Choosing a photographer

You can spend months preparing for your wedding. You’ve selected everything, the cars , your cake , the dress etc and of course your photographer. You left the studio thinking “I’ve finally found what I was looking for in a photography company”. The work was fabulous and Tim, the person you met was also understanding and helpful of your requirements. You really hit it off with him (which is very important!) and you felt very comfortable with your decision in hiring the ABC photography company. You know you will be able to work with Tim throughout your special day because you got along with him so well. You are relieved because one of your biggest concerns was being able to find a photographer whose style you loved, but also someone you knew you could work with on your special day. After all Tim will be with you throughout your entire wedding day!

So, your day arrives and you’re anxiously getting ready. There’s a knock on your door. ‘Oh, that must be my photographer!’ you cry out excitedly. . You have had many conversations with Tim and over the past several months and even went on a pre-wedding meeting with him to scout for the best photography locations Your still getting ready so your dad lets him in to the house and in a couple of minutes you rush out to greet him. You open the door your mouth nearly drops to the floor. Staring back at you is a complete stranger half the age of the person you were expecting

‘Hello...’ he says, ‘I’m your photographer!’... Tim couldn’t make it Today, he has another wedding to attend to.......

There’s really no need to continue with this very true and shocking story. The scene just gets worse from there, and yes, this has happened more than once! Right now you’re probably thinking ‘But she didn’t hire HIM! Where’s Tim??

Sadly, there are too many photography companies that run their businesses this way and believe it or not, Think its OK! These companies sub-contract out their jobs to Tim and his freelance photographer mates, or sometimes they have several photographers working for them and just conveniently forget inform couples of this during the studio appointments. What does this mean? It means that wonderful Tim who you’ve met and spoke to most likely had no intentions of photographing your wedding. He may have just been their sales rep or the boss decided to send the senior photographer to a more expensive or important wedding that day. Did you know that Tim’s beautiful work and photography style that you fell in love with was most likely a collection of work from all the different photographers they Hire!

In our above situation, how many of this unknown photographer’s wedding pictures did this bride actually see... IF ANY? We can conclude that there’s really no way of knowing for sure.

What could she have done to prevent this from happening? Research and homework!
Don’t be a casualty of this kind of photography nightmare! You need to ask specific and plenty of questions of each photography studio you visit. Start by asking for referrals from friends and work colleagues, search the net for wedding forums and ask other brides what or who they suggest.

Make sure this type of company can show you several weddings from EACH of their photographers and then YOU get to pick the photographer you want. The chances of finding a photography company that will allow you to do this are slim to none. We recommend searching for a photographer that shoots all of his own weddings. Some photographers offer strictly traditional photography while others offer contemporary or photojournalistic wedding photography.
That’s fine if you’ve decided that you only want one or the other, but most brides prefer a variety and feel they are getting the most for their money if they can find a photographer that offers a variety. Additionally, traditional photography is usually what the parents prefer
while most couples tend to prefer photojournalistic or creative contemporary wedding photography, so finding a photographer that does a variety is definitely a bonus. These versatile photographers are also hard to come by, but again, if you do your homework you can find them.

Asking the right questions when selecting your photographer will help you to avoid any unwanted surprises on your special day!

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