- Style (traditional and photojournalism)
- Extras (portraits, bridal album, parent albums, DVD of pictures, thank you’s)
- How many photographers and how much coverage
- BUDGET!
Let’s talk a about style. If you’re not familiar with photography styles or all the types of effects that can be done we hope we can give you an idea of each to help you figure out what you want your style to be.
Traditional/Classic - This is the most common type of photography known and also the “oldest” style. This is your typical posing and group shots usually directed by the photographer and will consist of the traditional shots. For example: picture of bride & groom with parents, with grandparents, with bridal party, with guest. These pictures are usually predictable and because it does require the direction of the photographer, it can sometimes take time away from you enjoying your reception. Some of these photos don’t seem as posed, but they are to a certain degree. The photographer will direct you on exactly what to do to capture the “fun photo,” therefore, it still falls under the traditional/classic category. Although this style is considered outdated now, most photographers you meet with will tell you they will do the traditional shots either way along with any other ones they do, only because most parents want the family photos, these are the ones that most will hand out to family members.
Photojournalism - Currently this is the most popular type of photography style being used for weddings. This is a more relaxed way of taking photographs. When meeting with photographers ask to look at their work, what you are looking for is candid shots and not many posed. A lot of photographers in my experience will loosely describe their style as photojournalism when it actually is not. What you want to look for is about 85-90% of the shots being candid shots, the rest will be the traditional shots that most photographers will still want to do. Most studios that are photojournalistic will provide two photographers for your wedding day. Sometimes it will be included, others you will have to pay extra but for true photojournalism you want to have two photographers. Why? Well think of it this way, you have one photographer taking the traditional shots and capturing the important events of the day but then the 2nd photographer is capturing reactions, details, moments you wouldn’t be able to capture with one photographer. This style allows you to enjoy your wedding more because the photographers are not pulling you away for pictures instead they are capturing the moments in action and as they happen and if they are really good you won’t even notice the whole day! This style is also great for those of us who are camera shy because the less posing the better!
Which style is ideal? Well they both are! You always want to have the traditional posed shots and maybe try and find someone who has fun with the traditional posed shots instead of just having everyone stand and smile. For the reception you want to be able to enjoy it so you also want to find someone who is good at capturing the moments as they happen without having to pull you away from your party!
What to look for as far as photography packages? You will come across a variety of packages offered by photography studios. This is where your budget comes into play the most. Think about what you want from the photographer. Do you want a bridal album, parent album, portraits, engagement session, second photographer, DVD of pictures, proofs and thank you cards? Some studios will give you some “basics,” like printed proofs (usually a certain amount), and a DVD of ALL high-resolution pictures. All other extras mentioned earlier may be extra. You will find studios that include all of the above plus the bridal album and sometimes an engagement session. There are also plenty of studios that will offer you everything in one package and are willing to work with you on your budget.
Top Questions to ask the photographer - As we have mentioned before with other topics, always do your research. If the studio has a website, browse through it carefully, look at all their albums and pictures online to get a really good idea of what they offer. Some will have pricing and packages on their site, if not email them and ask for information and make sure they have your wedding date available. It’s always best to do this because you don’t want to make an appointment to meet with someone and find out they are over your price range. One thing I have learned is once you make your appointments always call to confirm them the day of if they haven’t already! There are tons of wedding websites that can help you find local vendors including photographers: www.weddingwire.com ,www.brides.com , www.theknot.com. Even referrals from friends is a good way to go too!
Below are a few of the most common questions to ask when meeting with a photographer:
-Can I see complete sample albums? There are a lot of different styles of albums you want to ask to see all the ones that fall in your price range and also to get an idea of how they design them from start to finish.
-How much experience do you have? You want to know that they will be able to accurately get the pictures you need. It’s also important to get an idea of how they work with the pictures as far as editing, effects and lighting. You may also want to know if they have shot at your venue before and if they haven’t if they are willing to visit the venue before hand to get an idea of the environment and what will work best in pictures.
-How many photographers are on staff? This question is important for many reasons. One is because if you go to a studio and look through a few different albums and there is one in particular you like the most as far as style of the photos you want to make sure you know which photographer took that and if they are available for your wedding date. Second is do they have backup photographers in case of emergency as well as backup hardware.
-Will you be my photographer? If not, can I meet him/her before contract signing? The photographer is one of the vendors that will be with you most on your day, besides us. It is essential to have a good relationship with your photographer. If you’re miserable, remember, it will show in your photos.
-Can I look over the contract? If you have made a decision on a studio make sure they allow you to take home the contract and read it over. You want to make sure that all the specifics are correct as far as how many prints you get, any extras that were requested are on there and WHO will be your photographer and if possible who would be the backup. Make sure the hours of coverage are correct and any extra fees that may be added on are valid and were discussed with you. It is VERY important to know who your photographer will be especially if you have a preference when you viewed sample photos.
-Do you provide video? We didn’t touch on video, but this is a question you may want to ask because most photographers have a videographer whom they work with best. It is a good idea to get a “team” that works well together so that no one gets in each other’s way. Video should also be researched thoroughly and you should think about how elaborate you need the video to be. The photographer should be able to give you references to people they work with best. Some may provide discounts if you book both services with them.
During your search if you really want to make the right choice I suggest making appointments with several photographers, this process could take a little while, but remember this will be one of the things that you will be able to pull out 20 years from now and show your children and grand children so you want to make the right choice. Although your budget is important do not let it delegate your decision completely, you get what you pay for and in the end you don’t want to feel like you could have done better. Hope all this information helps make the process a little easier and has you ready for your photography interviews! Have Fun :-)
Nadya
Sources:
http://www.allenweddings.net/photography-video.html
http://www.newgroundphotography.com/blog/
http://www.photoaxe.com/artistic-photojournalistic-wedding-photographers/
http://parriswhittingham.blogspot.com/2008/01/secret-sauce-of-wedding-photos.html
