Tips - How to select a photographer for your wedding
The first thing to do when organising your wedding is obviously to choose and book the venue. We recommend that your next task is to find a wedding photographer, by looking online Usually typing in wedding photographer + “your area” eg “Scotland” or “Kent” works well, though added terms such as “traditional” or “reportage”, by doing this it will narrow down your search.
Do you have a favourite style – ones you’ve seen in a magazine, or on a website, show them to your photographer so they know what your happy with. However, you won’t have their experience so this can only be a guideline for them. Don’t pin them down to tightly or you’ll destroy all the creativity they have to offer you. Do your research on current styles and poses that you might think flatter you, and think about who is important to you too, as family tend to only meet up on big occasions.
If you have a large family and you want to make sure that you get certain photographs of the them on your wedding day, why not supply your photographer of a list of people that you would like to be in photographs and he/she will be able to call there names out on the day and get all the photographs that you have requested.
Some photographers are prepared to travel outside their geographical area, but there can be an extra charge for this based on the mileage and if accommodation is needed that might increase the overall price you are expected to pay on top of the basic wedding costs.Photographers tend to get booked up 18months or more in advance so it’s a good idea to book yours as soon as you have set the date and booked the venue.
You do need to feel comfortable with your wedding photographer. Do you feel at ease with them, initially in their emailed communications or phone calls. Can you be impulsive or well-organised? Outgoing or shy? Can your photographer see this and work accordingly to bring out the best in you and your husband to be?
Some photographers are now prepared to release your photo files to you on a DVD/CD (usually at a cost). They may say this is available only after all orders have been placed or that this is copyright protected and for your reference only. You will need to discuss this with your choosen photographer.
Find out what is included in your Photo Package and get their agreement down in writing. Keep this in your wedding file along with all your other information wedding information, as your suppliers are all human and mistakes can happen. Ring your photographer a week or so before the wedding to check final details.
Some photographers double-book themselves, and unless they have more than one photographer on their books, its worth asking who is actually covering your wedding as its nice to get a chance to at least speak to them to get a chance to bond with them first
Choose a photographer whose work you like, who has plenty of wedding photograph albums to show you, either online on their website, and who you feel you get on well with. Good cameras alone do not create photos: it is the person behind the lens coupled with their relationship with you that makes the perfect style.