Having a wedding is definitely an amazing experience. It’s a day filled with emotion, joy, happiness and quite often a bit sadness each time a family member or friend that is will no longer with us just isn’t there to talk about our wedding day.
As professional wedding photographers we know how stressful arranging your wedding event could be. With the amount of photographers around, where would you start? What do you need to know when looking for a marriage photographer? With prices starting from a couple of hundred pounds to a lot of thousands, you need to if they are best for your needs?
It is just a inescapable fact of life that with the arrival of digital camera models, many people now call themselves a “photographer”. Over recent times there’s been a blast at the of men and women offering their services as wedding photographers, most of who may have never received any training, have no insurance, avoid the use of professional equipment , nor plenty of backups available to take care of any eventuality.
An experienced photographer can have the above this also post is really a quick “Help Guide” to the factors to consider along with the questions we advise i hear you ask when scouting for a married relationship photographer. Have yourself a cuppa and get comfy. This is simply not a definitive guide, just a general overview of things to look for.
Hunting for a Photographer:
Personal Recommendations: Have you been into a wedding recently? What did your mates think of their photographer? Being a Yorkshire digital camera virtually all our clients are derived from personal recommendations from either Bride and Grooms who’ve used us, or from Venues that understand the expertise of the work we produce and the fantastic good value our company offers.
Google Along with other Search Engines:
An instant browse some of the major search engines like google will produce a mind numbing volume of choices. By way of example, if you type into Google the search terms “Wedding Photographer” it is going to return millions results. Simply experiencing each result would require years, as a way an over-all principle, stick to those on page 1 or page 2. The reason for that is simple: Should they be on-page 1 or 2 then they have some time in order that the website is properly designed, optimised and placed, to make sure that their goods or services are really easy to find for prospective Bride and Grooms.
Choosing A Photographer
Whenever you have decided over a date, have booked your wedding venue and received confirmation then book all the other services necessary for your big day immediately. Leaving it to the last minute to reserve your photographer isn’t a good option.
Many Bride and Grooms search for his or her photographer the afternoon they get engaged.
Websites:
An important thing to do is look at a photographers website such as the be fooled into thinking this is actually the be all and end all. Always focus on the images rather than the website design. Nowadays for some hundred pounds you can have a real classy looking website designed. Always remember a website only shows this content the photographer WANTS you to see. You will only generally start to see the best images, the ones they need to use to showcase their abilities so take a good look across the website. Take a look and see the amount of different weddings you will see. If you find only one or two, were they only photographed a couple of weddings? Also just how much information does the photographer give you? Are they beforehand regarding prices or in the event you go ahead and discover them to discover how much you pay? Will they offer you specific detailed information regarding services?
Also be VERY wary if they say they are part of a “Professional Trade Organisation”. Some trade organisations only require photographers to pay a subscription fee to join then let the photographer to utilize the Organisations logos on their site. Indeed some organisations have absolutely no joining requirements, you do not even have to own a camera as well as your Granny, who may have little idea about photography, could join if she wanted. Shop around and check out Trade Organisations carefully because they are not all the identical.
Many are for full time professionals only and Members have to undergo evaluation, inspection and possess insurance documents checked, others simply allow you to pay a nominal amount and declare one to be described as a “Professional Photographer”. Remember that the photography marketplace is not regulated and everyone can boast of being a “photographer”.
Price:
If it seems too great for be true, chances are it can be! Many photographers in the beginning stages usually charge small prices in support of cover their costs. Many call at your wedding as a method of creating a portfolio of wedding images. The following will not likely affect all budget priced photographers but as a general principle, when the price seems suprisingly low, then there is a reason because of it, so attempt to discover what it is.
For many Bride and Grooms, price eventually ends up is the determining factor. You spend hundreds, or even thousands around the dress, the venue charges thousands, you can also find the cars, the Grooms attire, Bridesmaids dresses, the dessert, the flowers – cutting costs on your photography may lead to poor wedding photographs resulting in huge disappointment and photos through the day that you simply do n’t want to consider.
Remember this is a one shot event – to obtain everyone to retake the pictures will be frustrating and intensely expensive.
Make A meeting:
And soon you go satisfy the photographer, you won’t be fully informed should they be the right person for the task. On the meeting ask to determine photographs from A minimum of five recent weddings. Find out if the photographer has worked for your venue before and if so find out if you can view some images from that wedding. Ask to view the demo albums – what is the good range from which to choose? Will the photographer have lertters of reference from previous clients, if you do ask to view them. Does the photographer do business from home or from a Studio?
In this meeting there are several important things to ask, several are detailed below:
Q. The length of time have you been trading and how many weddings have you photographed? If your answer is “6 months and 2 weddings, both of them friends from the family who I didnrrrt charge since i require experience and the images in my portfolio” – is this the proper photographer for you?
Q. Have you been insured?
All professional photographers should carry Professional Indemnity and Public Insurance. Should they don’t then tread carefully.
Q. Precisely what are your prices, and what do I enter my package?
Seems a silly question must right? Well no! Nothing is worse than handing over your hard earned cash only to find that after the wedding ceremony about to catch getting that which you thought you are. Can there be an album within the package? What number of hours coverage does one get? What additional goods are in the price? Will the price include image editing? Do you have an overtime fee whenever we cost?
Q. Would you contract your photography service?
Picture this scene….. you may spend months researching photographers, finally choose one, make them booked then on the wedding day, someone you have never met before arises to photograph your big day. How are you likely to feel? Angry?
Ensure that the person you book with could be the individual that will attend and take the wedding photographs. Sounds simple I realize but you’ll be very impressed how many photographers sub contract out their job with other, often inexperienced and uninsured, photographers.
Q. Is this your full-time job?
Many photographers have regular jobs and photograph weddings with a part time basis so may not necessarily be for sale to respond to questions or emails during normal work hours. When you have a last minute question, it might take efforts and get a response or you may not be able to schedule meeting times which are on the way of you.
Q. Do you give a written contract?
It can be absolutely critical that you recruit a written contract detailing your exact expenditure and what products/services you are getting.
Q. The amount of weddings can you cover per day?
If the response is anything besides ONE – be mindful. Many photographers will cover many wedding each day which can lead to problems at the wedding. Suppose the initial wedding runs late? This will mean that the photographer may be late to yours.
Q. May i see some of work / observe the demo albums?
Be sure to have a great look at the photographers work. Look at image quality, look at album quality. Taking a look at images of babies, sunsets, buildings or family portraits will not likely offer you any thought of their abilities as a wedding photographer. Also ask the question “Is this coming from a real wedding?”. You’ll be amazed just how many photographers use images taken on training days within their portfolios. They attend a dog training session when a Trainer sets up the shot then tells the photographer taking it. The image may be amazing but can they reproduce it throughout a real wedding with all the current pressure and stresses involved?
Q. What backup equipment would you bring to wedding ceremony?
It never doesn’t amaze me that photographers still attend being married with ONE camera! In the event it camera in time breaks down exactly what are they planning to do? Come out their mobile phone and proceed shooting?
Q. Is the next step a pre-wedding site visit?
Have you ever been to some wedding then when looking at keeping the photographs taken, it really is absolute chaos? Uncle John went to test in, Aunty Flo has nipped to the loo, your Best Man has popped on the bar. Surely the bride to be and Groom must have been a little more organised shouldn’t they? In actual fact no!
This can be as a result of the photographer instead of the happy couple. Site visits allows photographers to create a plan for the morning and so are a vital element of the overall planning during the day.
Q. What “style” can you photograph in?
There are various styles for example Traditional, Reportage, Photojournalistic, Fashion, Glamour – does the photographer photograph from the style You’re wanting? Will they undertake it weekend in, weekend out, or is it looking to photograph in such a way they will often certainly not do regularly. Have this bit right and you will probably love your wedding reception photographs because you will receive what you expected. Go awry and you can find yourself hating them.
Q. Would you like to put my wedding photographs online for guests to view?
Virtually all photographers now make this happen as standard though some still do charge extra because of it. Find out if there any other costs involved.
Q. Is the next step a pre-wedding meeting?
An expert photographer will would rather take a moment with every every Happy couple eventually before the wedding day to discuss the day itself. Topics covered might include things such as what photographs are to be taken where, any special requests through the Wedding couple etc. This helps ensure that the day runs as smoothly as you can.
Q. What you want to wear when photographing my wedding?
Again seems a unique question right? You may be surprised the number of “professional” photographers generate to photograph a marriage dressed in jeans, t-shirts and trainers. Smart business attire is the norm but do check!
Booking Your Photographer:
Whenever you made our minds up around the photographer who is going to pay for your wedding day… PHONE THEM! It’s not unusual for photographers to be effective over a “first come, first served” basis and there is nothing worse than doing all the effort only to discover a thief booked your date 2 hours earlier.
Many photographers requires that you pay a retainer to secure the date. This can be sometimes a fixed amount or a area of the complete package price and are deducted from a total photography costs.
Remember: Get an itemized contract which details the total amount you are paying along with what you get.
One final thing to consider: Personality. It’s likely that your wedding photographer will spend more hours along than any of your other suppliers. Are you able to spend a complete day using them? Could you help them for an extended period of time? This can be a point which is often forgotten about!
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