Before booking your wedding photographer…
Take a look at the wide range of bridal and wedding magazines on the market to get a feel for the kind of photography you would like. Do you want a formally captured record documenting your day, with specific shots that you know you can’t live without, or would you prefer a different style, for example, where the photographer moves naturally around capturing shots informally.
Ask your married friends and family to recommend a good photographer, if you’ve got a venue decided or a good hairdresser you trust, ask them to recommend one to you?
Meet a few before you choose…
People are all different, and chances are your wedding photographer is going to be around you all day and evening, so you need to like them as a person and trust them.
Ask to see their past work, and discuss exactly what you want with them, have as many meetings with them before the event as you need so that you’re comfortable knowing exactly what you are going to get after the wedding.
Pricing, qualifications and insurance…
A good, established and confident wedding photographer will have his pricing structure set out in advance, probably with plenty of flexibility built in to get you exactly what you need. Check they’ve got insurance, just in case.
Qualifications are great if they are from a recognised institution, such as the BIPP (British Institute for Professional Photographers), but always bear in mind that it takes time to achieve the amount of work in a photographers portfolio to obtain qualified status.
And finally…
The most important thing of all is that you like your photographer, feel comfortable with them and both you and them know what’s expected on the day and afterwards.
Chris
Chris Raven, Owner, Filtered Photos.