Your wedding is an occasion that you will want to look back on in the years to come, and photographs are a prime way to do that. The crisp white of your dress, the stunning smile on your fiancée’s face, the adorably shy flower girl – you can capture it all with the right wedding photographer. When you select the right photographer for your wedding, you can choose from the beautiful images he or she captured, and your Big Day will look its best on film.
Choosing the right photographer can be difficult, though. There’s a lot to consider, including his or her previous work and price down to how many images you want from the wedding. There is a photographer that is right for your ceremony and reception, and there are four things you should consider before selecting one.
Style
Every bride has a personal style. This comes to play in your venue, your dress, your hair, and your decorations. This also encompasses your personality. Are you traditional and classy? Are you contemporary and trendy? Are you extroverted and silly?
Your photographer should complement your personal style. If you are fun and out there, a photographer who takes very posed, black and white, traditional photos will not take great photos of your wedding. If you are classic, a photographer who likes to pose you in silly ways will make you look just that: silly, not fun or cute.
Carefully examine the full gamut of each potential photographer’s work, to make sure that they will be a good fit for you.
Skill
You want the photographs taken of your wedding to look professional, like the person you paid money knows what they’re doing, and isn’t just some guy you brought in off the streets. You want steady camera work, consistent quality, and you want to be able to trust the photographer’s judgment in capturing a moment. If you feel like you have to give direction to the photographer, he or she is not doing the job right.
To ensure you get a wonderful photographer, examine their portfolios again, but this time, look at it critically. Do you like the angles of their shots? Do they take consistently good photos? Are they good at getting candid shots? They should display skill and confidence with their camera.
Your wedding will be a beautiful affair, and you want to make sure your photographer is the best at capturing that.
Personality
A photographer will not only be taking pictures of you and your bridal party, he or she will be wandering among guests for the duration of your celebration. They are expected to take pictures of everything at your ceremony and reception, from the bride and groom, to the cake, to the dance floor. In order to do this and do it well, your photographer should have a friendly personality.
Personalities are different for different areas of the world, too. Asian cultures are more refined and proper, and your photographer should be respectful of that. A London wedding may need a photographer who can withstand the cold and rain while remaining cheerful. A Sydney wedding photographer should be friendly and upbeat, and love warm weather.
Guests will be more apt to smile for a friendly photographer than a harsh-looking one. You will get better, happier photos if people feel a companionship with the photographer, or at least on friendly terms. A photographer will not mesh well with guests if he or she is standoffish.
Fraud!
Hopefully you will never have to deal with a fraudulent wedding photographer, but unfortunately they are out there. As with any business, you have to do your research. These scammers specialize in getting hired by unsuspecting couples, then never sending the prints and online photos they were paid for. They take the money and run, leaving you and your new husband with no wedding photos.
In order to avoid this tragedy, there are a few things you can do. The best way to go is checking out photographers recommended by family and friends. They have proven themselves to people you know and love, and therefore will do the same for you. Carefully review and contract you sign, making sure that you will get what you are promised verbally. This way, if you ever hunt them down, you have written evidence they scammed you.
Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life; you should have beautiful photographs of it to view for the rest of your life. Make sure you select the wedding photographer that will make sure your wedding looks its very best on print and film.
Sara Stricker is part of a team of dedicated writers who contribute hundreds of quality articles to blogs and sites. She hopes that you will find these and other articles she’s written about weddings useful. Follow her @StrickerSara for more articles.
