Wedding Photography is the medium which records and immortalises your countless months of planning, preparation and anticipation. This is all gone in a heartbeat once the day ends- but all is not forgotten thanks to the wonderful medium of photography. To help you select the wedding photographer who is right for you, be sure to make your decisions on this important element of your wedding day based on logic. Don't let salesmanship or wooing cloud your judgement when choosing the best wedding photography.
Some of these question you would verbalise, others you would ask - and get answers to - by seeking out visual clues.
The most important attribute of a great wedding photographer is their ability to produce outstanding images. After everything has been packed up, put away and returned after your wedding, all you will have to remember the day, are the pictures that have been captured. Popular buzz words associated with wedding photography are "photojournalistic", "candid", "natural". Many times they are masks used to hide the fact that the photographer has no artistic ability- and is an overpaid snapper. Natural shots are great- don't get me wrong on this one- but you're probably not going to get dressed up like this again, so it's great to have photographs which have an artistic value, and draw attention to the beauty and detail of your day, as well as giving you the glimpses into the background fun that you might have missed throughout all the hugs and kisses. You want wedding photography that shows you at your very best, because the photographer is an expert in knowing how to do just that. You're not looking for a "nice guy" or "entertainer" photographer. You want somebody who can, in the worse weather, under the worse conditions, deliver stunning, dynamic images that leave no doubt in your mind and in the minds of those viewing your wedding photos, that you had a professional photographer immortalizing your wedding day through the medium of photography.
Look at the photographer's business as a business- after all this is what he or she says publicly about himself or herself. Is it tumbling along from a house or a flat, operating off voicemail on a mobile number- and without a street address on an ordinary looking web site? These are all warning signs- signs that you might be dealing with a back yard operator who doesn't take their work- or your wedding- seriously.
We often get people come in who tell us of the bad experiences they have had with a home based photographer- none of it good- and some wait six months or longer- and don't see any photos. Many of these photographers take non-refundable large deposits, and then become hard to contact after the wedding. Don't let it happen to you!