Brides - Don't Cheap Out on your Wedding Photography

 

It's true, wedding day photography is expensive - often very expensive. Most DIY brides will say "Why do I have to pay a wedding photographer $2000 to $3000 for wedding day coverage?"

Lots of couples receive the following DIY solutions from their friends and family.  "Just get the table cameras, have them developed after the honeymoon." Have a friend or relative that takes good pictures do your wedding photos."  "Hire a photography student."

Let's discuss a few of these options - when it comes to the table cameras, something to think about is that it will cost you a small fortune to develop all of your pictures that way, and most (if not all) won't even be useable. Let's also consider that taking pictures in dimly lit areas don't come up well anyways, let alone with cheap film cameras!

You could luck out with a photography student - it may be someone with some wonderful talent or it could be a diaster. The student really needs to understand how the wedding day flows and their lack of experience could cause them to miss some very important moments of the day, moments you will cherish and would be lost forever.

And here is my perspective on having a friend or relative shoot your wedding:

Wedding vendors are hired to perform a specific job and guests are supposed to enjoy themselves. Don't mix the two! How would that friend be able to enjoy themselves if they have to get up every so often to take photos. Are you going to ask the friend or relative not to have any alchol during the event so that your photos don't turn our blurry? Ask them not to dance because they have to capture you and the groom mingling and dancing with guests. Let guests be guests and professionals be professionals.

90% of brides polled one year after the wedding wish they would have spent more on photography - that's the #1 regret. I realize it's hard to  hand over a large amount of money for your wedding day photography because you start to consider all of the other things you could do with those funds. Remember you can never recreate or recapture that moment - so you really need someone professional to do that for you.

Please keep in mind that your wedding pictures are the only tangible thing you will have left of your wedding when all is said and done. A good photographer will bring out the best in you, make you look beautiful and keep those memories alive for generations.  A professional photographer will capture not only what everything looked like, but the spirit of the day, the emotion of the moment and the love story behind the scenes.

 

Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog. weddings@occasionsniagara.com

 

Selecting the Perfect Wedding Photographer

 

You've chosen a date and picked a location - the next item on your list is your wedding photographer. How hard can that be? How many wedding photographers could there be? The answer: a lot. How do you find one that fits your needs?

At a time when technology and the Internet have melded to make it easier for brides and grooms doing research for wedding photographers, what matters most?

Step one: Start making a list of photographers you like

There may be 50 wedding photographers in your area, so where do you start? With a bunch of names, and look at their work... whose work moves you? Whose work clicks with your vision of the day? Don't be looking at a traditional wedding photographer if you love artsy photography- and vice-versa.

Here are a few suggestions on where to start:

• Ask your wedding planner... these professionals work with different photographers all the time, and because they know that their reputation may hang on how well the wedding photographer they recommend performs, they're generally going to point you toward good, solid photographers.
• Check out wedding photography websites
• Who does your venue recommend? Venues that have good experiences with photographers will often keep their names on hand. Keep in mind, though, that these lists are subjective and may or may not include the best talent around.
• And of course, when all else fails, Google knows pretty much everything.

Remember, the important thing is to get a good idea of what's out there and compile a decent list of names that you'd feel comfortable with.

 

Step two: Thin down the list

Once you have a decent list in front of you, it's time to start narrowing it down; How do you do that?

There are several factors that go into choosing a wedding photographer and every couple will have different priorities at the top. How good is their work? What do they cost? Do they have established businesses (an address on the website is one thing to look for), or are they just starting out? Here are a few ideas that may help:

Quality matters! Find the photographer's blog  -this will let you see the kind of quality and consistency they deliver, shoot after shoot.. not simply the 20 best images they've ever taken and put on their website.

Yes, price is a consideration... but a quick word on that: in a year, or five, or ten, when the cake, food, and dancing are all a memory, your wedding photographs will be how you remember your wedding day. A recent poll indicated that 90% of all couples say wedding photography is the area they wish they had spent more on. Don't regret this decision based on your budget.

Step three: Time for a Face to Face!

Now is the time to meet your top choices. Call and set up a time to sit down face to face and get to know each other. You'll want to see what their wedding albums look like, talk about wedding packages, and get a vibe for how they'll tackle your wedding day. Also, does their personality match yours; are they stiff and rigid or outgoing and fun - which matches you better??

There are many lists of questions to ask a wedding photogrpahy online, so do some research. If you don't have that kind of time, email me and I'll forward you a list of questions I use when interviewing someone on behalf of my clients.

 

Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog. weddings@occasionsniagara.com