So you need a wedding photographer? what do you look for?

The Initial Contact.

So, where do we start?

You have spent hours searching through social media and trawling through websites, you’ve asked for a recommendation in a post on Social media and your 2000 friends have each sent you the name and link for a different photographer, like that helped! Confused?

You have narrowed your choice down to just the final couple of photographers.

Before you send that important email to them think about what the photographer will need to know from you. Information like…

·        Coverage? - Half day? Whole day? Timings?

·        Locations? – Start venue, your house? Ceremony venue? Reception Venue?

·        Date – Of course, are they available?

·        Perhaps any question regarding their packages or information you have found on their website or social media i.e., have they worked at your chosen venue before? If so, can they supply examples of their work?

Do not forget to add your names and contact details too! There is never enough detail. I have had so many emails from prospective clients asking, “How much are your weddings?”, it is such an open-ended question. Especially with each wedding being specific to the bride and groom.

Consider how long it takes for them to email/call you back, if it takes a few days for a simple enquiry email, how long will it take to get you final wedding images? If they are eager to help you, you should look for an email in at least 24hours. Even if they are busy, a simple “I’m busy at the moment but will email/call you later this evening” email or text should be polite enough.

Right so they have finally emailed you back and they are available on your chosen date, fab news. What you need to do now is to arrange a meeting with them.

Wedding photography is a personal service, whoever you book will be with you for the whole day or half a day following you everywhere.

You should look for a photographer that is easy to get on with, not everyone will be your cup of tea. A meeting will help you see if you have a connection with them. Trust me if you don’t get on with them and book them, your face will show that in the final images. You will not feel relaxed with someone you do not like hovering around you all day. You might find a photographer whose website images are stunning, yet have no personality and cannot hold a conversation, that is going to make your day exceptionally long.

The photographer will want to capture you, the bride and groom, getting ready. How well comfortable do you feel with them being in the room while you get ready? Of course, you want to feel relaxed and enjoy your day without worrying about the photographer. They should be almost like a ghost following you around unnoticed and not in the way. After all it's your day not theirs, so they should be considerate.

Confidence is the key, when your day comes to the guest shots you will need someone to take charge and get them done. The venue will only have a set time between the ceremony and the wedding breakfast, so a photographer who is dithering about rounding up guests might mean you miss some important family images. Trust me, this is the worst part of any wedding for a wedding photographer, trying to round up 200 partially drunk, hungry wedding guests that either need the toilet, the bar or to head inside to sit down for the meal is a huge task in itself.

A confident photographer should control the situation and get through these images as efficiently and smoothly as they can. Otherwise, your guests and both of you will be so fed up and as this will be the first thing that happens once you have become man and wife. It should be a good start to your married life. I personally supply each of my Brides with a list of specifics. This includes various family set ups and is designed to start with the largest group first and end with just you. See the appendix for a copy.

If you have an issue before, during or after the wedding you need to feel confident your photographer has an answer and be able to assure you things will be fine.

Perhaps as a side note, a wedding day with your sister’s uncle’s cousin taking your wedding images might save you a few pounds but seriously? Can they be trusted to aid the flow of your wedding day or are they going to mess around and ruin your day? What happens if they lose your images, or their camera fails?

I once had a disgruntled bride come into my studio with a set of images on CD. Her uncle had taken her wedding images, even though she had enquired with me. She asked if I could do anything with them. Firstly I couldn’t due to copyright law. But I obligingly had a look through them with her. He had taken the images, as a described professional, with a low resolution basic “snappy” camera. The guests stood outside the venue were that small in the frame you could not make out the Bride and Groom from the guests. She was completely devastated. Anyone can take a picture but not everyone can be a photographer, bare that in mind. 

Back-ups

Going back to my original example of the laptop thieves, the issue was a lack of data back-ups.

So, check what your photographer has in place, what procedures and how they safeguard any data loss.

I perhaps go a little over the top, but I try to instil as much confidence in my photography as I can. I work with two professional camera bodies, each have two memory card slots, an SD and Compact Flash. I have the cameras set up so that every time I press the shutter, the camera captures the image and records it straight to each card, in essence backing up at time of capture throughout the wedding day. Once these cards are full, they are both changed for fresh empty cards. The full cards are stored, in a magnetic safe, away from the empty card to avoid confusion and risk of overwriting them.

A photographer should hold several copies of your RAW images. Again, personally I copy each card across to the PC, Notice I said “COPY” not “CUT”, it’s a safer way to make sure there is now data loss. The file created is under the names of the client and once each card is copied across successfully, I should have a complete wedding sat on my hard drive.

I also make a note on my client's paperwork of how many images are on each card as they are copied across, then the total on my paperwork should match the total in the file on my PC.

The completed folder is then copied from my master drive to two ghost drives which mirror the Master drive. One final version is copied to an external ghost drive which is kept off site, just in case the PC gets stolen or is involved in a fire. I will always have a version of your images to go back too.

I perhaps keep too many copies, but if just one hard drive fails resulting in the loss of file, then all that extra time is worth more than losing a wedding.

A wedding day is a one-off special event any photographer should be mindful of and handle your images like they are precious material.

 Equipment.

You should check with the photographer about what equipment they have. It might sound boring and nerdy, but you need to know their plans should something go wrong with their equipment mid wedding.

I take two full camera kits with me; I have two professional camera bodies with seven lenses across both kits. As well as three flash guns, lots of spare batteries, camera chargers, USB leads, a whole pouch full of SD and Compact flash cards and a small box with hair grips, safety pins and lots of odds and ends. They have come in handy on several occasions.

I carry a good quality pocket tool too. This has helped cut and open things and repair guest glasses, tripods, and all sorts. I’m not just a photographer.

I like to be prepared for any eventuality. I always have a backup system or card and I’ve never been stuck in the years I’ve been a wedding photographer.  I even carry sweets, not only to keep me going but help in keeping the children happy during the photographs.

You are looking to gain that little extra confidence that none of your wedding day will be missed. After all you are investing a lot of money in making sure those memories are captured.

Insurance.

Possibly the most important part of any photography. You need to find out what level of insurance your wedding photographer has. Most insurance policies cover public liability and indemnity as basic cover. Simply if they have insurance. This will make you aware of whether they are a serious photographer or just someone who claims to be. A serious photographer will always have specific business insurance.

You can always ask for a copy of their policy to check their cover. Again, using myself as an example I have public liability and indemnity plus, I pay extra for data loss insurance. There is a percentage of my policy set aside to recapture your images should anything go wrong technically. Touch wood nothing has, but again confidence is the key.

 Agreements and paperwork.

This, as boring as it might be, is an especially important part of any service. An agreement doesn’t protect just the photographer, but it also should protect you. With this in mind, you should read the document carefully and consider any issues you might have.

If the photographer only gets you to sign their copy makes sure they provide you with a signed copy too.

The document should include things like illness, copyright, travel restriction, venue restriction and should outline the wedding photography package you have agreed upon with any financial information.

Presentation.

It might not be something you would think about, but the photographer's presentation should be considered in two parts. Firstly, will they arrive at the venue dressed smartly? I say this because I have heard from several venues of wedding photographers turning up in tracksuits, I’m sure these were extreme and rare occurrences. Nevertheless, you don’t what a photographer turning looking like they have just climbed out of bed.

On the other hand, neither do you want a photographer that will upstage you, the bride and groom. I was at a local venue a few years ago, the venue is a large commercial hotel with a spa, several restaurants, and several event rooms. Therefore, my bride and groom weren’t the only couple tying the knot. As we walked around the venue snapping various pictures, we passed one of the other weddings happening that day. The Photographer was dressed in a light blue suit, with a white ruffled shirt, bright brown shoes and resembled a main character from a spy spoof film (not mentioning any names). He stood out like a sore thumb. The way he acted while herding the guest made me wonder what the guests were thinking. The day seemed to be more about him rather than the Bride and Groom.

Now I, for example, don’t dress in chinos or a suit. Both don’t offer the movement you need as a photographer. Neither do I turn up in joggers. I wear a smart shirt and a pair of dark jeans and a nice pair of shoes, smart casual you may say. This allows me to look smart, blend into the background and still have the comfort to be able to move and climb on roof tops and walls.

Secondly, the final presentation. How will your images be presented to you? In an album? USB pen drive?

In my eyes, you are investing a lot of money in your wedding and photography. As we have already stated, your photography will last a lifetime. So, to have your images presented in a lovely keepsake box, perhaps a USB and a selection of prints is the least you can expect.

Don’t settle for a handwritten blank CD or a USB handed to you in an envelope.