Which Wedding Photography Package do You Choose?
The unquestionable most important consideration in deciding on a wedding photographer package, is that the photography is right for you. If it’s free- and terrible- it’s not a great deal!
You shouldn’t commit an unrealistic amount of your budget to wedding photography, while on the other hand, it would be unwise to deny yourself package elements you will wish for later. Like most things in life, a compromise is necessary- find the balance between product cost and needs fulfilment that leaves you happy.
Ensure you love the way the photographer shoots weddings, and the style of the images which are produced. If you look at the images on display, and can see yourself in photos like those being shown to you, then you are off to a great start.
Wedding photography packages can be daunting- three albums, four portraits, a handbag book- you probably won’t really know what you want to do with your wedding photos until they have been captured and given to you on DVD. It would be fair to say that some hard copy of your wedding day is desireable- so an album or wall presentation would most likely be on your list. Ensure that whatever package you choose, makes sense to you- and be absolutely certain that you receive your camera raw negative files to keep. This is like getting the negatives to your images in the days before digital. A full set of high resolution print images is great too- optimised and ready for output- but the camera raw file format will enable you to modify image styles and have creative work done with minimal fuss in the future.
Be mindful of the following things when deciding on a base package:
- the amount of wedding photography time you need on the day
- what format you receive your pictures in
- will any enhancements or optimising to images be done
- whether or not the original digital camera negatives are included
- check to see if an album can be included at a discount price as part of the package
Another very important consideration, is the amount of deposit you pay. With the recent collapse of Brides of Melbourne, many people were left with huge holes in their bank accounts, having paid out massive deposits on dresses. You should only be paying a minimal deposit towards wedding photography- and there should be a very clear understanding of what happens if you change your mind- how much of the deposit do you get back?
Finding the Best Wedding Photographer for You
What’s important in a wedding photographer? Is it personality, presentation, image style or the ability to make you laugh? Here’s the one single criteria you should never lose sight of:
Decide what’s important to you in the finished result, and find a wedding photographer who can deliver to your expectations.
Levels of presentation of wedding photography in Melbourne vary widely – and it’s important that you are happy with your choice of photographer, because after the day, your wedding photographs will be the one record of the day as it unfolded – that will be with you for ever.
You will be looking at your images for a long time after you have forgotten the photographer’s personality or jokes- so ultimately it is the images you are buying. Keep your head about you when choosing the person to shoot your wedding phtoography- there’s no going back if the photos aren’t what you wanted.