Choosing A Wedding Photographer

So you are getting married, and trying to organise it all, and you’re looking for a photographer…can’t it be a nightmare?    Where do you start?

Here are some pointers from my years of experience in wedding photography, some helpful questions you should be asking when choosing your wedding photographer.

Are you going to choose on price? Will it be service? Will it be quality of product? or do you want the lot?

If you choose on price alone how do you know that they haven’t bought the camera for a £100 a couple of weeks earlier and have no experience.

Do you want to take that chance on what's probably the most important day of your life?

If you choose the most expensive is the difference in cost matched by any other difference such as quality of product.

Bear in mind, there should be work that takes place behind the scenes, enhancing your images,assembling albums etc. It all takes time unless it’s a cheap album and it done in a few minutes.

Firstly choosing a professional.

Don't leave it to chance. Do you really want to give the responsibility of your wedding photography to someone who is a "weekender", who if anything goes wrong has;

• no insurance
• no reputation to protect
• is just in it for the "pocket money"?

There are many stories about wedding photography going wrong because the bride didn’t choose a professional photographer with relevent wedding photography experience. Please don’t be the next one.

How would you feel if the photographer arrives and

• Doesn't know what to do (surprisingly it happens)
• Is not dressed appropriately
• can't communicate with, or is rude to your family and guests

Remember, unlike a dentist or plumber, who if anything goes wrong, can try again, there isn’t a second chance to photograph your wedding. It has to be right the first time!!

How do you put a price on piece of mind?

Helpful steps to choosing the right photographer

• Find a professional photographer with wedding experience.
• What style of photographs do you prefer….modern or classic or a mixture of both …Do you prefer colour or black and white or a mixture. Do you prefer formal or the more relaxed contemporary style?
• Do you like their images
• Do you feel comfortable in the company your wedding photographer as he or she will be sharing one of the most important day of your life and you naturally respond better to someone you like.
• Is the photographer you are talking to, the one who will photograph your wedding on the day or will a substitute be sent?
• Will the wedding photographer be covering just your wedding on that day? It has been known that some wedding photographers do 2 or 3 weddings a day……what happens if you are number 2 and they are delayed?
• Have they got the correct wedding photography experience to work to the tight time schedules involved or will they be holding the day up and upsetting other suppliers, like the caterers, or even your wedding guests. Are they organised?!!
• Do they carry back up equipment in the event of emergencies?Is the wedding photographer insured?
• Is it within your budget ? or can you adjust the budget ? After all, when the dress has been put in the loft or sold, the flowers have wilted and the cake has been eaten, the photographs are all that’s left of your special day.

Wouldn't it be a shame to save a few hundred pounds now and regret it for the rest of your life?

Remember

It's better to spend more than you expected than less than you should have done. Do you really want to "take a chance"?

If you are looking for a professional wedding photographer in the Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk areas of the UK and would like to meet for a informal, no-obligation chat, please phone me on 01508 480883 or 0770 4848 034 or email me at brian.mitchell@premier-links.net