7 Principles to Choosing the Best Wedding Photographer
Jul 30th, 2008 by Susannah Singer
A cheap camera is sufficient to record most of the important events in our lives. But once in a lifetime events such as weddings deserve the extra expense of filming it right. Yet look in the yellow pages and you can see there are plenty of choices available. Follow these seven principles in choosing a photographer and you probably won’t be disappointed with the results.
1. Availability. Is the day free for the photographer to be present all day? Also, most people can’t afford hiring a distant photographer just because they’re good. How close do they live to the place the ceremony and reception will take place?
2. Skill. What is the reputation of the photographer? Do you have testimonials available? Can you view samples of their work? After all, photographing a wedding is more than just clicking and shooting. They need good equipment and skill. What will be the pixel range of the digital pictures? The more pixels, in general, the larger the file size but also the better the resolution. When enlarged they will still have the same clarity.
3. Personality. What would it be like to work with them? Are they pushy, trying to get you to choose their most expensive package, or do they present the options and let you decide? Would they tend to take over or fit in? How are they in working with children?
4. Price. Of course, though the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. now is over $20,000, few are willing to put most of that into the pictures. Is the photographer reasonable in comparison with others in the area? Is their price of what you want within the budget of your wedding?
5. Service. How quickly are the pictures available? Some will even display the wedding pictures during the reception. That is a nice touch. How quickly can prints be made? How available will they be to others on the web or on CD, and how soon?
6. Options. Good photographers will have a wide variety of options to choose from. Do you want pictures taken during the rehearsal? Are the main pictures going to be taken before or after the ceremony? Do they have creative suggestions on making it special? Will the pictures be printable by others in the family off the webpage?
7. Integrity. What is their reputation about keeping their promises and delivering what they say? Will they be in place when needed and stay as long as you expect? Will all the parts of the package you chose be delivered as you expect?
A wedding is too important of an event to let it pass with only an amateur photographer recording it. As you plan the big day in your lives, consider these principles so that not a single precious moment is forgotten.
