Helpful Hints and Tips on Choosing the Right Professional Photographer
- Make sure that the photographer is using professional equipment for your wedding.
- Check to see if the photographer has back-up equipment. Even through professional cameras cost thousand of dollars, they can still break or jam. Your photographer should have spare equipment just in case.
- With technology changing so rapidly with films and equipment, your photographer should be up to date with the latest trends.
- Every photographer has a different style from traditional to a photo-journalistic style. Talk to your photographer about what you want. It is your day!
- Before you sing a contract or put down any money, be sure to meet the photographer that will be photographing your wedding.
- You are paying for what the photographer can do from start to finish, so that's what you should see. Anybody can do 10 good photographs. You want to see at least 2 complete weddings. This gives you a good idea of the photographer's style.
- If someone tells you that they don't assign the wedding to the photographers until they get closer to the date, be careful. Some studios will book the weddings and hire the photographers as they need them. You may not get the quality you were expecting.
- Look for a wedding photographer that will cover you wedding from beginning to end, and who will take unlimited photographs, including all requests on the wedding day at no additional fee. Also have the studio write on the contract the amount of time. This will help guarantee that the studio will not over book or over extend their staff.
- A good photographer will help you organize the coverage so that you accomplish all the photographs you want with the minimum amount of stress. You will want to move easily through everything so you can enjoy your day. Your day is supposed to be wonderful and romantic, not a hectic Hollywood production.
- Your photographer will have the most impact on how your wedding day will flow from start to finish. And, the photographs will show whether or not you had fun.
- your photographer should belong to several professional organizations (i.e. Professional Photographers of America, the Professional Photographers of Louisiana, the Capital City Professional Photographers Guild.) These organizations provide continuing education to their members each month.
You only have one chance to get it right. When the wedding cake has crumbled, and the guests are gone, when the flowers are wilted, and the gown is put away, your wedding day remains fresh forever with fine photographs from your professional photographer.