what do you look for in a wedding photographer?

Question

digital or film? reportage or posed? digital photo books or traditional albums? how long should the photographer stay?

err maybe i should clarify that im a bride to be who is confused about the whole photography thing. though doing research myself i am interested in what other people think. i live in the uk and i consider myself a nice person but thanks for the rude comment it made me chuckle!

Answer 1

When picking a photographer you need to consider all of the things you mentioned like what format they use (digital, 35mm, medium), style (formal, candid), whether you like how they feature the pictures in an album, what all is included in your package (proofs, parent albums, number of reprints), whether they bring backdrops for family portraits (if that's something that interest you) are the photographers obtrusive or blend in, what is the typical attire of your photographer, do you get to choose your photographer in advance or is the photographer assigned to you based on availability, the number of photo locations, do they photograph preparations before the wedding (rehearsal dinner, getting dressed prior to the wedding), etc. The number of hours the photographer should stay is based on how long your wedding day will be and what you would like them to photograph. It could range from 2 hours to 12 hours depending on your package and needs.

Answer 2

I fired two photographers before I found "the" photographer. Photographer #1, was the right price, offered a ton of pictures/albums, but didn't do digital. This didn't bother me too much until I was going through examples of his work. Now one would assume that a photog. puts out his very best work to show prospective clients just how great he is. So as I'm going through his portfolio, I'm noticing that in the posed, formal pictures, they just aren't centered. Some of them show a ton of background, and it's not like it was a gorgeous background of the ocean or city. In one he actually had a good portion of a parking lot in the back. Then in another one, all of the wedding party is in one tight group, except for one girl who is about a foot away from the rest. Now wouldn't someone with a good eye have directed the girl to move in? He did very little photo-journalistic style also. All I can say is his work just screamed "1980." The next guy I hired was in Manhattan, very well known and respected, with excellent referalls. The problem? Well, he wanted $5,500 to just show up. No albums, no DVD, no proofs. Nothing. I almost signed the contracts, but then I crunched some numbers and realized I would be paying over 10 thousand if I wanted albums or prints. Ridiculous! I finally found my perfect photographer. She did the style of work I wanted, very Martha Stewart if you know what I mean. Her and i just clicked immediatly. She also has a fly on the wall mentality when it comes to the reception. In other words, she won't be sticking a camera in my face as I take a huge bite of food. Her price was the same as the Manattan guy, but for that I get her and an assistant, digital and regular photography, one big album for us, and 2 parent albums, 150 thank you wallet size photos, digital retouching, and an allowance for prints. I think you will just get a feeling of who is right for you. The photographer should stay from the time you are getting ready, until you and your husband leave the reception. Just make sure this is in the contract. You don't want him/her leaving in the middle or charging you extra for staying longer. As far as albums, I think that the traditional photo album will never go out of style. If you could get a disk of at least some of the pictures, that would be great to have too. I personally prefer a good mix of photojournalistic and posed. There are certain reaction shots that just can't be posed: the look on your fiance's face when he first sees you, your mom and dad's reaction as you say your vows, etc, etc. Sorry for the wordy post!

Answer 3

It's all about what YOU prefer and what you want to see again in 1, 2, 5 10, 20 years. I, personally, prefer digital. The photographer I am using wil actually upload my pictures to her website, so myself and guests can order pictures and she will be burning all of the pictures to a dvd for me, and I can them make copies for people. I want some posed pictures but am I fan of the photojournalistc approach. I am also having a photographer for the whole thing, I want pictures of my sister and I getting ready, all the way through the last person leaving the reception.

Browse some websites and find what you are looking for, then meeti with different photographers and show them what you are looking for. You will find someone.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

FILM FILM FILM
You do NOT want digital. My photographer uses film. Paper companies are having problems with digital. Digital looks great on tvs and computer screens but look bad and blurry on printed paper. FILM looks the best and is better quality right now.
So find one that uses FILM only. You have to look around because it is cheaper for the photographers to use digital so many are switching over. But I compared digital and film photographers and the film one is way better.
They should be there for your whole ceremony and at least 1-2 hours of your reception. So total of at least 3 hours is good.

Answer 5

Both of my daughters recently got married. We looked for a photographer who we really felt comfortable with as he/she will be the person who your daughter will spend the most amount time with. Look for someone who is easy going. We wanted a photographer who worked with another person. We had digital and film pictures. The particular photographer we chose to use had a fee for 5 hours. After that she charged by the half hour. Price was a factor for us but we fortunately found everything we wanted and our pictures are FABULOUS

Answer 6

Format (digital etc) and the style of photos is a personal choice - that's up to you.
On the day you're going to be spending a hell of a lot of time with the photographer (I mean hours!) - so I'd say the most important factor has to be a photographer you like and get on with.
"Interview" a few photographers.

Congratulations and have a fantastic day.

Answer 7

Digital you can enhance digital pictures.

Posed.

You look for creativity, clarity of the pictures, quality of the work, also shop around for the best price,also negotiate prices with the photograhper. Also get some reviews in the area where you live on some photographers. I have seen wedding pictures from professional photographers where the pictures looked like an amateur took them.

Answer 8

my mom is a professional photographer in the boston Massachusetts area and she does weddings. If you want you can look at her site at www.maureenfletcher.com she has a great selection of her work in slidshows. I dont know much about wedding photos so when it comes to all your other questions i cant help, the only thing i can say is to check out her website and maybe ask her some questions about the whole thing. She would be glad to help you.

Answer 9

go for word of mouth recommendations, speak to friends and family and ask if they know anyone who's used a photographer recently and ask to see the results. its the best way cos its a big risk if they get it wrong and a porfolio they show you's always gonna be good, best seeing the real thing! As for what type of end product you want, only you can decide. myself i'm going for traditional albulm with traditional pictures, my friend had a trendy one where the guys knelt in front of the girls and girls put thumb on their heads (under the thumb) thought it was just stupid and embarassing!

Answer 10

Hi there,

There really is so many different ways to answer this question that I couldn't justify it in a few paragraphs!

Instead, take a look at the photography section on the attached website - they have tons of artciles each one tackling different issues (there's an article on style, technology, albums etc.)

Good luck and hope this helps.