Photography Blog

With so many wedding photographers available, how do you know who to choose?
Here are a few basic guidelines to help you with your decision…

Any price that seems too good to be true, is exactly that.

With the accessibility of digital cameras on the market, these days there are literally hundreds of amateur photographers offering substandard service for bargain-basement prices. (Everyone has to start somewhere, but most professional photographers learned the trade by first assisting someone with more experience.) Amateur photographers are those who offer ridiculously low rates because they have no professional training and no professional equipment.

Quality costs more because it’s worth more.

If you’re considering hiring a hobbyist or amateur photographer because they’re cheaper, you should bear in mind that the quality of the work will also be cheap. As will the quality of service. If you choose someone because they have the lowest rates, you run a very likely risk of getting photos you aren’t happy with.  When that happens, there’s no way to reproduce or replace those moments. Remember, you only have one chance for fantastic wedding photos.

How can I tell the professional wedding photographers from the amateurs?

Although it means a bit of research on your part, the good news is that the difference is fairly obvious. In addition to the difference in the quality of work, you want to look for a well-developed website. A key thing to check for, is a testimonials page with at least a dozen testimonials. And when it comes to the portfolio of work, check for a minimum of 50 separate images with many different people featured. An amateur photographer may have several images, but a dead giveaway is if most of the photos are of the same few people.

What are some standard professional wedding photography rates?

If you’ve been checking out several photographers, you’ll have noticed that price ranges can really vary. But if you’ve done a bit of research, you’ll probably have noticed that standard pricing for obviously professional, experienced photographers – those with good reputations/testimonials, good portfolios and good equipment – starts around 00 (and can go as high as ,000) for 6 to 8 hours. Anyone charging less, is absolutely not a professional wedding photographer.

Why do professional wedding photographers charge these amounts?

Professional photographers base their rates on several factors. The simple explanation is because they’ve invested in high-quality equipment and the best photo-editing software, and due to their years of experience, skill and knowledge, they give the very best results.

Other than taking photos, what are we paying our wedding photographer for?

Your wedding photographer’s work is not done once they’ve taken hundreds of photos at your wedding. You’re not just paying for their time on your wedding day; you also need to consider the days or weeks they’ll spend working on editing and finishing your images. Someone charging extremely low rates will not be devoting much time –if any – to putting the finishing touches on your pictures.

Why can’t we just pay less for someone to give us unedited wedding photos?

Although it’s a valid question, the simplest way to understand why not, is to ask yourself this… Would you ask a waiter at a restaurant if you could pay less for your food if it were just partially cooked? When you’re paying for something, you receive a finished product. A professional wedding photographer will only give you high quality photos that have been painstakingly edited and worked on in Photoshop and/or Lightroom before they’re ready.

Is hiring a professional wedding photographer worth the investment?

Five years from now, you may not remember exactly how your cake tasted, or what color your flowers were, or the songs your dj or band played. Your wedding photos (and video if you have one) will be your tangible connection to your memories of that day.  Don’t you want those photos to be the best you can possibly have?

If you do, then you’ll understand the value of paying a professional photographer what they’re worth, to do your wedding photography right and to do it well.

The professional photographers who cover special occasions like wedding are known as wedding photographers. Planning a wedding ceremony is a big task as it involves many important things and selection of a professional photographer for that special day is one of the many important things.

Wedding is a very important and life time moment for any body and the most important phase of the life of yet to be married couple should be properly preserved in the best possible manner so that they can cherish the special moment for a life time and share them with the generations to come. This can be made possible only by a professional wedding photographer. These specialist photographers have all the necessary tools and techniques which make wedding occasion’s special & long remembered by providing the state of the art photographs of that special day. Selection of the most experienced, dedicated and dependable photographer is essential in planning a wedding ceremony as they are experts in this field and produce the stunning photographs which survive for a very long time and can be savored and shared with many generation.

Wedding photography is a very responsible and complex job and only a professional can accomplish the desired results which an amateur photographer can not do with the latest digital cameras. There is a huge difference of quality between a photograph taken by amateur photographer using digital cameras and the same thing done by a professional and experienced wedding photographer with the help of high end specialized cameras and many other useful accessories without which the photographs do not provide the emotional effect. Having the services of professional photographer also relieves the organizer from many photography hassles and the insecure felling as the experienced photographers know the different important moments of the wedding night and they capture all of them with a great perfection.

The camera angles, light arrangement and mood of the guests, all affect the wedding photography and these things can be effectively understood by only the professional wedding photographer as he rarely misses any key moment while maintaining the strict timelines. Wedding parties can easily leave the photography needs on these photographers who are reliable and their expert eyes are trained to bring out the amazing and marvelous photographs of those special occasions. They are very well equipped with latest and highly efficient photography tools capable of setting up the wedding area for a great photography session.

Photography is a subtle art, not to be practiced by the inattentive. This art requires an eye for detail, sensitivity towards fellow human beings and all that surrounds us. Without these traits one can’t be a good photographer. If you’re in a refined place like Doylestown PA, you want your wedding photographs to come out looking good. That’s why you must hire only a professional Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer, and not ask your nephew Mark to do the job done cause he fancies himself good with the camera.

That’s the classic mistake that many people have made and forever lost the golden moments of their weddings. Weddings are large affairs and a lot is happening everywhere. An amateur photographer would focus only on the surface, and maybe more on the food circulating around. But a professional Bucks Country Photographer will delve into the moment, taking snaps that will delight you for years. So for your wedding hire only the best Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer.

There’s another advantage of hiring a professional to the job. A family member or a friend will be distracted by others who are a part of the wedding. How’d you like if you were put on the sides watching them while your friends had so much fun? A Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer has no such problem, because he won’t want to waste time chatting up friends, or taking part in activities. The Bucks County Photographer is there to do only one job – take great photographs.

These days the advent of digital technology has helped the photographer very much. They now shoot a lot more snaps on high-capacity memory cards, and you can view the photos in a CD on your PC. You can then select what photos are good and should be printed. Almost every Bucks Country Photographer provides this service. But it’s a good idea to ask your Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer beforehand.

For all of us, wedding is one of the most important occasions of our life, and we want to preserve the moments forever. A professional photographer will make sure that these memories are of smiling friends, bridesmaids catching bouquets, a handsome groom walking up the aisle, not of Uncle Richard digging his nose for boogers. That’s the difference between a professional Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer and an amateur. Who can risk not hiring a pro Bucks County Photographer and ruin his or her wedding memories?

Professional photographers have professional equipment. They will have a good quality camera, flash-gun for low-light areas, battery replacements, a tripod, good quality lenses, filters, and other accessories. A Bucks County Photographer who knows his trade will shoot you only from your best angle. If you want to look beautiful in your photographs that probably every relative and friend will ask to see, you need to hire a professional. For your wedding, get only the best Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer.

By know I am sure that you’ve decided to only recruit a professional. Good decision. Now here’s a handy tip to figure out who to recruit. Ask your photographer for samples of his work. Bucks County Photographers often ask for their patron’s permission to show some of their photographs as samples, and a pro wedding photographer will show you shots that he has taken earlier. Seeing the photographs will tell you exactly what the Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer is capable of, and you’ll be able to hire without trepidation.

For more resources about Doylestown PA Wedding Photographer Or even about Bucks County Photographer please review this web page http://www.atgoccasions.com

Powerful digital cameras and photography knowledge waiting for you to soak up online has facilitated people to click photographs themselves. And with the wealth of their first thought, they might think to avoid using a commercial photographer to capture their important events. After all, photography tips are everywhere and cameras are also cheap. This may be a good idea but you will always have to compromise with the quality and professionalism in your pictures that can be achieved only by a professional photographer. Here are 3 reasons to answer your – why and how?

Photographic equipments and additional gear

Commercial photographers invest thousands of pounds in their equipment to get great results with a point and shoot. A professional photographer is always well aware with the actual physics of light and lenses besides general camera features like low light sensitivity, reflections, sensor size etc. Professional photographic equipment will allow wide angle framing of images that you cannot simply get on today’s pocket cameras. Also many photographers with their own studios also invest in additional gear, like multiple strobe lighting, wireless systems to trigger them, backgrounds etc and their images reflect the quality of that investment.

Quality Control producing the finest prints

A professional photographer will never compromise in quality either in prints, albums or frames. If a professional photographer shoots your session and orders prints or albums for you, you can bet that the quality will be high. Since the final images are an expression of their photography business, professionals will always go with the best they can find to present their work to you in a way that reflects their pride in the work.

Experience to shoot any photographic event

Experience is something that becomes the biggest reason to go with a professional photographer. Whether you are looking for a portrait photographer, event photographer wedding photographer or a family photographer, there will simply be no match for the experience of a professional. Professional photographer will be able to see what you envision for the shoot considering the location and the lightening, or suggest ideas in case you don’t know where to start. An experienced professional have seen everything in his particular photography field and thus will be well-accustomed to every situation to shoot the event for you.

Working with a professional photographer can be incredibly creative, production and fun and this enhances the trust you have in their ability to get the shot more creative than you may have ever imagined.

Picking A Wedding Photographer – Does Price Trump Everything Else?

Your wedding day rates up there among those all important milestones alongside your First Communion, Baptism, Bar Mitzvah and Graduation.

Who you ultimately trust the responsibility of documenting your wonderful day will depend on your allowance, your decision on the style i.e. traditional or the documentary style of wedding pictures.

Chances are your search will begin on the internet or by means of suggestions or word-of-mouth.

Though the internet is a good starting point for your research, you ought to resist the temptation to hire somebody without meeting them face-to-face unless you get married in Hawaii or even a place where it is improper for you to talk with them.

In that instance, you may think about getting in touch with a local professional photographer and asking them if they do “destination weddings.”

If time is on your side, then you definitely must meet with all of your prospective professional photographers.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is because the best photographer in the world with the worst attitude regardless of how good a price, is a sure guarantee for a super stressful wedding day for everybody.

The interview is very important to both sides as it enables both sides to evaluate how they will get along.

That’s why an agreement that spells out the details will prevent any misunderstanding.

So do not base your choice on getting a photographer on a price quote over the telephone . The initial call should just be to see if they’re available on your wedding date.

When you have established that, you need to maintain an open mind and meet them.Most do not charge for your appointment so you’ve got nothing to lose.

If you cannot make the scheduled appointment, at least contact the professional photographer to reschedule or tell them you changed your mind about meeting them. They are after all extending you the courtesy of a free of charge appointment.

By looking at the bride’s images at the conclusion of the evening, you should be able to see if she was a “trooper” or a “bride-zilla.”

It should not matter if the wedding was at the Edwards Mansion, the Mission Inn or someone’s backyard.

So there’s no question your search should commence on the internet but you should know that the photos on most photographer’s site are not necessarily a good representation of their true abilities.

What you’ll be viewing are their finest images taken over several weddings and over the length of time they have been running a business. Keep in mind, that your needs are different, you’re employing them to record the all-important day from “start to finish.”

So it can be best if you ask to view images from several different weddings. from start to finish or as a “whole.”

What you are interested in is persistence in the imagery. Do not mistake consistency with repetition. There should be consistency in how the professional photographer handles the light.

Are the shots nicely exposed? Will there be lots of variety in their shots i.e. did it look like they moved around utilizing different angles, lenses and shooting from different places?

The skillful professional photographers and genuinely expert ones perform all this. A few also setup lights of their own when the lighting conditions are poor. Examine the pics of the brides to be. Are they all pretty, slim and slender?

This will be relevant because it is much easier for a photographer to make good shots of great-looking people compared to ones which aren’t so photogenic.

Similarly, it really is easier for a professional photographer to make excellent shots at a beautiful location like the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel or the Mission Inn in Riverside versus local park or the Elks Lodge or just a person’s backyard.

Good wedding photography tells a tale of how that day went for that bride-to-be and groom. The truly skillful photographer helps make the most of the surroundings and makes the wedding couple appear their best.

Also, the observant and creative wedding photographer recognizes little details like place settings, party favors and center pieces that you have painstakingly selected.

Should they have an understanding for style, they will certainly include those images as backdrops or backgrounds for your photograph albums or Dvd and blu-ray menus.

Most professional photographers offer slideshows with music either on Compact discs or DVDs. It might be a great idea to lend 1 or 2 of these to see at home rather than throughout the meeting.

Just be a good sport and return those when you’re done. Dvd and blu-ray examples are expensive to produce. On that subject, inquire if these people author those Dvd videos on their own or they outsource those.

Naturally the photographer who does their very own is more skillful and most likely cares more about their own work than one who outsources that work.

Besides, how should someone else who wasn’t at the wedding do as excellent a job?And for all these reasons, in terms of expense, it really is probably a good thought for brides-to-be to understand that after the expense of food, drinks and the banquet hall, the photographers charge needs to be next highest on the list.

Considering all of the distributors caring for your big day, who’ll be there the longest? Does the professional photographer get to kick back and rest while most people are having a good time?

He/she is faced with the responsibility of taking and documenting your day. If you asked for their presence when you had been getting ready, they will be there when your bridesmaids and you’re dressing.

In between they should sneak in some pics of your future husband also, as well as the bantering prior to that walk down the aisle for you both as single people ideally one final time.

And later on when the party is over, the photographer’s jobs are only starting. 100s of photographs need to be edited and fixed for a number of flaws in post production. Portraits need to be re-touched, albums must be developed, Digital video disc slideshows must be developed and enlargements need to be bought. The list goes on.

The particular post production usually takes as much as twenty hours or more depending on how intricate a bundle a bride-to-be would like.

So remember next time you receive a quote from a wedding professional photographer and you think it can be very high, consider what you’re investing in.

Unlike the other suppliers you hire during the day, the caterers, djs, florists and wedding planners, the wedding photographer just isn’t done at the conclusion of the evening.

In fact, based on how many exposures they made at the wedding, their post production work can take as much as 30 hrs or even more.

Based on their particular customers’ needs, they may have to fix blemishes on photos in photoshop, transform shots to grayscale , design albums or author slideshows with audio. They’ll probably have to meet with you, the client, to finalize styles for albums and send your print purchases out and deliver them when ready.

Overall, these hours must be accounted for and included in their estimate to enable them to be profitable and remain in business.

Ultimately, like the majority of things in life, the calibre of photographer you choose depends on what you’re ready to pay. Remember that the food and songs is for your family and friends, but the photographs are for you. All things considered, that’s what you will be looking at many years after when you reminisce…

If you’re in the un-enviable position of looking for a wedding photographer to photograph your wedding in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire or Warwickshire – you may discover that a lot of the photographs you see on the photographers websites are in black and white. Why is this? Surely with the advancements in digital technology, modern professional cameras are superb at taking colour photographs. Years ago, black and white photographs were the only type of photographs that you could have, and key players in photographic development worked very hard to create colour film to capture the detail and colour that we see in real life. Wedding Photographs in the by-gone days were purely in black and white and when colour film finally became mainstream there was much excitement about the glorious technicolour that it allowed.

It may be that it is much easier to make a photograph with high impact – that is to say a photograph that tugs at your emotions more, if it is in black and white. Black and white wedding photographs have a nostalgic air to them and as we see the world generally in colour, it’s a lot easier to make a statement if your photograph is in black and white as it’s not what we’re used to seeing. It’s rare to see a photograph of ourselves in black and white and most people when taking holiday snaps or photographs of their children will take them in colour. This rarity adds impact – because it’s something we’re not used to seeing we probably see it as more specialist or professional.

Stripping away the colour in a photograph also helps to remove some of the photographs distractions. A red bag on a green lawn, left carelessly in the background of a wedding photograph will be far less distracting if the photograph is in black and white or muted colours. It’s an easy way to remove distractions and imperfections in the photograph, which may make some viewers see them as “better” whatever “better” is.

Photographing a scene so that it appears as it appeared in real life is actually quite difficult. Professional photographers know how to manipulate the camera settings in order to get the exposure (how light or dark a scene is) to resemble the truth. Colour saturation (how colourful) and white balance (how warm or cool the colour tones are) are other variables which affect how a scene looks and are other aspects of a photograph that the professional photographer must get right. By removing all colour, you do away with the need to worry about white balance – there is no warmth or coolness in black and white photographs and the colour saturation is zero. So displaying your photographs in black and white or monochrome is in theory easier than in colour. I say “in theory” as it’s very easy to make a flat or dull black and white photograph – all black and white wedding photographs are not the same.

Modern professional wedding cameras are very good at taking photographs in low light and retaining image quality. The professional range of Canon or Nikon cameras have very large, very sensitive sensors (the digital equivalent to film) this sensitivity allows wedding photographs such as the first dance or indoor evening photographs to be taken without flash. The cheaper amateur cameras do not retain as much detail as their professional counterparts in low light – some of that lack of detail is shown up on the image as noise, which looks a little bit like the grain you get in some black and white photographs. Wedding photographers with cheaper cameras can therefore make the grainy photograph look more acceptable by converting it to black and white. As the grain manifests itself as small dots of random colour speckles in the photographs, black and white shows this distraction less.

Of course, black and white photography has its place in wedding photography. If a scene has high pattern or texture, a correct black and white colour conversion can add a lot of value to a picture. The conversion has to be done correctly though. Each photograph is different – you can’t just press the “convert to greyscale” button and expect an artistic image to be produced. Time must be take to get the greyscale colour balance correct, by altering the saturation and luminance of each individual colour in the image before stripping the picture back to monochrome. Each photograph that is converted to black and white had to be crafted manually for the highest impact and professional wedding photographers that care about producing the very best images will take a great deal of time and effort to producing these images.

When done correctly and on the right photograph, black and white images can look stunning, just make sure the photographer you’re using for your wedding isn’t using monochrome as a technique to cover up their lack of skill or experience.

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Your Photographer

Amongst the plethora of wedding professionals that you will need to consider for your most singular day, there are several reasons your photographer is probably the most important and possibly the most difficult vendor to choose. While the caterer, limousine service and reception hall operators are all very important in their own right, your photographer is perhaps the only artist with whom you will spend the entire day; this means a good rapport is an absolute must.

Products provided by other vendors such as the cake, music, tuxedos and food may be absolutely fantastic – but after a few months have passed since your wedding day, when the cake is gone, the music has stopped and the tuxedos were last seen prancing around at the local prom, what will remain to immortalize those majestic moments of your life? The photos from a professional photographer will last a lifetime at the very least.

Which Style Suits You Best?

When it comes to wedding photography there are two major style philosophies that tend to dominate the current market place, Traditional and Photojournalistic.

As the name may imply, the traditional style has been around the longest and until recently was the most common. Essentially the traditional style wedding photographer is one who prefers to place the couple and groups in specific poses for their photos. This style of photography usually requires that a shot list be prepared in advance by the bride and groom so that the photographer can have a step-by-step checklist and be sure to photograph everyone the couple wants. This style calls for a meticulous photographer who excels in portraiture and is very concerned about each detail in an image including things like: head angle and body positioning, hand placement and ring location, lighting ratios, backgrounds, etc. As you might imagine the time requirements for this type of photography are significant and require a commitment from the couple and attendants to accommodate this style.

With the photojournalistic wedding photography the concept is to capture images as they occur, with little or no intervention. This photographer will typically create more images during the course of a wedding in an almost documentary fashion and usually has a great eye for storytelling. Photojournalistic photographers must be skillful at capturing candid, emotional moments and therefore should have great timing and anticipation. Currently this style has become the most popular throughout much of the United States, whereas overseas there are still some places such as France where the traditional style appears to remain in vogue.

There are many photographers that offer some elements of each style in an attempt to provide the ‘best of both worlds’. Often this takes the form of a photojournalistic approach to the ceremony and reception, but with traditionally posed portraits of the bride and groom as well as group shots either before or after the ceremony.

Quite frankly there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ style; either method can deliver very beautiful images. You should review prospective photographer’s portfolios and consider the ones that you have the best feelings about – also, remember that on your wedding day you will need to be prepared to either work with a person who is something of a ‘director’ in the case of the traditional photographer, or more of a ‘reporter’ with the photojournalistic style photographer.

Finding the Right Photographer

There are many things that go into the choice of your photographer – style, professionalism, value and cost are some of the commonly considered attributes. The best way to get started is to do your research by asking friends and family members for recommendations and searching the internet for photographers in your area; also many of the professional photographer associations such as PPA or WPPI have searchable listings of their member photographers.

Most photographers you’ll find have websites where you can view their work and narrow your search down to the ones who have produced images that you find impressive. Once you find several credible photographers that have shown they can produce excellent photos, it’s time to pick up the phone and call them – ask them about their services and just feel them out in general. The initial conversation should give you enough of an impression to determine if a face to face visit is warranted.

When you decide to meet your photographer in person most likely you will have already seen some of their work online and have a pretty good feeling about the artist; while you may discuss many things during the meeting, its main benefit is to determine if you feel comfortable around this person. Do they make you laugh or smile? Does the conversation flow smoothly? There are many things that make for great photographs, not the least of which is a highly skilled artist behind the camera, but not even the most technically proficient photographer can produce truly beautiful photos of people when they are not comfortable and relaxed.

How Much Will it Cost?

Your choice of photographer in a perfect world would have very little to do with the cost of services and everything to do with their professionalism, photographic abilities and penchant for making you feel at ease when in their presence.

In many ways this purchase is similar to that of the engagement ring in that you really ought to get the best that you can afford because you’ll have to live with it for the rest of your life. Can you imagine calling around to your local jewelers and asking what they charge for an engagement ring, hearing them tell you 00, 00, etc. until finally you get one that says “I have one here for 0” and you yell “SOLD, hold that ring and I’ll be right down to pick it up!” You might say it’s silly to buy a ring you’ve never seen just because it costs less than the others but of course I’m just trying to show that sometimes it doesn’t pay to buy heirlooms based on the price tag alone.

While not every photographer lists their prices online the fact is these artists charge wildly varying prices, from the guy down the street who can shoot your magical day for 0.00 to the higher end photographers who earn 0,000 per wedding assignment. Keep in mind when making your choice that the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ does not always apply very well to photographers. Paying more money does not guarantee getting the best photographer and hiring Uncle Larry to shoot your wedding for a six pack and a couple of NASCAR tickets does not necessarily mean your photos will be horrible. Generally speaking, you can expect to pay anywhere from ,500 to ,000 for a full day of wedding coverage from a professional.

Before You Sign That Contract

Most of us have heard the horror stories where photographers don’t show up, don’t deliver the photos, get drunk and start hitting on the bride or tragically try their hand at the old ‘watch me yank this table cloth off without affecting any of the dishes’ during the reception. The fact is in most cases these sorts of photographers are the exception, not the rule. If you perform the same due diligence that you should before hiring any vendor – meet with several professionals, view samples of their work, get references from past customers and perhaps check them out with the Better Business Bureau, you should feel completely confident by the time you decide to retain your artist.

With all that in mind, there are many things to be wary of when selecting your photographer. Here are some things about any professional wedding photographer’s service that you should ask before making your final decision:

1. Who will actually photograph your wedding?

Quite often there are studios that have many photographers working for them; also there are outfits that act basically as a referral service, booking couples and then assigning one of their many affiliate photographers. Be sure to make it clear that the whiz-bang images and album samples that you see actually come from the same person who will be shooting your wedding. If that’s not the case then ask to see samples from the actual photographer.

2. What happens in the event of equipment failure?

We’re all familiar with good ol’ Murphy and his laws by now. Any professional photographer should have, at a minimum, duplicates of every vital piece of equipment. This means a second camera body, backup flashes, extra batteries, cables, etc. I know several pros that steadfastly refuse to work at all unless they have a backup to their backup!

3. Will you receive the negatives or high resolution digital files?

Some studios include the negatives or digital images in their packages, some don’t and others include it only at an extra cost. Many photographers depend on income from print sales after the wedding and so are concerned that giving negatives or digital files will cause couples to run out and get their own prints made at the local CVS (I should point out here that printing images without written permission from your photographer is illegal) instead of purchasing them from the photographer.

The concern from a customer perspective is – what happens five years later when you want more prints made and find that your photographer has closed up shop and retired to Bangladesh?

If you end up with your heart set on a photographer who doesn’t offer the negatives, one possible compromise is to ask her to provide them after a period of time such as 90 days. In most cases there are very few print orders after the first 30 days have elapsed since the wedding; therefore at 90 days the photographer should have already gotten any print orders he is likely to receive for your wedding and may feel comfortable at that point releasing (or selling) the images to you.

4. Are there any hidden fees?

Make sure to find out if there are any additional charges such as travel costs, printing or shipping charges, etc that will be tacked onto your bill. It’s a good idea to ask what the photographer charges for ordering prints and enlargements, especially if they refuse to provide you with your negatives.

5. Get it in writing!

You want to be sure to get in writing everything that your package entitles you to. The photography business is rapidly changing from month to month and many photographers update, modify or tweak their packages regularly to respond to industry trends. You don’t want to find out when your day arrives 8 months later that the photographer has changed his packages around and now doesn’t remember that you are supposed to receive three signed 16×20 prints as part of your deal!

Ideally all the terms of the package that you agree to should be included in your contract.

Getting married is an amazing experience. It is a day filled with emotion, joy, happiness and sometimes a little sadness when a family member or friend who is no longer with us is not there to share our special day.

As a wedding photographer in Yorkshire we know how traumatic arranging your wedding day can be. With so many photographers around, where do you start? What do you need to know when looking for a wedding photographer? With prices ranging from a few hundred pounds to many thousands, how do you know if they are right for you?

It is a simple fact of life that with the arrival of digital cameras, many people now call themselves a “photographer”. Over recent years there has been an explosion of people offering their services as wedding photographers, many of who have never received any training, have no insurance, do not use professional equipment and do not have sufficient backups in place to cater for any eventuality.

A professional photographer will have all of the above and this post is a quick “Help Guide” to the things to look for and the questions we recommend you ask when choosing a wedding photographer. Grab yourself a cuppa and get comfy. This is not a definitive guide, merely a general overview of what to look for.

Looking for a Photographer:

Personal Recommendations:
Have you been to a wedding recently? What did your friends think of their photographer? As a Yorkshire wedding photographer the majority of our clients come from personal recommendations from either Bride and Grooms who have used us, or from Venues that know the quality of the work we produce and the fantastic value for money we offer. For example, at the time of writing, we are the Resident Photographers at the Chevin Country Park Hotel in Leeds. Personal recommendations are one of the best ways of choosing your photographer as they will have a proven track record.

Google And Other Search Engines:
A quick search on any of the major search engines will produce a mind numbing amount of choices. For example, if you type into Google the search terms “Wedding Photographer Yorkshire” it will return somewhere in the region of 2,770,000 results (yes we are there on Page 1). Simply going through each result would take you years, so as a general rule of thumb, stick with those on page 1 or page 2. The reason for this is simple: If they are on page 1 or 2 then they have taken the time to ensure that their website is well designed, optimised and placed, to ensure that their products or services are easy to find for prospective Bride and Grooms.

Choosing A Photographer

As soon as you have decided on a date, have booked your wedding venue and received confirmation then book all other services required for your wedding day as quickly as possible. Leaving it to the last minute to book your wedding photographer is not a good idea. To give you an example, as a wedding photographer in Yorkshire, we often get booked two years in advance! Many Bride and Grooms start looking for their photographer the day they get engaged.

Websites:
The first thing to do is look at a photographers website but do NOT be fooled into thinking this is the be all and end all. Always concentrate on the images and not the website design. These days for a few hundred pounds you can have a real classy looking website designed. Never forget that a website only shows the content that the photographer WANTS you to see. You will only generally see the best images, the ones they want to use to showcase their abilities so take a good look around the website. Have a look and see how many different weddings you can see. If there is only one or two, have they only photographed a few weddings? Also how much information does the photographer give you? Are they up front about their prices or do you have to go in and see them to find out how much they charge? Do they give you specific detailed information about their services?

Also be VERY wary if they say they are a member of a “Professional Trade Organisation”. Some trade organisations only require photographers to pay an annual subscription fee to join then allow the photographer to use the Organisations logos on their website. Indeed some organisations have absolutely no joining requirements, you do not even have to own a camera and your Granny, who has no idea about photography, could join if she wanted. Do your homework and check out Trade Organisations carefully as they are not all the same. Some are for full time professionals only and Members are required to undergo evaluation, inspection and have insurance documents checked, others simply let you pay a nominal amount and declare you to be a “Professional Photographer”. Remember that the photography industry is not regulated and anyone can claim to be a “photographer”.

Price:
If it seems too good to be true, chances are it is!
Many photographers just starting out tend to charge really low prices and only cover their costs. Many see your wedding as a way of building a portfolio of wedding images. Now this won’t apply to all budget priced photographers but as a general rule of thumb, if the price seems really low, then there is a reason for it, so try and find out what it is.

For many Bride and Grooms, price ends up being the determining factor. You spend hundreds, if not thousands on the dress, the venue charges a small fortune, then there are the cars, the Groom’s attire, Bridesmaids dresses, the cake, the flowers – cutting costs on your wedding photography can result in poor wedding photographs resulting in huge disappointment and photographs of the day that you simply do not want to look at. Remember it is a one shot event – to get everyone back to retake the photographs will be time consuming and very expensive.

Make An Appointment:
Until you go meet the photographer, you won’t be fully informed if they are the right person for the job. At the meeting ask to see photographs from AT LEAST five recent weddings. Ask if the photographer has worked at your venue before and if so ask if you can see some images from that wedding. Ask to see the demo albums – is there a good range to choose from? Does the photographer have letters of recommendation from previous clients, if so ask to see them. Does the photographer work from home or from a Studio?

During this meeting there are some really important questions to ask, a few are detailed below:

Q. How long have you been trading and how many weddings have you photographed?
If the answer is “6 months and 2 weddings, both of them friends of the family who I didn’t charge because I need the experience and the images for my portfolio” – is this the right photographer for you?

Q. Are you insured?
All professional photographers should carry Professional Indemnity and Public Liability insurance. If they don’t then tread carefully.

Q. What are your prices, and what do I get in my package?
Seems a silly question to ask right? Well no! There is nothing worse than handing over your hard earned cash only to find that after the wedding you are not getting what you thought you were. Is there an album in the package? How many hours coverage do you get? What additional products are included in the price? Does the price include image editing? Do you have an overtime fee if we run over?

Q. Do you contract out your wedding photography service?
Picture this scene….. you spend months researching photographers, finally decide on one, get them booked then on the wedding day, someone you have never met before turns up to photograph your big day. How are you going to feel? Angry?

Make sure that the person you book with is the person who will attend and take your wedding photographs. Sounds simple I know but you will be surprised just how many photographers sub contract out their work to other, often inexperienced and uninsured, photographers. It is a practice we do NOT subscribe to. If you book with us then it is Mark Pearson Photography who covers your wedding, not an outsider.

Q. Is this your full time job?
Many photographers have full time jobs and photograph weddings on a part time basis so may not necessarily be available to answer your questions or emails during normal working hours. If you have a last minute question, it may take some time to get a response or you may not be able to schedule meeting times that are convenient to you.

Q. Do you provide a written contract?
It is absolutely critical that you receive a written contract detailing your exact expenditure and what products/services you are getting. Do NOT accept contracts that are sent by email.

Q. How many weddings do you cover per day?
If the answer is anything other than ONE – be careful. Many photographers will cover more than one wedding a day and this can lead to problems at YOUR wedding. What if the first wedding runs late? This will mean that the photographer may be late to yours.

Q. Can I see some of your work / view the demo albums?
Make sure you have a good look at the photographers work. Look at image quality, look at album quality. Looking at images of babies, sunsets, buildings or family portraits will not give you any idea of their abilities as a wedding photographer. Also ask the question “Is this from a real wedding?”. You will be amazed just how many photographers use images taken on training days in their portfolios. They attend a training session where a Trainer sets up the shot then tells the photographer how to take it. The image may be amazing but can they reproduce it during a real wedding with all the pressure and stresses involved?

Q. What backup equipment do you bring to the wedding?
It never fails to amaze me that photographers still attend a wedding with only ONE camera! If that camera breaks down what are they going to do? Pop out their mobile phone and carry on shooting? We always bring a full range of backup equipment to every wedding. For example, we bring backup digital cameras, extra storage cards, a laptop, blank discs, spare batteries and a portable studio if the weather is wet and we have to shoot indoors.

Q. Do you do a pre-wedding site visit?
Have you ever been to a wedding and when it comes to having the photographs taken, it is absolute chaos? Uncle John has gone to check in, Aunty Flo has nipped to the loo, your Best Man has popped to the bar. Surely the Bride and Groom should have been a bit more organised shouldn’t they? Well actually no!

This is down to the photographer and not the happy couple. Whenever we photograph a wedding, we always go out and do site visits at the locations. This allows us to create a plan for the day which we discuss in detail with each Bride and Groom. Nobody wants to be stood around for hours waiting to be photographed, so we work closely with each couple to ensure that this doesn’t happen. We also have a wonderful way that we use to ensure that the photographs go smoothly and quickly. Pop in for a chat and we will show you it!

Q. What “style” do you photograph in?
There are different styles such as Traditional, Reportage, Photojournalistic, Fashion, Glamour – does the photographer photograph in the style YOU are wanting? Do they do it weekend in, weekend out, or are they trying to photograph in a way they may not necessarily do on a regular basis. Get this bit right and you will love your wedding photographs as you will receive what you expected. Get it wrong and you could end up hating them.

Q. Will you put my wedding photographs online for our guests to see?
The majority of photographers now do this as standard though some still do charge extra for it.

Q. Do you do a pre-wedding meeting?
With every Bride and Groom we sit down with them about a month before the big day to discuss in detail the plan for the day. During this meeting we discuss what photographs they want taking and between us create a “plan of attack”. This helps ensure that the day runs as smoothly as possible.

Q. What will you wear when photographing my wedding?
Again seems a silly question right? You will be surprised how many “professional” photographers turn up to photograph a wedding dressed in jeans, t-shirts and trainers. A smart business suit is our standard wedding attire and I will even colour co-ordinate my tie with your colour scheme if at all possible!

Booking Your Photographer:

As soon as you have decided on the photographer who is going to cover your big day…….. PHONE THEM!
It is not unusual for photographers to work on a “first come, first served” basis and there is nothing worse than doing all the hard work only to find that someone booked your date 2 hours earlier.

As a wedding photographer in Yorkshire, we often get booked up to two years in advance by our clients.

Many photographers will require you to pay a retainer to secure the date. This will be either a fixed amount or a percentage of the total package price and will be deducted from your total photography costs.

Remember: Make sure you get a written contract which details the amount you are paying and what you are getting.

One final thing to think about: Personality.
Chances are that your wedding photographer will spend more time with you than any of your other suppliers. Can you spend a whole day with them? Can you work with them for an extended period of time? This is a point that is often forgotten about!

If you would like any more information, or are looking for a Yorkshire wedding photographer then pop over to our website: www.markpearsonphotography.co.uk. Alternatively, give Mark a call on 0113 2295408, make an appointment (no obligation whatsoever and it’s free!) to pop in and see him and he will have a chat with you over a coffee about your big day and what to look out for when looking for a wedding photographer.

Hope this has helped and if you are getting married in the near future, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Mark

Your wedding photographs are a lasting reminder of your special day which will be shown to family and friends for many years to come. This important piece of your own history should be left to the professionals.

A professional wedding photographer understands how to capture images and obtain successful results in any situation. For a professional photographer it is as important for the photographer to achieve the right results as it is for you, as many appointments are generated from recommendations.

Obviously budget will be a factor in choosing your photographer. However, a budget photographer should not necessarily be confused with an amateur photographer.

A professional photographer may still cover your wedding for a similar price as an amateur by tweaking their packages to suit.

A professional photographer is all about creating the perfect images of your big day and capturing the important moments. Costs can increase when selecting an album for your photographs, number of images required for printing etc. However, many professional photographers will reduce their costs where the client does not require the prints in an album or any printed photographs at all.

Many photographers will allow the client to have their images copyright free on a disc for printing as required; however, you must first get permission off the photographer. Without permission, these images and the copyright are generally owned by the photographer so reproduction is prohibited.

It should be remembered that many professional photographers will use their preferred printers who closely match colours etc. to the original. Therefore, whilst using a professional who does this may seem expensive, the quality of the finished photographs will be of the highest standard. Printing photographs on a PC will certainly not achieve the same results. Likewise quick print processors may well use old equipment and inferior papers or inks so will also not achieve the best results.

That said, simply having the images on disc can significantly reduce the cost and you still have a lasting reminder in digital format.

For a package of this type it would seem that you would simply be paying for the time on the day.

However, any quotes may seem a little excessive even with this streamlined service. Whilst you may only see the photographer for a few hours on the day, there can be many hours of unseen work involved.

Bear in mind that a photographer needs to know exactly what it is you want, what style of photography and which posed photographs you require etc.

This will require a pre-wedding meeting in many cases followed by attendance where the ceremony and reception venue to go through exactly which shots you would like and advising on others. Again this all takes time and will be included in any quote.

Then there is the after event work which can include sorting and picking out the best photographs. With digital cameras a photographer may take many hundreds of photographs, snapping away ensuring everything is captured. Sorting through these is a very time consuming process and adds to the costs.

Once images have been selected many of these will require editing. This may include removing unwanted parts from the shot, adding or removing light, changing the colour as some may look better as black and white or sepia.

When everything is taken into consideration, with the hours worked on one particular wedding the actual hourly rate for a photographer can actually be very low.

Although professional photographers are trying to make a living the vast majority also do it for the love of the occasion and a passion for photography and are happy to spend many unseen and often thankless hours working on your images.

Therefore when deciding on a professional or amateur photographer please bear in mind the major differences and the end result when making the final decision.

If you find the photographer you really want to use and the quote seems excessive, please remember all the work which is involved.

If the cost is simply too high, speak to them and in many cases they will be able to accommodate you. Ask them to strip out all the ancillary parts which although make the professional service more complete, do add to the cost.

The cheapest option will obviously be to just have the photographer attend the wedding on the day and place all images on a disc without the pre-wedding meetings, sorting and editing. At least you will have professionally taken photographs for prosperity.

All that said nothing can beat the full professional photography service, including professionally made albums and image editing. In order to have this service and still meet your budget it is very much worth while looking at other aspects where you can save and cut spending. Remember that apart from the video, the photographs are the only other lasting reminder of the day and should be afforded the respect and budget that deserves.

As people go through several milestones in their life, nothing shows the beauty of each and every experience than the pictures themselves. Life happens only once and you can show how much you cherish each moment by documenting your valuable experiences. As you collect the shots and put them in an album, you can consider it as a simple biography of your life. Although videos can do so much more, pictures are special in their own way. It’s hard to explain why they are better, but for many, they just are.

In every event you are in or are attending, the photographer may be your best friend. Of course, the people attending that certain occasion are just as important or even more so. But the photographer just produces something that you can keep and cherish for the years to come. As great as memories are, time makes you forget the smaller details of the big pictures. These photos will serve as reminders of the things that could have already slipped your mind. As powerful as memories are, you need to rely on something more powerful. Mark the chapters in your life with the help of someone with just the right eye.

The pictures that you’ll get serve as keepsakes that you and your friends can look through time and again. An expert is able to give you great ideas for the shot. In fact, they can even think of details that you would have never thought of. What stops you from hiring the expert is the thought of an added expense. This does not necessarily have to be the case. Just search through the web because you will realize that there are more than reasonable packages available for you out there. There are prices to suit your budget. In the end, you’ll make a difference when you get someone with the know-how.

Go and find out the packages that you can opt for and make people see why they should also get the help of a professional photographer when they have a special day coming up.