So we did it. It only took a few months of weeding through the multitude of crappy photographers in this world to find a good one to shoot our wedding. Mac’s Photography is the one we are going with. It was a struggle, as a photographer, to find someone that I trusted to shoot my wedding. So, I decided to share some tips for those of you who aren’t photographers, but want some excellent quality work on your big day.
Is it sharp?
It sounds simple, but you would be surprised how much work I came across by “professional” wedding photographers that wasn’t even very well focused. That is a BIG deal. Blurry photos will haunt you. I have nightmares about them. When you are looking for a photographer, pay attention to the focus of their portfolio. If they are using blurry images to represent themselves, blurry photos are what you will get.
If you know them, they are out.
This may not ring true 100% of the time, but I am still putting it on my list. I am a photographer, and I know tons of excellent photographers. The problem is, you don’t get the same service from a friend as you would from someone else. My friends would treat me like a friend, but I want to be treated as a CLIENT. I want my images on time, and your friends are going to place you on their list of to-do things directly BELOW their paying customers.
Find a REAL pro.
Not someone who does wedding on the weekends or in their spare time. I don’t want an accountant shooting my wedding, I want him telling me that I spent too much on a photographer for my wedding. There are a lot of people out there that shoot only weddings, so go find one.
Talk.
Talk to the photographers. They are going to be shooting the intimate moments of your life. If you aren’t comfortable talking to them over the phone, you probably won’t like sharing a dressing room with them. Make sure you are comfortable with having this person intrude on you. It is the only way to get truly capturing photographs.
So there are my tips. I hope they help.