1. Experience- Although everyone has to start somewhere,
you probably don't want it to be at your wedding.
Hiring an experienced, proven photographer means that
they will have a solid knowledge of their equipment
and the ability to improvise and adapt to changing conditions
on the fly and still produce great images.
2. Portfolio- Do not trust your memories to someone who cannot
show you a portfolio showing at least several
complete weddings from start to finish.
3. Equipment- Ask what kind of equipment they use and
write down the camera model and lenses.
Research the equipment on the web and make sure it is
suitable for professional work. You don't want them
showing up with a point and shoot pocket camera.
It does not have to be the latest, best thing out there. Since
pro's invest thousands in cameras and lenses they tend to
keep them a while, but it has to be up to the job.
Make sure they have a backup camera body, lenses, flash
and memory cards in case something breaks.
4. Style- Look closely at the images on their website and in the
albums they show you. All photographers develop a "style".
Make sure theirs matches your idea of what you want your
images to look like. There are two common approaches.
Traditional and photojournalism.
Traditional features more posed images and photojournalism
relies more on recording the moments as they happen to tell a story.
We have integrated the two so you get a cutting edge story
with the artistically posed images that look so good in
a large framed print.
5. Cost- With the economy the way it is today many couples have
had to cut back on wedding costs. Some high dollar
studios will tell you the old adage
"You get what you pay for and anything under $1000 is junk."
Well that used to be true 5 years ago.
It used to be that only pro's could get access to
high quality albums and prints, but if you are willing
to invest a little time and effort you can now order
those same albums, prints, canvasses and anything else off the web for less.
This has enabled studios like us to cut overhead and
concentrate on photography instead of office work,
and pass the savings on to you.
However there will always be a market for couples who insist on
being greeted at the luxurious Clayton or Ladue studio
with champagne and strawberries.
Since you are reading this I will assume you are
like the 99.9% of other Americans who would like to
save a few bucks to spend on the honeymoon.
6. Shop around- Interview as many photographers that meet the
conditions above as you can. Yes I said "interview".
You are hiring them to provide a service,
you must be able to work with your photographer.
Personality clashes are not good for the nerves.
You must have confidence that they know their job and can perform to expectations.
Check the contract language, although most established studios have
pretty much identical contracts, know what you
are getting and what the terms are.
7. Insurance- They should have liabilty and non performance insurance.
This is like the malpractice insurance that doctors carry.
It protects you and the photographer should something go badly wrong,
such as the photographer getting in a serious accident on the way to the wedding
and not being able to shoot the wedding. Our insurance is through The Hartford
and covers personal injury, non performance,
and equipment replacement and rental as well as other coverage.
These are some of the main considerations when choosing a wedding photographer.
You can find more on various wedding websites.
Good luck on finding the perfect person to shoot your wedding. We hope it is us.