Ten Top Tips for Choosing your Wedding Photographer

Your wedding day is a very special day and one which you will want to remember forever. Your wedding photographs will be one of the main ways in which you relive your big day and recall all those happy memories. Choosing your photographer can be a daunting task, so here’s a few suggestions to help you along your way from Cheshire based photographer James Russell. www.russell-photo.com

 

1. Choose a professional, someone who knows what to do and can work quickly and efficiently; someone who regularly does this type of photography and can handle all different situations; someone who knows what to do if it rains (let’s hope not on your day – but we do live in Britain!).
2. Find a photographer you like and can get along with. You are going to spend the first few hours of your married life with them so it is important you all get along and have a good time – it will reflect in the photos.
3. Look for someone whose full time profession is photography, not just someone who does it at weekends for their hobby and a bit of extra cash. A full time professional has the experience, the commitment, the necessary insurance cover and the time to devote to your wedding. Remember the length of time that you see your photographer on the day itself, is just the tip of the iceberg; they will also be spending many days sorting photos, ensuring colours are accurate, designing and assembling albums.
4. Ask potential photographers to show you a range of photos from the same wedding as well as from a number of different weddings. Anyone can get lucky with a good photo but you need confidence that all your photos will be great from start to finish.
5. Look for qualifications, it’s a sure sign that your chosen photographer has achieved a level of competency and has been accredited to achieve standards that are expected in this demanding industry. The British Institute of Professional Photography is a good place to start. [www.bipp.com]
6. Do you like the style of the photographer? Photography is highly individual and very subjective. Look through potential photographers’ portfolios. Is their style traditional, contemporary, reportage or a mix – does it fit with the type of photos that you have envisaged? Again, it is important to have viewed a good range of the photographer’s shots.
7. Think twice before asking a friend or family member to take your photos. Having a good camera is no guarantee of good results – it takes years of experience to capture all those special moments which will tell the story of the day.
8. Does the photographer work with an assistant? This can be very useful to capture shots from different angles or to get shots of the guests whilst the main photos are being taken. A much wider variety of shots will be captured helping to tell the story of the day.
9. Check that the photographer you have been talking to is the photographer you will get on the day. Larger companies may have several photographers working for them and therefore the style of photo may be totally different to that which you were expecting.
10. Finally, relax and enjoy the day - let your photographer take the strain and leave the worries to them!

Posted: Tue 21 Jul 2009 13:08:52 pm.
Last updated: Tue 21 Jul 2009 14:18:04 pm.

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