Wedding Photography
This is the perfect time and moment to invest in your life together as a couple. Those important wedding moments can be captured forever by hiring the right photographer.
Your photos are the record of the laughs, tears, hugs, and toasts that will take place throughout your wedding day. Because this aspect of your wedding day is so important, we have answered several common questions to provide insight into the process of hiring your wedding professionals. Here's everything you need to know to book the right professionals and to ensure your perfect wedding day…
Do we need to hire a professional photographer?
Booking a professional Photographer is extremely important due to the fact that a wedding is a very difficult and challenging event to photograph. It requires a high level of experience and your photographer must be ready to handle any situation, rain or shine. Leaving this important job to a family friend or amateur is a recipe for disaster and disappointment. Forego the stress and invest in finding a photographer that you trust to capture all your important moments.
How can we find trusted professionals?
Start your search by asking friends and family for recommendations, as this is often a reliable way to find your photographer. You can also search online, but keep in mind that you will need to have an idea of what you are looking for in terms of quality and style.
Compile a list of vendors with potential and browse their online portfolios. Keep in mind that the photos posted online will obviously be a very selective sampling of their work. It might be tough to judge the breadth of their skill from these highlights, but you can at least get a good sense of their style. Check for the photographer's blog to gauge a photographer's talent, and the way they approach their art.
What should I ask when I meet a photographer?
After you've narrowed down the list to three or four candidates, set up interviews. Ask to see the album of a complete wedding so that you can get a true sense of their style and expertise. If there's a strong mix of formal portraits, candid shots, details, and scenic pictures, chances are your album will be similarly complete.
Why is a Photography Contract Important?
All professionals require a contract signed by the Bride & Groom. This contract lays out the terms of the service being provided, so that there are no surprises on your wedding day. It also gives you the peace of mind that your photographer will show up on the day of your wedding! Ensure that your contract includes the wedding date, package fees, as well as details about when you will receive your final images.
Does a Photographer’s personality factor in?
Just as important as their skill is how well you get along with the photographer. Do you feel like they are listening to your ideas and share your vision of your Big Day? You should feel comfortable with the person you choose to shoot your wedding. Having a photographer that you feel comfortable with can make your photos relaxed and natural. Chances are if you really like your photographer or videographer, your friends and family will too!
Should we be worried if a photographer uses a ton of special effects in their images?
Yes, I would be concerned if the photographer uses effects that seem to try to mask issues with blurriness, bad lighting and poor composition. Often these post production effects will cause your pictures to look dated and tacky within only a few years. To some degree, photographers will utilize tools to adjust contrast or temperature of the photo. Other filters are sometimes utilized to create a vintage or black & white effect. Be sure to consult with your photographer (as well as look at their previous work) to be sure you like their editing style.
What's better: film or digital?
Although most professional photographers are using digital cameras, a very small percentage do still use film for select artistic shots. Professional digital photography has advanced to the point that it produces very high quality images. Expect to pay significantly more for a film photographer, as developing film requires extra expenses to process.
Can clients receive all unedited images?
Professionals do not provide RAW images for numerous reasons. For starters, photographers need to maintain a high level of quality in their work and this includes how they edit their images. This creates a unified style to their images that creates consistency in your photographs. Photographers are hired based on their particular style, and trusting them to keep the images that are important is part of this artistic license. As a result, you don’t have to sort through all the photos of you blinking, and instead focus on the images of you looking amazing!
Is the photographer’s equipment choices important?
Since you are hiring a professional, and paying professional prices, you should ensure that your photographer has professional grade equipment. In order to be prepared, your photographer should have extra cameras and lens, as well as additional lighting. Your photographer should also be shooting in RAW format in order to provide high resolution final images. All vendors should have liability and equipment insurance, for those just-in-case situations.
How to photographers come up with their pricing?
Photographers base their pricing on several factors, including the cost of equipment, photo assistants, computers & programs, editing time, insurance and license fees, as well as their level of experience. Often wedding location factors into price as well. Choosing your vendor based on price alone is a mistake that many couples make. Do your homework and be prepared to adjust your budget to spend more on the things that are important to you as a couple. Choosing the right photographer for you is more important than finding the cheapest photographer. There is no such thing as a wedding re-shoot if they don’t get it right the first time!
Should we make a must-shoot or photo list?
Having done numerous wedding, we are very familiar with the traditional wedding moments and you can be confident that we will be there to capture these moments. However, it is helpful to let us know of any unique special moments that you have planned, so that we can be in the right place at the right time. Often the photographer will request a list of requested family photo arrangements. This helps take the guess work out of determining who should be in which family photo, and helps the day run smoothly.
Do we need more than one photographer?
This is entirely up to you and your budget. Having a second photographer is great when you want a variety of photos from different vantage points and angles. It’s also ideal for larger weddings (250+ guests) and capturing candid photos of your family and friends. It also ensures that more moments of your wedding day are captured.
Are there any new wedding photo trends?
There's definitely a sweeping change in the art of wedding photography.
"Trash the dress" photo sessions give Brides a chance to wear their gowns one last time after the wedding without worrying about keeping it clean. These sessions allow photographers to get creative and adventurous and create some fun pictures.
Bridal Boudoir (fun and flirty photographs) are also very popular with brides. You can create a classy album to give as a gift to your fiancé on the day of your wedding.
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I hope this helps answer a lot of the questions you wanted to know about choosing a wedding photographer. I look forward to setting up a free consultation with you to start planning your perfect wedding day images!
Warm Regards,
Roberta Nikkel (Photographer, 2D Studio Photography)
