How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
To choose a wedding photographer can be a real
nightmare for many people. It is no easy task by all
means.
Photography is probably no more than a hobby for
you and you wonder where to start from. I remember a girl bursting into tears after I had confirmed that her search for a
photographer had ended.
Brides to be are often under extreme pressure and they feel like they have to learn all about
photography in order to choose a wedding photographer for their big day. Even though to
learn photography would probably help a lot to Choose a
Wedding Photographer, this is not absolutely necessary. Remember that it's going to be a beautiful day and that you
are supposed to have fun and to enjoy the whole process and why not, yes, even the preparations!
“Tell me more...”
Photography is like anything else, you have to
know how passionate a person is about it. Even butchers need passion to do their job properly:
anyone can slice, but few people can do it with passion.
As you can see to Choose a Wedding Photographer involves more than you thought.
One important thing to look for is Wedding Photography Styles.
A Professional Photographer can work using several different styles, but there will be one style
among them all that he/she will use predominantly, simply because that is what they enjoy using the most.
That is the style you want from that particular photographer. Identify this when you look at
wedding photographers, or just ask them what is their favorite style… in most cases they will be more than
happy to tell you. Do not ask wedding photographers to do something they don’t normally do, just as you wouldn’t
ask a baker to fix your car. Let's keep going to get you to Choose a Wedding Photographer.
“What about the wedding cost? I mean the Wedding Quotations?”
The wedding cost issue is undoubtedly very important for many people. The image
below is part of a wedding that I shot in Italy and it shows a casually dressed musician that fell asleep during
the wedding ceremony and was obviously not ready to start playing again when the time arrived.
The bride later told me that this band was selected because it was the cheapest they could find;
she realized the disastrous consequences when it was too late.
My counseling suggests NOT to select a wedding photographer based on the price. If
you do that you are simply following a classic recipe for a wedding disaster.
The thing is that with photography you won't know how bad the photographer was until a month
after your wedding to say the least.
A proper wedding photographer is an artist first of all and real artists are not
cheap wedding photographers.
Nowadays anyone can take pictures; digital cameras allow virtually anyone to take technically
perfect pictures with their eyes closed or with the camera held behind their backs.
You want an artist to create your wedding memories that will stay with you for the
rest of your life. You don’t want someone that just presses the button to do click. Composition and timing are the
two most important elements in how to take good pictures, not the technical knowledge. Read more about
Wedding Photography Prices. Read also Tales of Bad Photographers.
“So where do I start to Choose a Wedding Photographer ”
First of all you need to look at photographers’ wedding websites; see what emotional
responses you have when looking at their images. Once you've found the wedding
photographer you like, search for his/her name over the internet and see what comes out. If he/she is an
artist, the search result will show that in the form of Art Galleries, Art Exhibitions etc. This is a very good way
to find out who you are really dealing with… on some occasions you will be surprised to see what comes out…
Some more homework to do:
One more thing worth doing is to ask what studies has a photographer done. Many wedding
photographers have never been to a photography school, let alone a photography college or
photography university.
Have they been to law school? Or have they been to the
Academy of Art? It is a very important thing to find out, yet virtually no one asks.
You will be surprised at how many wedding photographers come from plumbing or carpentry… and you
let them be in charge of the most important day of your life!
By all means I don’t mean for you to demand to see a diploma – I would be surprised if you found
a photographer willing to go that far to get a job… it would be like asking a lawyer to see his degree before
hiring him. Just ask and use your common sense; very often body language speaks for itself. By the end
of this page you will have nightmares about how to Choose a Wedding Photographer.
“What about Copyright Issues?”
This is something many people are very confused about. Copyright issues are at the
base of many discussions. An image is copyrighted the very moment it is created, even though there are no text
reminders attached to it. Every photograph is Copyright of the author for his lifetime plus 50 to 100 years after
his death, depending on the legislating country.
“But it’s my face… how can that be Copyright of the photographer?”
Yes, it is your face, but it is the Photographer’s way of seeing your face, therefore his/her
copyright. As such, you will need to pay for the use of that image AND obtain written authorization that will
specify the allowed use for that particular image. Read everything about Copyright Issues by clicking
on the link below.
One more thing… actually 10 of them…
Wonder what to ask a photographer? There are specific Wedding Photographer Questions to ask and it is important you
ask them all to help you Choose a Wedding Photographer wisely and to have a clear picture of what you are getting
into. Click on the links below for more information.
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