Ask Yourself:
• Would you like traditional posed pictures or a more journalistic style of photography?

• Do you want formal shots of your family and guests, or relaxed photographs or both?

• Do you want the pictures in colour, black-and-white or tinted sepia?

• How much would you want to spend? While film costs more, the results are far more organic. Digital pictures, on the other hand, costs less andallow your photographer to check the shots instantly.

Set Menu Versus A La Carte
While wedding photographers are a specialised breed (it takes a certain skill to get the best shot out of nervous to-beweds), journalistic photography requires a different set of skills from studio or location portrait photography. Get recommendations and ask questions you need to know. Journalistic photographers need to be able to capture special moments without retakes to fall back on – you’ll want to look for a spontaneous person who is able to blend easily into the background. Portrait photographers need to be soothing and reassuring. The bottom line: if you don’t think you’d be able to get along with the person in question, chances are, no matter how many recommendations he/she comes with, the chemistry will be missing.

While packages that include portrait and actual day photography may offer significant savings on the whole, getting individual vendors may mean you get the most suitable people for the job.

Package Pros:
• Cost savings when you use the same vendor for actual-day, studio and location photography

• You’ll only have to coordinate with one vendor. Independent
Photographer Pros:
• You’ll get the best of the industry, if you’re diligent in your research and shop around

• There won’t be a chance of getting a substitute photographer if something comes up for your person of choice.

The Brief
Make up your mind. The clarity of your brief is half the battle won. The best way to get a brief across is to collect samples of wedding photography you like. This could be pictures from a friend’s wedding album, tearsheets from wedding glossies or even non-bridal samples that you like. Be clear of what you want – don’t present the photographer with tearsheets that run the gamut of black-and-white journalistic shots, coloured portraits and irrelevant fashion glossies all at once. The worst thing is for a bride to have no idea of what she wants, but to know only what she doesn’t want. They’re photographers, not mind-readers.

Set The Mood
Ask yourself about the mood you’d like the pictures to convey. Romantic shots are often done in soft focus. Happy, perky pictures include a fair amount of natural movement and details of smiling faces. Indicate your preference clearly to the photographer. Again, show him the relevant tearsheets.

Ask The Photographer:
• If he/she will be the actual photographer taking the pictures on the day of your wedding or photo shoot.

• Ask how long the photographer has been in the wedding photography business and how many weddings he’s done. If you’re having an outdoors soiree, ask to see samples of his outdoor work.

• For an outdoor wedding, ask how he/ she will cope if the weather takes a turn for the worse, or is simply not as gorgeous as you had hoped. Alternative film stock or extra lights may need to be factored in.

•Find out how long the photographer spends taking posed shots of you and your family after the ceremony and reception. Decide on an acceptable time you should keep your guests waiting and discuss this with him/her.

< Previous