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Selecting your photographer is more than finding someone who can take pretty pictures. It's about partnering with someone who can capture the story of your unforgettable life event.
Knowing the basics of wedding photography will help you search for, interview and select the right photographer for you. Here are a few things you should know before starting:
What style do you want-photojournalism or traditional? You will see these terms a lot and they have a huge impact on how your photos look.
Photojournalism: The focus is on action and spontaneity. This style has become increasingly popular in the past 10 years, and gives weddings a visual authenticity by capturing activity as it happens.
Traditional: It's exactly as it sounds-posed, formal portraits. Pre-defined moments during the wedding are photographed to ensure the essence of the day is captured.
Combinations: Many wedding photographers are now offering a mix of styles, including photojournalism, relaxed traditional, high fashion and fine art.
You're further ahead in your search than you know. You started telling your wedding story when you dreamed of its theme, colors and setting. In your mind's eye, you see how people will smile when you take to the dance floor for the first time as a married couple. Of course you want to capture the important moments, but you also want to capture the important feelings that you can cherish for years to come.
Take that idea with you as you explore online photo galleries and wedding photographer sites. Combine it with the ideas you are getting from wedding magazines to form a visual collage. Print out online pages and paste them together with pages you've ripped from magazines. You can also create a blog, personal wedding site, or public photo gallery to post your bookmarked images and get friends' and family's feedback.
Being able to describe what your wedding should be-and what it means to you-is the most important thing you can bring to the discussions with potential wedding photographers. It will allow you to start establishing a relationship with the person who will commemorate your wedding day.
After you have a good sense of how you want your photos to look, page through albums from previous weddings by each photographer to make sure they shoot the way they say they do-and the way you want them to! If a photographer has photos from identical locations you can get a stronger sense of how the style holds up, couple by couple. If the company you interview has more than one photographer, make sure you are looking at images from photographers who will actually shoot your wedding.
It's OK if you aren't able to say upfront that you want a certain style, or whether you want your photos on film or digital format. It's more important to understand your personal style, and be ready to talk openly and realistically about your expectations.
You should feel comfortable bringing informed opinions to your wedding photographer. If you share a common understanding of your needs, you and your photographer will be able to discuss photography styles, moments you want to capture and keepsakes you want to create. When that relationship works, the time you spend with your photographer will be as important as the time spent with any member of your wedding party.
Discover more wedding insights:
Part 1: Choosing your wedding photographer
Part 2: Planning with your wedding photographer
Part 3: Creating your wedding shot list
Part 4: Creating your keepsakes
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