by Eileen Livers and Monica Bernstein

 
How do I choose a photographer for my wedding? I have a list of local vendors, recommendations from friends, family and coworkers, but I don't know how to decide what is best for me. What are the important questions I should ask photographers when I meet with them, aside from the bottom-line "How much is this going to cost me?" --sdseashells

our experts say:

Dear sdseashells:

For starters, you want your personalities to mesh. This is especially important when it comes to the man or woman behind the camera. Your photographer is the person who will be responsible for getting you and your guests to put their best, smiling faces forward, to be captured forever on film. Besides personality, you also need to choose a professional who is able to deliver the types of photos you want. Do you want an album filled with formal shots, lots of fun candids, or a mix of both? Do you prefer traditional wedding photography, the more spontaneous and documentary-like photojournalism, or would you like to find a photographer who can offer some of each? Once you know your priorities, you can start your search and set up some meetings.

If friends or family have given you recommendations, do check them out. With photographers, this is especially easy, because you can actually see the finished product (the album). If the photographers you find have not been recommended to you, be sure to ask for references -- and (again) do call them. You don't have to wait for your face-to-face meeting to ask about their wedding philosophy. They should be willing to discuss their concept/ideas/style over the phone, to help you get a better idea of what they do and how they do it. Do your best to find out what the photographer is all about, how they like to handle weddings and what shots they look for. When you do meet with photographers, be sure to look through their work (make sure it's their personal work and not some other photographer's in the same studio). Also, be sure to meet with the photographer who will be in charge of your wedding (and not merely a representative from the studio who may or may not be handling your event).

You want someone who is enthusiastic about your event, who listens to your ideas, helps you understand all of the elements of the job and who explains his or her philosophy well. You also want someone who is willing to get to know you. All of this will come through in your pictures.

As for questions to ask during your interviews, definitely ask whether the photographer is familiar with your site. If not, he or she should be willing to scout out your ceremony and reception location ahead of time to find the best places to pose for pictures. Other questions to ask include:

· How long will you stay? Some guarantee a certain number of hours; others off unlimited coverage.

· Do you work with an assistant? If so, find out just how much the assistant is responsible for. You don't want to pay for the main (experienced) photographer and wind up with most of the photos being taken by the assistant.

· What kind of albums will we get? Be sure to take a look at the product you're paying for. Is it the quality of leather you would expect for the price?

Also find out how much extra copies of prints will cost, whether or not you can buy the proofs, how many pictures per album are included in the price (and their size), how much he or she will charge for extra album pages, whether they do retouching and for how much (plus any extra related costs), how many pictures they will take and what kind of equipment they use. Also feel free to ask how much they think you will end up spending overall. If you don't have a set amount ahead of time, this is a fair question.

We hope this helps. Good luck!
The Wedding Women


members say:


The right photographer
Hi!Brides to be.I know it is hard to find the right photographer. My husband and I are professionnal photographers (meaning that yes we do have the training and diplomas and have been in the field for a long time and always keep up with the latest technology). What I recommend is to ask lots and lots of questions, most couples we meet have no questions. Ask how many hours will he / she be there, does he use film or numeric etc..etc.. Now a days with the quality of digital cameras (professionnal of course) the sharpness of the pictures are amazing. I would recommend that you try to find a photographer that uses digital if he or she is a true professional they will have made the swith. Using a digital camera also allows you to have all your pictures in B&W, color and or sepia. Those are options you really want to look into. I also recommend that there be 2 people present the photographer and an assistant and in best caes 2 photographers (thats what we do) and it makes a difference, when he is shooting the ceremony from the back, I shoot from the front and we cover all angles. It's spectacular. When one of us is taking pictures of the couple, the other one is shooting the guests or bridal party and again the results are amazing. Also make sure to ask about the photogrpaher's dress code,you don't want them to show up at your wedding wearing jeans or shorts and tank tops. (believe me it does happen)and make sure they understand that you are the STAR for the day! Some photographers tend to take themselves seriously and see themselves as artists and act like diva's! A good photographer will be able to take lots of pictures without you even noticing he was there and that's how you get the best photos! One last tip, the priciest aren't always the best. A high price doesn't = good work.
--Posted by rad images, Montreal, Qc

The following are just my opinions, and nothing more than that. As you have read in the other posts there are a lot of factors to consider before hiring a wedding photographer. Quality and value of their work, as well as personality, chemistry and professionism. To start I should point out that there is no requirements for a person to be a wedding photographer. No training, or degree of any type is needed, and in some cases not even a business location. So beware of this when you are shopping around. In general what you have is two kinds of wedding photographers, weekend shooters and pros. A weekend shooter ranges anywhere from a person (even a family member) with a camera and few rolls of film to someone is professional in quality but makes their living doing something else. A professional photographer typically means they earn their living taking pictures. To be a pro only means that and does not mean they are professional in the sense of well trained technically and having a artist eye. In short someone getting a business license, charging you sales tax and picking up a camera can call themselves a professional photographer. They are running a business and the weekend shooters are not. So how do you go about finding a good wedding photographer? Look at their backlog. How booked up are they, one month, six months, a year or more. That is a good indicator of their work, the larger the backlog the better. Is this always the case? Of course not but in general it is a good incicator. The best of anything are highly in demand and they will charge more. If the photographer belongs to a professional photographers association does that mean he or she is a good photographer? Not in my opinion. All you can be sure of is they have paid their dues and in the worse case situation maybe th
--Posted by d2farra

I like the look of B&W photos.
--Posted by testredirect2399

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I believe you shouldn't go with because how many people get to do this more then once! To be on the safe side ask to see some of the most recent photos he/she has taken at a wedding, and maybe a contract. Just in case he dosen't do his job you can take him to court!!!
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When choosing a wedding photographer personality is just as important as photo quality, style and price. After all, that person will be your best friend that day and your wedding coordinator if you have none. Always meet with them in person! Have them do a portrait first if possible. Make sure you also meet again closer to the wedding date to go over a picture list. I am a photographer and I tell any prospective client who is in the interviewing process the same thing.
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