The
first item is obvious: be sure you see samples of
the photographer's work. The following items are
just as important and many times are overlooked by people
hiring a wedding photographer for the first time.
- Some companies have
more than one photographer. Be sure that
the sample photographs you are shown were taken
by the photographer who would be doing your
wedding.
- Make sure you
meet and talk with the photographer and assistant
who would be doing your wedding. Some
will try to tell you want you want, and others
will be more cooperative by making suggestions
and asking you what you want. Some photographers
will try to run your wedding. Keep in mind that a
professional photographer is not necessarily a
good wedding organizer, although some will insist
on imposing "their rules" on you. Ask a
lot of questions to be sure you know what kind of
person you are hiring. You want to have a
wonderful day the day you get married and the
last thing you need is an uncooperative
photographer who insists on doing things his/her
way and causes you grief on that special day.
- Some photographers
make a large percentage of their income by
charging you overtime. Make sure you know
exactly how much of their time you are paying for
on your wedding day, and be sure it is
enough time to suit your needs.
- With some companies
it is difficult to figure out exactly how much
you will be paying until it's all over. Other
companies offer packages that are much easier to
understand. After talking with the
company about pricing, if you don't feel
comfortable with knowing what you will get and
how much it will cost, you will probably not be
happy with the final bill. Be sure you
compare the prices of reprints and enlargements.
- Make sure
there will be a signed contract, ask for
a blank copy, read it carefully, and compare it
with the contracts of other companies before
signing.
- Some
companies deliver the finished product quicker
than others. Be sure to ask about this.
- Some authors who know
little about the technicalities of photography
advise to ask what type of equipment is used.
Does it really matter? You either like the look
of the samples, or you don't. There is no
better "quality" test than just looking
at completed work. A professional
photographer is an artist and they will choose
the tools that best work for them.
- Consider
having your wedding professionally videotaped
before deciding upon a photographer. You
have probably seen wedding videotapes produced by
an "Uncle Joe" and weren't very
impressed. It is not a well known fact that there
are video companies in the local area that
produce professional wedding videos that look and
sound like movies, and yet the cost is often less
than what you would pay for a photographer. You
might want to adjust your photography budget to
allow for this once you have seen some demos.
It is becoming more common for couples to spend
less on a wedding photographer and more for a
video company since the quality of video has
become so professional. Especially if you have
your video made on DVD, you can have extremely
good picture quality, music, sound, and motion.
These are characteristics that simply don’t
exist with a set of photographs. With this in
mind, many couples are hiring a photographer for
an hour or two to take some professional
photographs and relying on their professional
video to remind them of the happy tears, funny
bloopers, vows, toasts and speeches, and all the
other emotions shared with their friends and
loved ones on that special day.
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