I write this article using the years of experience I have of being a wedding photographer but also from the point of view of a prospective groom. Sally and I get married on 14th June of this year.
Obviously, as a wedding photographer I am bound to be rather biased concerning the importance of wedding photography. But even still I stand by the opening statement on my web site www.JJPhoto.co.uk , in that, I recommend a prospective bride and groom consider the following:
“Eventually, your wedding cake will be eaten, the petals of your wedding flowers will fall. The wedding car will return to the garage and the wedding dress will be put away. But your wedding photographs and the memories that they sustain will be with you, your children and quite possibly your children's children for years and years to come. Your wedding photographs preserve everything you put into your day and in future years they will remind you of just how wonderful your whole wedding day was.”
With that in mind, I feel that your wedding photographs provide outstanding value for money when compared to the majority of the other things you buy or hire for your wedding day. I am thrilled each time I hand over a JJPhoto wedding album to our clients because I know that they will treasure it for years and years. Revising it on anniversaries and using it to show their children what mum and dad looked like years before.
Right, so it’s obvious that I feel strongly about wedding photography. So how do you make sure you entrust the job to the right person? To this end, I have compiled some general guidelines to help you select the photographer that’s right for you.
Personal Recommendations
When I started JJPhoto I knew that the most powerful advertising is through word of mouth and sought out to create a strong reputation. So I recommend that you start by asking friends and family for recommendations. People who’ve had positive experiences with photographers are always happy to share their photographer’s names with you. At JJPhoto we get a constant stream of referrals in this way.
Use the Internet
The internet is a perfect way to create a short list of photographer you like. Photography is a visual art and so lends itself to the internet. You can’t taste your caterer’s food, smell your bouquet or try on your wedding dress over the internet but you can look at photographs. At JJPhoto we regard our web site www.JJPhoto.co.uk as a shop front to our business for the world to look into. So not only do we ensure our photography is up to scratch we also ensure the whole web experience reflects our attitude to quality. The devil is in the detail. If you think that a web site looks a bit a tacky then perhaps this reflects the photographer’s taste. Visit each photographer's website. Good photographers usually show plenty of their recent work online including full weddings. Anyone who takes enough photographs is bound to get a few good ones. So be wary of photographers who just show you a short selection of their ‘best work’. Look for continuity. You can save yourself a lot of time by short-listing photographers who have large online portfolios for a possible meeting. Then narrow the list further to the photographers whose works speaks to you.
Phone interview
Call or email each photographer on your list. A quick phone call or short email will give you a number of vital information, such as the photographer’s availability on your wedding day, type of photography specialties (e.g., candid, traditional, photojournalism, combination, film or digital, etc.), and a rough idea as to how much they’ll charge you and what is included. It will also tell you a bit about the photographer’s personality. Remember, you spend more time on your wedding day with your photographer than any of the other professionals who’ve hired. So, be sure to choose someone you feel good about. At JJPhoto, wherever possible Sally and I work together on each wedding day. Not only are two cameras better than one, but we find our, soon to be, husband & wife team to be a real strength and advantage in our business.
Make appointments
Make appointments with the photographers on your short list so you can view their portfolios and discuss details. These meetings should include both the bride and groom as well as parents, and anyone else who will either be paying for the work or working closely with the photographer. Write down all your questions before you meet, and take notes during the meetings.
Getting Specific
The more questions you ask up front, the more confident and relaxed you’ll feel on and after your wedding day. If in doubt, ask. And remember, there is no such thing as a daft question! As the client you are not expected to know all about weddings and photography that’s why you hire professionals.
Here are some questions you may consider to ask:
How will you show me pictures for selection (e.g., electronic, proofs, contact sheets, online gallery, etc.)? At JJPhoto we provide online proofing, so all of your family and friends can view and purchase your photographs. We also provide a proofing disk. So you can view them on your PC. If required, we will provide printed contact sheets. We are trying to do our bit for the planet so we only provide these if asked.
Will you help me choose the final pictures? We always help and encourage our clients during the wedding album design stage. We provide PDF versions of the wedding album so our clients can give us feedback and input throughout the creative process.
How will you make it easy for friends and family to order reprints? What are the costs of the various levels of coverage? What is your photography style; photojournalistic, journalistic portraiture, traditional etc..,? How much for the duplicate prints, albums, folios, enlargements, thank you cards, etc? What’s your time frame for preparing the pictures for my selection? How long do I have to make up my mind as to which pictures I want and how many? How long have you been in business? What kind of insurance do you have? Are you affiliated to a professional body? What’s your philosophy to photographing weddings? Do you have travel fees? Do you have a backup? Will you be shooting my pictures personally? Will you use film or digital? Who will I be dealing with after the wedding? What's your payment policy? What is the possibility of the pictures fading?
There is huge number of possible questions you can ask your wedding photographer. Most professional photographers will provide you with clear explanations about their services prior to any questions even asked. Many of them have full packages that include certain number of prints, wedding albums, enlargements, etc., so it is very clear what level of service and final products you should expect. We endeavour to provide as much information on our website (www.JJPhoto.co.uk) as possible. As shoppers on the internet ourselves, Sally and I hate it when websites are just designed to get a sales enquiry from you and offer no real information.
Be prepared to make a commitment
At this stage, if you've taken the time to ask good questions, you’ll know whether this photographer is for you. By now you've probably spent a good deal of time communicating with your photographer. Go to your meeting prepared to leave a deposit to reserve the date as photographers, like most other things in a wedding, are often being booked more than a year in. If the photographer is right for you, if the photographer is available, and if you're convinced that it's worth the price, then make the commitment and relax; this is undoubtedly one of the best and most intelligent decisions you've made in planning your wedding.
