Wedding Photography Advice

Everyone from Uncle Bob to a co-worker has advice on hiring a wedding photographer. As a veteran wedding photographer since 1998, I have a lot of experience in the field and believe that this simple guide is your best option in evaluating and hiring a wedding photographer.

I am thinking of DIY PHOTOS instead of hiring a photographer, SHOULD I?

Lots of people like the idea of having disposable cameras on the reception tables so that the guests can take all the wedding pictures for you, and all you'll have to pay for is the cameras and the printing costs.

These ideas are great, and are certainly very fun reminders of your special day. But remember, you don't want to focus solely on DIY photos. Doing that will only ensure that you only have pictures of Uncle Bob making silly faces, or of a guest at your wedding that your nephew grew especially partial to.

SETTING THE BUDGET.

Before you go about finding different wedding photographers, collecting references, and interviewing them, you need to set your budget! You absolutely must know beforehand what you're willing to pay, and how much you can afford. This is for two reasons. The first is because it's probably going to be one of the first questions that any wedding photographer will ask you. They'll all have different packages and different rates, and they'll need to know what your budget is before they begin showing you their samples and explaining what photography package will be right for you. If you constantly answer with "We don't know yet how much we want to spend," you're not really helping them, and they won't be able to help you.

The second reason why you must know your budget before you even start talking to photographers is because it's easy to get swept up in the moment. If you walk into a photographer's office and see beautiful wall hangings of different pictures, the different CDs and DVDs you can get, and all the other extras that come with wedding photography, it's easy to want it all! Who wouldn't?

HOW MUCH SHOULD MY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BE?

Anyone hiring a wedding photographer should plan to spend at least $1,500. This is a good number to start with and will give you the basics and foundation for great wedding photographs. Of course, you can always increase this amount, and sometimes (as we'll discuss in a moment) you'll need to spend more. But, if you're trying to spend as little as possible, but still get a great wedding photographer, $1,500 is a good number to start with.

Keep in mind that the $1,500 amount will probably only cover the costs of the photographer (labor) for the day of your wedding. That means that this is the amount that the photographer will charge you for simply spending the day at your wedding and taking photographers or video. The actual prints of your photos will probably not be included in this amount, in most cases this will not include the digital negatives either.

KNOW YOUR STYLES.

Traditional Wedding Photography Wedding Photojournalism Illustrative Wedding Photography Fashion Wedding Photography Trash the Dress

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER.

Remember these questions are general in nature, but these will give you a good guide as to what to ask your potential photographer. Do not be surprised if the photographer has his/her own set of interview questions for you to answer.

Are you available the day of my wedding? What is your style of photography? May I see pictures of an entire wedding you shot from beginning to end? Did you take these photographs? Will you be taking the photographs on the day of my wedding? We don't want to see each other before the ceremony. How do you handle this and what are the alternatives? Who are you planning to have in the photographs and how are you planning to include them? What are the main goals you have when you approach a wedding? What can I do on the day of the wedding to help you? How long will it take to edit my photos/video? How will you be showing me my selection of photos? Will you be helping me pick my final selection? How much time will you have on my wedding day? And how much will that cost? What kind of packages do you offer? How much time do I have to make my selection after I see the proofs? How do I go about ordering reprints after I've already received my final selection? What is your backup plan if there is an emergency and you cannot make my wedding date?

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