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10 Wedding Photography Tips
1. Perhaps the most important thing I could tell you is
to remember that photography is an investment
not an expense. Things that will wither and fade, be put
in closet and never worn again, or be inedible two weeks
later are expenses that you should consider and select with
great care. But photography is an investment because it
grows in value as it ages – want to show your teenagers
what a fox you were or what dad looked like with hair? Go
to the wedding album!
2. Experience counts .
When hiring a professional ask
how many weddings have they actually
covered. I once heard Monte Zucker (probably the
Dean Emeritus of wedding photography) say that
wedding photography was probably
one of the few professions where
clients actually paid you to learn
by practicing on them! (Of course
it does occur to me that after
years of education doctors and
lawyers still only practice their
professions!) Make sure that your photographer
has been tried and tested before
you assign them to your wedding.
Also, the photographer you talk
to should be the one who shows
up and takes the pictures.
3. Why
do you want to have a friend or
a relative cover your wedding event?
Because …it’s
cheaper! But consider what you’re doing – you’re
putting the least amount of your investment in this
one important event and placing a terrible burden
on an amateur. What are you going to do if they botch
your images, ruin a friendship? Disinherit a relative? Invite
friends and relatives to enjoy your day not cover
it.
4. Don’t
put a lot of faith in written
testimonies .
They’re nice as a
marketing tool but think about this – do
you really think someone is going to show
you a letter from an irate client? Pick a photographer
based on photography.
5. Make sure that what
you see is what or who you
are getting . There’s
nothing wrong with a studio
or photographer having other
photographers covering weddings. Some very talented
people simply don’t want the headache of
running a small business. But when interviewing
a photographer make sure that the images they’re
showing you are samples of the style of the photographer
who will be assigned to cover your wedding. Sadly
some studios overbook dates and then hire novices
to fill out their coverage.
6. Award winning
doesn’t mean your
wedding . Some photographers are enamored
of plaques. I know of a photographer who touts
his “award winning” photography, but
his award was from a local recreation center and
for a photograph of an egret. I once heard an incredibly
talented and highly paid photographer who created
images using a 20x24 Polaroid comment on how she
couldn’t even enter the Professional Photographers
of America competitions because they didn’t
accept that size medium. “Blue ribbons’,
someone quipped, “isn’t that something
that you give cows at the state fair?”
7. Don’t
be afraid of digital .
A professional photographer isn’t using the
$250 camera your uncle bought at the drug store.
Today’s equipment is fully capable of producing
wall sized images and allow for intimate photojournalism.
8. On
the other hand don’t choose a
photographer just because they have a cool camera .
I’ve seen a lot of really poor work produced
by people with really expensive cameras. The camera
is just a tool. Hire the carpenter not the hammer.
9. If
necessary ask for terms .
Maybe you’ve seen someone whose work you love
but they are just beyond your budget. I think it’s
better to invest more than you initially thought
you would than to spend less and be unhappy. Ask
if the photographer could stretch your payment schedule
out to place their services within your grasp. Unlike
your other vendors the photographer’s work
isn’t finished on the day of the wedding event.
10. Make sure you like
your photographer .
You’re going to spend more time with the photographer
than any other person on the day of the event. It
really won’t matter how great the images are
or how affordable if the main memory you have of
your wedding day was how obnoxious your photographer
was.
11. And don’t forget
to feed them !
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