Photographs are the most unique part of your wedding and this stems from the fact that even after other aspects of your wedding have long gone into oblivion, the photographs will always be there for you to look at and reminisce about the day you took your vows, about the first kiss you had as a couple, and about your first dance as one body. For this simple reason, unlike the musical arrangement, catering, and flowers which you can feel, see, and even taste beforehand, you need to carefully choose the photographer for your big day since you won’t have an idea of what you will be getting till after the wedding.
Yes, you have to be very selective about the photographer that will cover events, right from your home to the wedding venue and down to reception. A lot of things need to be put into perspective, especially the artistic style, professional skills, and the photographer’s personality. Listed below are tips to help you find a great wedding photographer for your wedding. They are as follows:
· Decide on style: Before you commence with the search for a great photographer, it is important that you first decide on the type of photography you want. You can go for documentary style which are spontaneous pictures of you, your loved ones, décor, and of course, the actions. This style of photography tells the story of all that happened through pictures. On the other hand, you can choose to go for portraiture, a style of photograph where you and your loved ones pose for the photographer, more like the traditional shots. And finally, the fine art style which is almost similar to documentary. The pictures are edited to be dreamier and more focused.
· Scour the internet: Thank goodness for technology as you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home or be absent for work before you can search for your wedding photographer. All you need to do is log into the internet, targeting mostly social networks. Did any of your contacts post their wedding pics on social media that you instantly fell in love with? Go ahead and find out who their photographer was. You can also visit the websites and business pages of photographers, event planners, and wedding blogs, both within and outside your locality.
· Make contact: Once you establish potential photographers based on your findings and recommendations, it is time to get in touch with them. This can be done through emails or phone calls. Often times, photographers would send in links to their portfolio, prior to the first one-on-one meeting. Ensure that these samples include most recent wedding shots.
· Personality matters: With the one-on-one interview with the photographer, you should be able to determine if the potential photographer’s personality matches with your own. Let them know your vision for your big day and if they are able to relate in more personal tones, then there are chances that the collaboration would be great.
· Determine availability: On the day of interview, one of the topmost factors that determine the flow of the conversation is the availability of the photographer on the date of your wedding. Find out if he has other photography projects that might interfere with his being available on that big day, from start to finish.
· Negotiate the fees: Once every other factor has fallen into place, it is time to know what you will be paying for the services of the chosen photographer. You should be able determine if the photographer’s fees are fixed or hourly. Also, you should know what the fees cover (i.e. prints, albums, disc/drive with high-resolution images, and others). You should also know how much time the photographer will spend covering your wedding, especially if both of you are negotiating based on hourly fees. You should be looking at a minimum of 7 to 9 hours.
· Tie up things: With the fees agreed on, making sure you are not exceeding your budget without compromising on quality, it is time to get things tied up. You should ask the potential photographer when you can take a peek at the pictures (usually within a few days), when the prints will be ready (between 1 to 3 months) and most of all, timeline delivery of the album (upwards of 6 months).
Having every moment of your wedding day in photographs is very vital to preserving the memory of that awesome day. From the makeup session to the décor at the wedding venue, there are lots of stories to be told about your wedding – through detailed photography.
