Wedding Times

Your wedding photographer will have free reign over capturing the feelings, action and beauty of your day. Because they play such an important role, it’s important that you choose the right person for the job, someone that will best suit your needs and provide picture perfect shots. Here are five things to look for in your photographer.

1. Negatives or Digital Files

Even if it seems like an unnecessary luxury at your original meeting with the photographer, keep in mind that, years down the road, you may want to make more prints of your own. Whether there are pictures in the film that you didn’t receive with your package, or your pictures have faded and you want reprints, it’s always nice to have the option of getting more prints of your wedding day. When speaking with your photographer, make sure that you can have the film negatives or the digital files so the memories that have been captured will be yours forever.

2. Experience

As the photographer plays such a major role on the day of the wedding, it’s important that they have experience. A photographer that has been in this situation many times before will be able to organize everybody, put them at ease, and make things flow more smoothly. Being a wedding photographer can be a stressful. A photographer with experience behind them will never let you see them sweat and will pull things off calmly.

3. Professional Attitude

This includes returning your calls promptly, treating with you respect at all times, and not making offensive comments towards other photographers or other couples. The way they speak of others is probably the same way they will speak about you so make sure that they are respectful. If not, immediately scratch them off your list and find a photographer who would love to be a part of your big day.

4. The Ability to Listen

You need to make sure that you and your photographer know that this is your wedding and your opinion matters. Make sure you have an idea of what you are looking for and bring these ideas with you when speaking to photographers. Ask at your venue if they have photos from past weddings and browse them to see if there is anything that you would want for your own wedding. A photographer needs to have a clear understanding of your vision so the final product is as you had pictured. To do that, they need to listen.

5. Style and Approach

Over their professional career, every photographer develops their own way of doing things. They know what works for them and what doesn’t. Their individual approach will help get the best photos of your wedding. While you need your photographer to listen to your thoughts and ideas, you also need an understanding of their way of working to see if it will coincide with yours.