Things to Do Very Early On

There are some things that just can’t wait when it comes to wedding planning. First, secure your photographer of choice with a money deposit. Once you have a wedding date set, you can talk with a photographer and schedule the photo session for your bridal portraits and secure their services for your wedding day. The reason you’ll want to book this very early is because photographers (really good ones) are usually booked months in advance, and many weddings are on weekend days.

Find a wedding dress early on as well so you’ll have time for fitting, ordering, and alterations (if needed). The bridesmaids will need plenty of time for their dresses so keep them informed also. Choose wedding colors and possibly a wedding theme before you start planning. Once you know the colors, you can start shopping for wedding favors and decorations early and possibly find some great bargains when you’re not in a rush.

Choose a Location for Your Wedding

Probably one of the most important things you’ll do is choose a location for your wedding. If having the wedding in a church, consider the types of decorations you will need and where you might hold the reception. If planning a wedding outdoors, you’ll have to take possible weather conditions into consideration – and do have a backup plan! Pick a location with great lighting, or plan to illuminate with additional lighting. The location is important to know how many decorations you will need, depending on the size of the building or area, and how many guests you can invite.

Hire a Wedding Director

A wedding director should be booked early on as well so you can be sure to have one when the day arrives. The director can help with last minute planning and the formalities of the ceremony. You’ll likely consider the director to be a lifesaver when the day finally arrives!

Order Decorations, Flowers, Invitations, and Wedding Party Gifts

The little details can cause big headaches if you don’t do these early on. You’ll need invitations early enough to address them and mail them at least a month ahead of the wedding date. Flowers and corsages should be ordered well in advance along with small appreciation gifts for the wedding party including bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc.

To save time and possibly money, you might be able to order many of the small wedding items online. There are thousands of wedding websites that carry almost every decoration, gift, or invitation you can think of at reasonable prices. The wedding websites also usually offer great tips on wedding planning for your benefit.

Don’t forget about the wedding rings, catering, wedding songs, reception decorations, punch, food, and of course, the wedding cake. These are all crucial parts of wedding planning and have to be taken care of early on to minimize stress. If you take care of the wedding planning far in advance, you’ll see things fall into place and be able to enjoy your wedding as it was meant to be!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Wedding Planning Tips

Author: Chris Robertson
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The key to planning a wedding is to take everything one step at a time. If you have never had to plan, or been part of planning for a wedding then there is no reason why you would know how to plan for a wedding. There are many cheap wedding plans available to help you on your way so do yourself a favor and invest in one. Just because you buy a wedding planner does not mean you have to follow it to the letter, use the planner as a guide. The advantage of a wedding planner is all the extra information that is given with the plan, if you want to know how to plan a simple wedding then their will be tips to help you achieve your dream, as well as plenty of money saving tips.

First things first, set the date and book the venue for the wedding. This needs to be done before anything else as you may need to change the date to get the venue you want as some venues are booked 3 years in advance. If you had 3 years to plan a wedding then you would have a lot of time to shop around for everything you need!

When you have set the date then you can set your wedding planning time line to keep you on track with everything you need to do. When deciding how to plan for a wedding the key is to book as early as possible. The best you can get are booked months in advance for weddings, whether it is photographers, caterers or florists when you find the one you want book as soon as you can so you don’t lose their services.

You will want to shop around for your wedding services and you will want to enjoy the planning experience. The key is to ensure you stick to the time line you create so that you do not run out of time or find that everyone is already booked for your day.

Why not visit our website for more help with your wedding planning along with more ideas for the wedding day

Author: Karen Lincoln
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Your Photography Studio Choices

Today, there are many studios that specialize in event photography. They range from small one-man home studios to multiple franchise-type operations. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and both range greatly in price. Your first decision to be made is if you want an individual photographer or a larger multi photographer studio to photograph your wedding.

Advantages & Disadvantages of different types of photography studios.

One reason you may opt for hiring the independent photographer is because they are known to put personal care and attention to detail into their work. However this is not guaranteed to be the case. The best reason to have a one-man operation shoot your wedding would be because a friend referred him or her and you love his/her work. If a friend or family member did not refer this photographer for you, check for references or online reviews. The disadvantages of a one-man studio are that you are not guaranteed to have the security that a larger, more established studio may have. It is extremely important that you make sure the photographer has back-up equipment and a back-up photographer in case something unforeseen comes up and the photographer cannot make it to your wedding. It is very important that you read the contract to make sure that you will get all your money back in the case that no photographer ends up showing up.

The main advantage of hiring a larger, multiple photographer type studio to shoot your wedding is security. They have the experience of running a business to keep customers happy as well as the responsibility of their photographers. Your money is usually safer (larger business cannot just take off so quickly). They usually guarantee a substitute photographer in case something happens to your assigned photographer and should always guarantee that their photographers carry back-up equipment. Disadvantages of a large studio can be lack of attention that a one-man operation can offer. It is really best to try to find a wedding photography studio that can provide you the security of a large studio with the friendliness and attention of a small studio.

Never assume that the price you pay is in any way related to the quality of the photography.

The quality of the photography itself, strictly depends on the photographer. It makes no matter if it is an independent photographer or a photographer from a large studio. You are never guaranteed to have a better one at either operation. Always ask to see a sample wedding of the work of the photographer you are hiring.

Quite often the most expensive studios are only so expensive because they have to pay so much in advertising to keep up their “high-end” photography business. Though it varies from state to state, here in the Chicagoland area, wedding photographers charge very high prices on their wedding packages. They also have huge overhead costs as they have to pay for many employees and high rent. Keep in mind, it could very well be that the individual artist photographer will shoot weddings for a lot less because he is more interested in being an artist than in running a business. In other words, expensive does not necessarily mean better! Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to make sure the company you choose is a reputable, established photography studio.

This article was written by Ian Goodwin. Ian is a photographer and author for Chicago wedding photography studio, Jolie Images. Jolie Images is Chicagoland’s & Illinois’ top quality, low priced wedding photography studio that is committed to giving brides & grooms beautiful, affordable wedding photography.

Author: Ian Goodwin
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Before you contact the potential photographers, you will make a list of them. You can collect the contact information of them from bridal magazines and on the web. You will certainly use search engine to search for the photographers. You should remember to be specific when you are searching. You may use the keywords “wedding photographer” with the place you are living in so that you can confine the search results into your local photographers.

You can start contact the photographers when your list is completed. You will firstly contact them for a brief meeting. This meeting will be somehow like an interview. You will interview the photographer and try to evaluate if a photographer suits you. You may also visit the website of the photographers beforehand and choose some photos you like and request to see the real ones.

As discussed, the purpose of the meeting is to evaluate if a photographer suits your requirement. As a result, it is very important to let him or her know what your thoughts are. You need to tell him or her exactly what you want and need. They should be able to give you some constructive suggestions on your ideas. The input from the photographer is very important since you will know if he or she is good enough for your wedding from his or her opinions. You may even find that the photographer may have some good suggestions which you have never been thinking of before.

The style of the photos the photographer takes is also an essential issue. You will study the portfolio of the photographer during the meeting. You need to make sure that you are not presented with the photos which have been taken long ago. You need to see the recent photos since only these photos can reflect the recent style and works of the photographer.

You may also ask if there can be references from some recent clients of the photographer. This is always important since his or her clients will have first hand experience on the services provided by the photographer. Besides, only by doing this you will know that the photos in the portfolio of the photographer are from real jobs with clients. Although it is important and a good idea to ask for reference, you will have to be very careful about what they say. You need to be critical towards their opinions since they may be in favor of the photographer. You should doubt if you have a feeling that the comments on the photographers are too perfect to be true.

Jerry Leung is a wedding invitation designer with great interest in Chinese Style Wedding cards. He designs Custom Wedding Invitations. Besides, he runs a blog on weddings to share his ideas on items such as Vintage Wedding Gown and Dress. You can also find Indian Wedding Cards and Invitations from his website.

Author: Jerry Leung
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After doing some research on the web and “hanging out” on different wedding sites I have found that most brides are looking for more or less the same things. What follows is sort of a wish list of things couples want from their wedding photographer.

10. Negatives/Digital Files – One thing that couples want these days is the opportunity to purchase or have included in their package the option to buy the negatives or (in the case of digital) the digital files. Many couples feel that they should be able to make as many re-prints as they would like, whenever they want. While many photographers do offer their negatives, many do not and feel that the labs that they use will be able to give a higher quality print rather than just taking a negative to the local drug store for printing. In addition, many photographers will sell their negatives after a certain amount of time, for example a year after your wedding date.

9. Black and White – Everything old is new again. Almost all couples want a mixture of color and black and white. Black and white gives that photojournalistic look to a photograph as well as a fine art look. If your photographer is shooting digital, any photograph can be converted to black and white. If your photographer is shooting film then most likely they will be shooting with B&W and color film separately.

8. Unlimited Time – When hiring a photographer couple like to have the security of someone who will be with them to capture all of the wedding moments. Having unlimited time can give you the peace of mind to know that those moments will be captured.

7. Experience – Does your photographer have the necessary experience to handle the stresses of wedding photography? There are many things going on at once during a wedding. The experienced photographer knows how to bring everything together and in an orderly fashion.

6. Price – This can vary a lot and price was not the main criteria in choosing a photographer. Prices can range from several hundred dollars to over $10,000. At the low end are usually people who do wedding photography part time. In wedding photography, you usually get what you pay for. As you go up in price, so does the “art of wedding photography”.

5. Professional – Being a professional means many different things to different people. Those photographers who didn’t respond in a timely manner and/or who were rude (and amazingly, some are) were axed off the potential list immediately. Being professional also meant that couples wanted to know the photographers “style and philosophy”. Things that also bothered couple: rudeness, disorganization, insulting comments about other brides or photographers and other unprofessional comments.

4. Flexibility – Brides put flexibility high on their list. To many flexibility is key. They said, packages are nice, but a photographer that refuses to be flexible, is not going to get very far with brides. Brides also commented that photographers get caught up in the OLD way of doing things, and never change with the times. Again, this relates to being flexible.

3. Style/Approach – Today couples are looking for something different – artsy photojournalism, not the same cheesy photos. Brides are drawn to photographers who have developed their own unique (but consistent) artistic style/approach. Details are very important to brides. They appreciate a photographer who focuses on details.

2. Personality – What can you really say about this. It is obvious. When you spend upwards of 10 hours with someone on an important day like your wedding you had better clique. Brides often said that they “just knew” when they met their photographer that they were right for each other.

1. Listen – And the number thing that kept on coming up was that brides wanted from their photographer was that they “LISTEN”.
This means that a photographer really heard what a bride said before they stated speaking about the next topic. This is really important because it is the ability to understand what a client wants that will make a photographer really deliver what a bride was expecting.

So there you have the top ten. So, when you go shopping for a photographer see how he/she measures up in each of the categories listed here. Remember, your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. Take your time, enjoy the process and you will find the perfect photographer for you.

Jack Saadys love of photography, fashion and family is the gift he brings to your engagement and wedding day. In order to capture all of the love, time, care and effort that go into planning your wedding, you want a photographer whose work preserves your story with depth and passion. http://www.jbsphotography.com

Author: Jack Saady
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1 The budget

The very first thing you need to consider when choosing the photographer is your budget. A higher budget does not necessarily mean that you will have better photos or a better photographer. You should never make the decision only by the price. You may want to get some of the photos the photographers took in the past and see if they are reliable. Considering both the price and reliability will lead to a wise decision.

2 Hiring two photographers

You should spend your money on two photographers instead of one. Two photographers who both charge you a low price can be better than one who charges you a lot.

The reason for hiring two people is that even the best photographer may sometimes make mistakes but you can only have your wedding once. One real case is that I have a friend who works as a wedding photographer. He usually works on his own and in one case there was something wrong with his camera and he did not know that when he was taking the photos. He only realized the problem when the photos were all developed and printed. Due to the problem of the camera, the photos are all in a mess.

In the above case it would be a lot safer if two photographers were hired. It will be really a rare case that the cameras of both of them are having problems. Some photo studios may offer packages of two or even three photographers and you should always ask if they will provide you with more than one photographer.

3 Personality of the photographer

A wedding photographer will need to meet many people and guests in your wedding. His or her personality should play an essential role in order to make your decision. A photographer with bad temper may ruin both your wedding and the wedding photos. Both of you and your guests will suffer if the photographer is very impolite.

You will need to meet and talk with the photographer for a few times so that you can have a rough idea for her / his temper. Of course it is something you need to be careful but most photographers should have good tempers and be very polite.

4 The style

The forth point you need to consider is the style of the photos. Whether you will like snapshots or more journalistic style is totally up to you. However, it will be really a pity if you finally find the style of the photos is not what you like after the wedding.

Making up your mind for the style beforehand is always a good idea. You can even hire photographers with different styles so that you can get collections of wedding photos in different styles. You should communicate with the photographers and take reference to their past works so that you can make your decision.

5 The photo album

You will certainly get photo albums from the photographer when the photos are developed and printed. You should take extra care on the quality of the albums. Quality here means both aesthetic and durability. The album should be beautiful. What is more important is that it should also be durable.

You cannot imagine if the album becomes a mess after one or two years. The album should be something you will keep for your whole life. Again, you can ask the studios or photographers to give you samples of their albums so that you can evaluate if the albums they provide are of high quality.

It is not very difficult to evaluate the photographers. Once you make up your mind, you should inform the photographer as soon as possible. Otherwise if he / she gets another job on the same day as your wedding, you may need to go through the whole process of selecting wedding photographer again!

Jerry Leung is a wedding invitation designer with great interest in Chinese Style Wedding cards. His works are in 983 Wedding Invitation You can also find lists of wedding vendors from Wedding Tips Websites

Author: Jerry Leung
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1. Develop a personal relationship with your photographer. Hopefully you have selected a photographer whose personality meshes well with yours, besides your fiancé, they are the person you will be spending the most amount of time with on your wedding day. By the time your wedding day arrives, you should consider your photographer a friend, not just another vendor. This can seem like a difficult task to accomplish, considering how busy and hectic the months leading up to the big day can be, but it can be done. Most photographers understand the importance of this dynamic and will take the initiative, but it does take a little bit of effort from you as well. You must make yourself available. Though most beneficial, it doesn’t necessarily have to take place in person. Phone calls, emails, any form of conversation will work. And it most certainly doesn’t need to pertain to the business of your wedding. The stronger this sense of friendship is between you and the photographer, not only will you feel more comfortable and relaxed around him or her, the rest of the wedding party will as well. As soon as the guard comes down, the photographic magic happens.

2. Be yourself. This may seem like common sense, but it can be more difficult than you might think. Most people aren’t used to having a photographer document their every move, especially with intimidating looking professional equipment. Though they may not realize it, people tend to carry themselves and act differently as soon as a camera is pointed at them, which looks stiff and unnatural in photographs. Others just freeze up altogether. Unless your photographer is giving you specific direction, the best thing you can do is relax, be yourself, and act as if the photographer wasn’t even there. Pay special attention to your hands, they are a good indication of how tense you really are. Relax your hands and the rest of you will follow. No need to put on an act, simply be yourself.

3. Don’t rush your wedding day. When planning the schedule of the day, allot a realistic amount of time for each separate event. Planning a shorter, more casual wedding is one thing, but attempting to pack an eight-hour event into four makes everything feel rushed, like you’re trying to run a race. Not only does it make it difficult for everyone involved to enjoy the day, it makes it more difficult to capture natural looking photographs when you’re sprinting from one thing to the next. Pace your day and cherish every moment, it is, after all, a once in a lifetime experience (hopefully).

4. Look through magazines, on-line, and, of course, through your photographer’s portfolio for specific examples of images, scenes, and body positions that appeal to you and share these ideas with your photographer before hand. It will give both you and the photographer a better sense of direction when working together. Also, if you internalize these ideas and are able to carry and position yourself in a similar way without having to be completely directed by the photographer, the photographs will look much more natural. The more the photographer must direct, the more awkward you will feel and it will show in the images.

5. Communicate with your fiancé about the photography. Often photography is of much greater importance to one half of the couple, typically the bride, but occasionally the groom. Sometimes the photographer wont even meet the groom until the day of the wedding, as everything related to photography was arranged and booked by the bride. This usually translates to the groom and groomsmen standing around in complete disinterest, with a ‘this is her deal’ attitude. If you communicate openly with your fiancé, and, even better, the core wedding party, beforehand about the photography, it will make it much easier and enjoyable to achieve your desired results.

6. Enjoy your wedding day. Again, this may seem like common sense, but with the anticipation and stress involved in planning the perfect day, it can be difficult to actually enjoy it. While there is certainly no way to eliminate the stress and worry completely, you can minimize it. If you don’t have a professional day-of coordinator, appoint someone you trust to handle the logistics of the day and let them worry about the details. You have been planning this day for months, even years, once it finally arrives, relax and enjoy it. You certainly deserve to and doing so will translate to more natural looking, joyous images.

Joshua Walker is an award-winning wedding photojournalist based in San Diego, CA. www.joshuawalkerphotography.com

Author: Joshua Walker
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Tips to help you choose a wedding photographer

It is a good idea to have a clear overview of what you need from your chosen wedding photographer. Questions to ask your self include:

• Would I like a traditional or more contemporary style? Should the emphasis be on formal or un-posed shots?
• Do I require photography taken at home on the morning of the wedding?
• Will all the shots be in colour, or some black and white or maybe others using effects such as sepia toning? Is this something I am happy to leave to the photographer to decide?
• Would I like a copy of the photos on DVD?
• Do I have any special family shots that need to be taken on the day?
• What is my budget?

These questions will help you to create a brief for the photographer when you meet. By establishing this clear brief you will ensure accurate comparative pricing, and on appointment, be sure that the event is captured to suit your requirements, and not those of the photographer.

Finding a photographer

Once you have booked your wedding day and venue, you can start creating a list of photographers to contact. The sooner you do this the better as top photographers get booked up quickly. Recommendations from friends and family are a good starting point, as you can get a first hand account of the photographer’s character, the service provided and their reliability. You can also do a Google search on the Internet for photographers in your local area or in the location where you plan to get married and view their website for additional details.

Contact photographers to qualify your list

To achieve superb quality photographs it is important to find a full time photographer who is well qualified, experienced and, ideally, has previous experience of work in your chosen venue. Make initial contact to check availability on your wedding day and then arrange to meet at your home or their studio. It’s a good idea to take along a friend or family member to get another impartial opinion on the photographer and his work.

Viewing the photographers work

You need to feel absolutely sure that the photographer you choose will capture the essence of your wedding and be able to coax out the best smiles from you and your guests.

• Do they have a flair for making the ordinary appear beautiful
• When viewing samples of the albums, ask yourself, “Do the people in the photographs look happy, relaxed and comfortable?” Postures should be confident and hand placements should look natural.
• Are you able to have a good rapport with the photographer and does he explain things clearly. This is an important aspect as you and your guests will need to take instructions from him regarding pose and positions on the day.
• Do you like their style and do the images tell the story of the Wedding Day?

Questions to Ask

• Confirm that the photographer you meet will be the one actually taking the photos on the day.
• Has he taken photos at the venue before? – ask to see examples.
• Does the photographer have professional indemnity insurance to cover the cost of retaking your photographs if something goes horribly wrong?
• Does the photographer have backup equipment and is it of the same quality as the primary equipment?
• Who will process and develop the film and prints?

Comparing quotes

Make sure you ask each photographer to quote for the same job, working to your brief, allowing you to make a fair comparison of quotations. It is important to understand what you are paying for so check the quotation carefully to establish what is included and what is treated as extras. You will find that you generally get what you pay for, and that more experienced photographers may charge more for their services. Emphasise that the quality of print is most important, and establish whether there will be use of digital photography and if so whether photos can be enlarged or edited. Once you are happy with your choice, ensure you return the signed contract and get the booking confirmed in writing. If booked well in advance, phone a week or so before the big day, to ensure everything is in place, and to fine tune arrangements.

On the day, why not also buy disposable single use cameras and leave them on the dining table for guests to capture their own unique take on the wedding. This is a great way to capture more relaxed moments later in the evening when the official photographer has left.

Beautiful Wedding Photography in Dorset. Courtenay Hitchcock is a Dorset Wedding Photographer with a contemporary, natural and unobtrusive photography style.

http://www.courtenayphotographic.co.uk/

Author: Courtenay Hitchcock
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1. Evaluate the Photographers Portfolio: Every photographer has their own unique style of picture taking. Some are more traditional and others are more modern and edgy. Choose a photographer that matches your unique style. Chances are if you do not see anything in the photographer’s portfolio that really grabs you, this is not the photographer for you.

2. Watch your Budget. Develop your budget and stick to it but don’t forget to consider such hidden costs such as location fees, overtime, extra print charges and package inclusions. Discuss all hidden fees before you sign on the dotted line. Also, make sure that you compare rates in order to get the best value for your money.

3. Ask for referrals. Photographers develop a reputation, good or bad so it is important to ask around and see which photographer is well known for professionalism and quality of work. Ask friends, family and acquaintances who they would recommend.

4. Check for Compatibility. It may seem like a minor detail when you are looking for a photographer but on your wedding day with all the stress and nerves, it will be very important that you choose a photographer that you are compatible with. Choose a photographer that is easy to get along with, will deal with your wedding guests in a professional and friendly manner. Part of the job of the wedding photographer is to make you at ease on your wedding day so that the photographs are as perfect as possible. If you don’t like your wedding photographer during the planning stages and his/her personality bothers you, that feeling will magnify on your wedding day.

5. Know their skills and check equipment. Inquire about the type of equipment your photographer will be using and who will be doing the photofinishing. You want to make sure you select a wedding photographer that uses modern and reliable equipment which will insure that your wedding day goes off without a hitch. Also, some photographers do their own photo development while many send your film out to a professional photo developer. Either can be fine as long as whoever is taking care of your wedding photographs is a professional and has the skill to develop high quality wedding pictures.

In conclusion, you can select the perfect wedding photographer if you evaluate the photographer’s portfolio, watch your budget, ask for referrals, and make sure that they have a complimentary personality, and that they have the right equipment and technical skills. Once you do this, you can hire them and enjoy the moment.

Yolanda is the owner of Yolandas Wedding Favors. She sells many different types of bridesmaid gifts such as tote bags, cosmetic bags, spa slippers and much more. So whether if you are looking for wedding favors such as candle favors, beach wedding favors, silver wedding favors and much more. Then visit Yolandas Wedding Favors.

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I love it when I get ‘fussy’ brides. It means that I know exactly what they want, they feel assured I know what they want – the more demanding the bride before the day, the better I like it!

So here’s my top ten questions to ask:

1 – Will you adjust your style to suit what I want?

Answer – within reason. Any professional photographer would rather pass a non-fitting client on to a more-suited colleague than try and be something they are not, just to keep a job. But flexibility is of course essential, too! Be sure before you meet that the photographer’s style is what you are looking for – and if you change your mind whilst viewing more of their work, do not be afraid to say so. It saves everyone time!

2 – What is your method of working on the day?

Answer – there is no right answer to this, but your photographer should have a very clear and experienced idea of the layout of a wedding day, how they will cover each part, which parts they will control and which parts they will allow to flow around them. As long as they’re not hesitating and fudging over what actually will happen, it is down to your judgement to decide whether their answer matches your wishes.

3 – What is your back up plan?

Ask for details – its easy to say ‘oh, don’t worry, I have it covered’, but really, what will they do if they break their leg the day before your wedding? You need to believe they have genuine back up available. Working with other good local photographers also means they are respected professionally, which is a great testimonial in itself.

4 – How long does the photographer anticipate the family formals and the bridal formals will take?

Answer – Again, there is no right or wrong answer to this – just a matching of your own expectations. There is no point in hiring a photographer who takes the most beautiful bridal portrait images if it takes them over an hour of posing to get them, when you only want to leave your guests for 15 minutes. Equally, if those posed beautiful images are what you desire, don’t choose a pure photojournalist photographer who will only take 5 minutes.

5 – How many weddings have you shot?

There are no guarantees of course, but do a job often enough and you can’t help but learn it well. And how many as opposed to how long is a far better indicator – your photographer could have been a brilliant studio photographer for 20 years, but only shot 10 weddings in that time. Meaning they’re a great photographer, but very inexperienced at wedding photography.

There is also the practice of ‘second shooting’ which is where photographers gain experience by tagging along at a wedding and assisting a ‘main’ photographer. It’s a great way to create a fab portfolio of wedding images, but working your own wedding as a main photographer is an entirely different experience.

6 – Will there be a contract of the services to be provided?

Answer – should be an emphatic yes! You should require a contract from your photographer that details what services they will be providing, pricing, cancellation policy, delivery expectations etc. A contract is created for your protection, and for the wedding photographer’s protection. Be wary of investing your cash in photographers that “don’t usually bother with a formal contract.”

7 – Do you have insurance?

Answer – It may seem an insignificant thing now, but professional wedding photographers should have the proper insurance for their business. Insurance means that if anything hideous occurs, the photographer is insured to restage the photographs for you. It also protects the photographer against equipment theft, of course. But most importantly to you it provides liability protection in case Aunty Mildred trips over the photographer’s bag and breaks her hip. If a wedding photographer does not have insurance, chances are that they are either new to the industry, or simply aren’t taking their business seriously.

8 – How long do you work on the day?

Answer – again, no right or wrong answer, but one you need to weigh up in importance to you personally. Many photographers charge extra for the evening, some have strict hour limits, some will work on to their own discretion. It doesn’t really matter, you just need to know in advance.

9 – What about the pictures?

Answer – When you ask to see a sample of wedding albums, makes sure you see a complete album of photographs from one wedding, rather than a collection of good pictures from a selection of weddings. Look carefully at the photos to check how shots are set up – can you see a selection of tidy, well organised group shots, and are all of the group positioned in the shot, or have people been missed off at the edges? Do the people in the photographs look relaxed, happy and comfortable? It is helpful to check not only the bride and groom but also the friends and relations in the photos.

10 – Would you feel happy owning your version of the pictures you are shown?

A question that only you can answer. If the answer is “yes” then you have probably found your perfect wedding photographer.

Courtenay Hitchcock is a Dorset Wedding Photographer with a contemporary, natural and unobtrusive photography style. Beautiful Wedding Photography in Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

Author: Courtenay Hitchcock
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