories, the process of finding a wedding photographer will begin to click.
Sandy Moriarty Photography 777 Whispering Forest Drive, Ballwin, MO 63021