wedding planning?

Question

For my advertising class my group and I are doing an advertising campaign for a local photography compnay. We decided that we're going to concentrate on the wedding section. Since no one in my group has ever gotten married we're at a stand still. SO I was wondering for the people who are married here, how did you choose a wedding photographer and where did you find your wedding photographer. Also how long did it take, what went through your mind and what made you finally choose the photographer your choose?

I'll also accept answers from people who are getting married soon and have already choosen a photographer

One more thing. What type of pictures did you want the photographer to take more of. I'm meaning like people in poses or the random photos like all the women chasing after the bouquet.

Answer 1

My photographer was a word of mouth referral from a friend - she did a great job at a great price. I spent some time going through her portfolio looking at pictures though (this was years ago - the internet was not such a big thing). I gave her a list I found in a wedding mag of "can't miss" shots - and we had some candids, some posed.

Answer 2

As a professional wedding consultant/planner choosing a photographer is not a difficult task but a very important decision to make. At a wedding there are (3) important people present at a wedding. The bride the groom and the photographer. In choosing a photographer you need to request letters of recommendations as well as review the photographers portfolio's of work. Today, more couples are choosing photojournalist style photography. What that means is that the photography is non-traditional and not posed shots. The photography captures intricate yet delight and precious moments that would go unnoticed during your special day. Before selecting a photographer, decide what is your style of photo presentation, finish and your budget for a photographer. Keep in mind that your shots will always remained archived, so if you do not decide to get the largest package, you can always request additional shots later in the future. The time frame for selecting a photographer is very important. We recommend contracting your photographer at least (6) months in advance to secure your wedding date. Selecting a photographer is most important to guarantee that your most memorable moment will be captured for a lifetime.

Answer 3

When we got married several years ago, digital photography was just really coming into play in the wedding photography scene and we were unsure of it, so we opted to go for film. Specifically, we wanted to make sure our photographer used B&W film for some shots, and didn't just change color shots to B&W. Now that digital technology has advanced, more couples are comfortable having an all digital photographer, but I still think one that works with film as well as digital could be a selling point, especially for couples who are not as comfortable going all digital.

You want a photographer you can trust, one you feel comfortable with. A photographer's experience and personality is very important and word of mouth can really help - or hurt - a photographer. A photographer with a reputation of being easy to work with, professional, considerate, and personable is a huge plus. Testimonials are a big bonus.

A photographer absolutely must have a website, preferably with pricing (at the very least an idea of a price range). There are very few brides that are unconcerned with budget, and photography can eat up a large chunk of the overall budget. Most brides will research online first before ever setting foot in a studio, so a well designed, professional website is an absolute must for a photographer.

Packages should be clear - you want to know what you're getting for the money, and also how much the extras are going to cost. The ability to customize a package is also key, as are options. One of the things that sold us on our photographer was his offering a digital wedding album set to music on a credit card sized CD.

Most brides also expect to shell out for a good photographer, but nobody likes feeling ripped off. Higher prices need to be justified by great service, outstanding photos and superior photographers.

Of the photographers we interviewed over several weeks, I found the ones that were honest, up front and knowlegeable to be the most appealing. I didn't care for the ones who were kissing up to us trying to get our business (the chain photographer - associated with David's Bridal, or at least they were, comes to mind. I can't think of their name though). I liked the photographers that directed the conversation with us without dominating it. At the time, we knew nothing about wedding photography, so it was nice to have a trained professional giving us their perspective on what to expect and what they offered. I appreciated photographers that gave us advice, like one photographer who said she requests that she and her assistant be served their meal at the same time the bride and groom are so they can be ready for any photo ops (like cake cutting) when the bride and groom are finished eating.

Answer 4

I helped plan weddings and always offered a photographer who would put a video together of the couple when they first started dating, up to the proposal, the rehersal dinner. Also the bride and groom getting ready before the wedding, the wedding day and parts or the reception.

It was very memorable for everyone and stills of every picture was available for the album as well as the families.

The cost is actually less than you may think and shows the blending of two lives into married bliss.

Answer 5

I'm getting married in August and already booked my photographer months ago so hopefully i can help.

I started by doing an online search. I live near Albany, NY so i did a search for all the popular and most used photographers on this site that the city itself had. Albanyweddings.com i think.

From there i checked out several of the photographers web pages and now a days most have a full page of all of their services. Most have tabs that have show prices/packages, portfolios from previous weddings, and a bio on the photographers.

From there i narrowed them down by price and what i thought of the few photos that they had put up. Generally they put up the pictures they feel are their best so i got a feel of their style from them. I emailed the ones that i liked with specific concerns and questions and waited for a response.

From there i judged a lot on how quick they were to return my email. Some were fast, end of the day. Some waited weeks to respond which i felt was very insulting. So i cut a lot of people out from there and then made appointments to meet the few i had left.

After meeting i knew who i wanted just from personality. His portfolio was fun and unique for the weddings he had done. And i liked that he showed us full weddings, not just his personal best. In the end I picked the person who i felt most comfortable with. The person who i felt could best capture us as a couple and that we would feel best with.

It took about 3 months for me to finally decide from start to finish. Hope this helped!

Answer 6

Our reception site gave us a list of recommended photographers. I just called down the list. I decided to go with this one photographer after talking to him on the phone. He was friendly and described his pictures as telling a story. That really appealed to me because I am more interested in the candid shots than posed groups of people. His website backed that up. He was pricey, but I had a lot of confidence that he would take beautiful pictures, so the decision was easy.
Honestly though, I would never have considered going to a photography company. My impression is that they would just send out any photographer and they would just take a bunch of boring photos.
People want their wedding photos to capture them and the feeling of their day. The wedding industry is all about individualism ("its your day; you are a unique couple"). Keep that in mind as you create your campaign.

Answer 7

I interviewed my photographers, and decided by what they showed me and the price. I started in the phone book, but also got some leads from friends or co-workers. I took about a month to decide who to hire. I feel we choose the right person. Our photos were great. I wanted a mix of both posed pics and candid one. Of course I wanted the usual wedding pics of the ceremony, but we got some great ones from the reception too. Where the ceremony is something wonderful and exciting, it was also something sort of sacred, the reception shots showed the fun that was had. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

I called and emailed approximately 30 photographers for my wedding, and interviewed roughly six out of the 30. I found most of my options through TheKnot message boards, as well as Craigslist. It took me about two months to nail down the photographer I used. What was most important to me (besides price) was the style of photography - I really wanted a photojournalistic style that captured lots of candid moments as well as the formal pictures. I also wanted them to be unintrusive - I've been to weddings where you know where the photographers are because they have ridiculous bright lights that tail the bride and groom everywhere. I wanted my photographers to "blend" in the crowd but still take great shots. (Mine were great - I forgot they were even there, but the amount of pictures they gave me proved they were!)

I made sure to look at not only a finished wedding album from each photographer, but I also made sure to get a sample of a FULL, complete wedding from them. Photographers usually put their best pictures in their showroom albums, so it's not a true indicator of their style. By getting a full complete wedding (roughly 400-600 pictures) you can see what their strengths and weaknesses are, and then let them know what you want and don't want at your own wedding.

Lastly, in making my decision, I wanted to make sure we got along with our photographers! My sister in law's photographer was so bad, he kept making cheesy comments during the wedding, and even guests started mocking how many times he would yell out, "hands on shoulders!" Our photographers were young and hip and had super personalities. We figured since they would be around us and our guests for 6+ hours, we needed to get along! We also scheduled an engagement session to make sure our personalities really gelled...it was almost like a trial run for us.

Hope that helps!

Answer 9

to Advertise photography is hard- It is such an art form that not one pose can sell it. Art is hard to sell. You have to have many looks:

originality, classic, formal, candid shots, showing the fun at the event.

you have to take the film and lens filters they use into account as well. Some film picks up more color than others.

Brides want their weddings to look origional and to capture the beauty when looking at a portfolio they are looking for diversity and don't want to see the bride and groom photo's to look alike. (man on left woman on right) A natural pose to fit their style is the best thing.

this website shows personality check it out!

Answer 10

well, every bridal book and site i've visited adn read has pretty much the same questions that a bride like myself would need to keep in mind. it all boils down to your personal style/taste, the style of your wedding and of course the budget. an article i found talks about the different "styles" of wedding photography too so hopefully it gives you and your group some ideas: http://www.bridefu.com/2007/02/10/for-those-walks-down-memory-lane/
otherwise, i would just browse google for some wedding photographs. of course, you'll come across the "personal, home-made" photos but you'll find some amazing professional photos too...i LOVE looking through google images for those =)