How to Hire a Photographer for Your Wedding

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By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(5 Ratings)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What yours say about your wedding day will depend a lot on who's behind the camera.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Wedding Albums
Photographers

Step 1

Ask family, friends and recent newlyweds for recommendations, and set up interviews. You can also consult the yellow pages and wedding vendors, but exercise extra caution in checking work samples and references if you find your photographers in this manner.
Step 2

Request to see a complete coverage of each photographer's work - that is, ask for a picture portfolio of an entire wedding for which he or she was hired.
Step 3

Choose an overall photographic style that suits you, whether photojournalistic, candid, formal posed portraits, artsy with added dramatic flourishes, color, or black-and-white for a romantic, classy look - or select a blend of a number of styles. Which can the prospective photographer deliver?
Step 4

Consider the photographer's personality. Decide if you share a vision and will get along well. Remember, the photographer will be your shadow before and during the event.
Step 5

Check prices, including those of packages offered and numbers of prints included. Remember, it may be worth it to invest in a good photographer if it means that the memories of the day will be captured perfectly or near-perfectly on film.
Step 6

Schedule a follow-up meeting to hammer out specifics ' specific shots you want and don't want, the shooting schedule on the day of the wedding, film development, how many rolls will be shot, the number of proofs available and the negatives policy (how long they're available and whether they're for sale).

Comments

freewillll said

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on 10/21/2009 There is also a great article here: http://www.haringphotography.com/blog/?p=478
I hope it helps!

sachphotography said

on 8/8/2009 Another goo place to check is www.pazilla.com
It is a network of photographer profiles.
Good information here. 5*

Rachel0814p said

on 2/7/2008 If you need a wedding photographer ANYWHERE in the world, check out Loren Scott Photography.

on 2/7/2008 Never choose your photographer based on price alone. "You get what you pay for" & "too good to be true" apply here.

Photographers who have invested time, education & money in learning their craft, in maintaining top-rated equipment, in professional affiliations (PPA, WJPA, etc.) AND liability coverage will have pricing that reflects it.

Low end photographers are either inexperienced, not confident enough in their work to charge like a pro OR don't the reputation to be able to charge what the higher end competition is charging.

And watch out for studios who show awesome image sampls then offer low priced packages that seem to include everything. These types of studios are known as Wedding Mills, and they focus on quantity over quality. They do not have a staff of pro photographers, rather they outsource YOUR WEDDING to any shutterbug available on your date!!