A - Asha, Congratulations on your engagement! Choosing your photographer is an immensely important decision. As the bride and groom, you will be travelling on an emotional rollercoaster with floods of excitement and tears. The wedding day will pass by you so quickly that it’ll just go by as a blur. The photographs your photographer takes will be a great insight on everything from behind the scenes to the main event!
I would not risk cutting your costs by getting a cousin to use his brand new digital camera to take snaps of the day. A photographer depending on which style you end up going for can capture the most intricate details that you will want to remember, capture natural shots of everyone and be able to touch on an emotion. Photographers have a skill of being able to tell a story and it’s that story that will capture your hearts every time you open your wedding album (And believe me – in the first year, that’s all you will be doing when you have guests round).
A couple of tips on choosing the right and most respectable photographer for you...
1. Probably the first thing I would recommend doing is to trawl through portfolios and Photographers websites. You will definitely get a better idea of what you want and the different styles you will like. This can give you some great inspiration and may even get your mind thinking over time so you will have questions to ask your photographer when you meet them.
Here is a low-down of some of the main styles wedding photographers use:
Reportage; this is a much less formal approach, usually including photographers following the guests without them really noticing. This is for more natural, relaxed shots.
Contemporary; this is a more modern approach – but everyone appears to have their own ideas of Contemporary. This style needs to keep up with what ‘contemporary’ actually means in today’s fashion.
Traditional; this is a very formal way of photographing, including posed pictures of groups and settings.
Photo-journalistic; this is a little bit like reportage and contemporary when the photographer follows your guests around capturing the day as it unfolds.
2. It is a MUST to acquire as much information from people around you who have similar tastes or who definitely have had similar experiences. Ask friends and family members who are recently married to see their wedding album. Maybe they have some good advice from their research. Most wedding suppliers usually get their clients through recommendations so ask around and look at reviews.
3. Create a shortlist of at least 2 or 3 photographers. Visit them and interview them. Matching their personalities with yours is an important attribute. This is the same with all your wedding suppliers. You have to work with these people for the next 12 months or however long there is until your wedding. Your suppliers must know your vision for the day and SHARE it with you. They should also be reliable and professional and get along well with you. The last thing you need is to be worried about your suppliers whereabouts the month before the wedding. Hiring a wedding planner can of course relieve your stress (hint hint!!)!
4. Find out what the photographer’s price includes and what happens with prints and copies. You may need more than one photographer on the actual day to take informal shots of your guests while one is concentrated on the bride and groom and the bridal party. Finding out who owns copyrights to your wedding photos is important. Some photographers will hand over the copyrights to your photos which mean they cannot make copies without breaching the copyright. But then others will hold on to them. Be aware of this before booking your photographer.
5. Negotiating with your photographer: if you love their work but it's slightly over budget! Don't negotiate the lowest price possible - because every supplier has a valued skill that you want their duties on the day done professionally. So ask them whether they are willing to cut the price or make a deal. Maybe you only need one photographer; maybe you only need them for a few hours at the reception instead of all night etc.
6. Map out their responsibilities and where you need them to be. So they know what you expect of them and where their money shots are. Also don’t forget your ‘Pre-Wedding Shoot’! They always are amazing!
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