CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Finding the right photographer for your wedding (or quinceanera or sweet sixteen) can be an intimidating task. There are hundreds of photographers in the Southern California area and most people don’t know what to look for when hiring a professional photographer. Your wedding day happens only once and you have to trust that the person you hire has the experience, integrity, and vision to create images that capture the uniqueness of your wedding day. The following is a short list of things to look for when choosing your wedding photographer.

1) A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOJOURNALIST vs. someone who claims to shoot in a "PHOTOJOURNALISTIC STYLE”

Most brides today are looking for a photographer who can do more than create beautiful portraits. They want someone who can capture the candid moments that make every wedding day special and unique. This method of creating candid wedding images is often called wedding photojournalism and has become very popular in recent years. What many brides don’t realize is that although many photographers today will claim that they shoot in a photojournalistic “style” most don’t have any actual experience as a photojournalist.

THIS IS PERHAPS THE SINGLE BIGGEST MISTAKE A BRIDE AND GROOM CAN MAKE WHEN CHOOSING A PHOTOGRAPHER.

Photojournalism is not a “style” it is an art that requires years of experience, dedication and practice. A professional photojournalist has proven themselves on a daily basis interacting with a variety of people, overcoming a long list of potential obstacles, creating spectacular images, and getting it all done before the deadline. This is as difficult and challenging as photography gets. For this reason, photojournalism is considered the “major leagues” of photography. An experienced and successful photojournalist has dealt with conditions and situations that the average photographer probably hasn’t imagined and so has gained the requisite skills necessary to handle any situation with confidence. This is the difference between an actual photojournalist and someone who claims to shoot in a "photojournalistic style”.

2) PICTURES , PICTURES, AND (BIGGER) PICTURES

These days anyone with a camera can create a website and call themselves a wedding photographer. The internet is littered with literally thousands of people claiming to be skilled photographers. The best way to determine if the photographer you are considering is competent enough to trust with your wedding day is to look at their photographs – closely.

One of the most common tricks that inexperienced photographers use is showing only small images on their website. Why small photos? Because the smaller the photo, the better it looks. Small images hide flaws in focusing, composition, toning, contrast, and a long list of other factors that make for beautiful images. Many photographers will try to fool you with bells and whistles on their websites like automated pages and fancy graphics, yet, when it comes to showing you images all you get are tiny photos a few inches on a side. If the photographer doesn’t believe in his or her work enough to show you full screen images then run the other way. A tiny image on the computer screen is simply not enough for you to see the true quality of the image.

3) HOLDING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS HOSTAGE

Back in the days when photographers shot on film, many would hold on to the negatives thereby forcing brides to purchase prints at outrages prices in order to pad their profits. Some photographers are trying to continue this practice by providing only prints or finished books and refusing to give you a disc with your wedding images on it. Those are your images – do not put up with this nonsense! If the photographer doesn’t provide a complete set of corrected images on a disc as part of their wedding package then look elsewhere. Images on disc provide you with the chance to backup and save your memories ensuring that they will never be lost. Also, all photographic prints fade with time. Having your own set of files on a disc allows you continually create new prints and other keepsakes forever.

4) DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHO IS SHOOTING YOUR WEDDING???

Look closely at the fine print at some photographer’s websites and you might be surprised to find that the person whose name is at the top of the page may not be the person who shows up to shoot your wedding. Believe it or not many large studios employ a stable of apprentice photographers who end up shooting the bulk of the wedding that the studio books. Look closely at the website and you will see that they do not guarantee who will actually be creating your wedding images. Needless to say before signing any contract get the name of the photographer in writing and ask to see samples of that photographer’s work.

5) THE APPRENTICE WHO CREATES YOUR IMAGES

Many brides don’t realize that as much work goes into creating beautiful images AFTER the wedding as went into them on the day the photographer pressed the shutter. For every hour of shooting it takes about 4 hours of post processing to bring the images to life. That means that a typical 8 hour wedding day will require about 32 hours of computer time. Because of this, many photographers don’t process their own images but instead delegate this work to poorly paid assistants. Unfortunately, this is like having the chef gather the ingredients and letting the bus boy cook your meal. Image post processing is absolutely crucial in order to create the images that meet the photographer’s vision. (This is why I personally complete all post processing myself). Having the photographer responsible for the creation of the image from start to finish is the only way to ensure that the end result is the highest possible quality. Ask any potential photographer whether he or she processes the images themselves and get this guarantee in writing.

6) THE MYSTERY “SECOND SHOOTER”

Another way that brides get taken is being tricked into thinking they need a second photographer. Do you have a guest list that numbers over 500? If not then you don’t need a second photographer. Why then do many photographers try to make this part of the deal? Simple, it pads their profits. Virtually every photographer that I see advertising a “second shooter” makes absolutely no mention of who the second photographer is or what kind of training or experience they have. Believe it or not if you look at sites like Craigslist and find the section labeled “gigs” (or something similar) you will find photographers looking for people to be their “second shooters”. That’s right, they hire people “off the street” so to speak and pay them a few bucks an hour to take pictures at your wedding and you end up paying extra. Even when the second shooter is the photographer’s husband or wife or sometimes their assistant what guarantee do you have that this person is qualified or worth the additional cost?

7) ENGAGEMENT SHOOTS FOR AN “ADDITIONAL COST”

Most brides are hoping to have an engagement photo session before the day of the wedding. This provides the chance to have some personal images with their spouse-to-be without having to deal with all the pressures of the wedding day. These images capture a special moment in time for the bride and groom and are often as cherished as the photos from the actual wedding day. The engagement session also gives the couple a chance to become comfortable with the photographer and to develop a working relationship that makes all the difference on the day of wedding. (This is why an engagement session is always included in my wedding packages.) Unfortunately, most photographers today consider the engagement session an “extra cost” option or add on that can be deleted if the bride can’t be convinced to spend the additional money. Ask yourself if you would rather be well acquainted with your photographer or meeting them for the first time on your wedding day?

8) THE INCREDIBLE INFLATING PRICE TAG

Go to many photographer’s websites and you will find one very important thing missing – the price. Very often photographers will simply ask you to contact them or even fill out a form with important wedding details in order to get them to tell you how much their services will cost you. Don’t do it! The seemingly innocent questionnaire typically asks for details such as the wedding and reception venues, the number of guests, and the names of caterers, florists, and other vendors. None of this has anything to do with how much it costs the photographer to create your wedding images. Rather, this information is used to figure out how much they can get you to pay. The more it looks like you are spending on other facets of your wedding the more the photographer will try to charge you. It’s that simple. If a photographer doesn’t have his or her prices readily available on the website it’s a pretty sure bet that you are going to get ripped off.