Planning your wedding – Don’t skimp on the photographer

 

If you’re planning your wedding you’ve probably heard what I’m about to tell you a dozen times before. After the wedding is over, the flowers have wilted and the cake has been cut. All that is left to bring back the memories are the wedding photos.

So needless to say finding a good professional photographer is essential. However where do you start? It can all be very overwhelming. There are hundreds of wedding photographers to choose from. Who will capture the day the way you want it? And you thought finding a husband was hard!

Unfortunately some of the most common selling points for Wedding photographers can actually be warning signs in disguise.

Here are two factors that shouldn’t influence your choice of wedding photographer and hopefully by following these rules you’ll pick the photographer that’s right for you.

 

• “The photographer is running a crazy sale!”  

One of my brides was planning her wedding on a very tight budget, nothing wrong with that. On the wedding day she wore a dress she bought on eBay and a pair of shoes that cost her £100. Her reasoning? She wanted to spend the money on a high quality professional wedding photographer. A good wedding photographer can make a cheap dress look amazing, whilst a bad photographer can make an expensive dress look appalling. As any bride who has skimped on the photography knows it’s not a bargain if you hate the photos. If however your favourite photographer is running a 10% discount or giving away a free engagement shoot for a midweek wedding then, by all means go for it. However don’t let a massive discount or a cheap price be your deciding factor. Good wedding photographers are full time, pay taxes, carry insurance, invest in high-end gear and professional printing. So before you cut corners ask yourself where do they cut corners?

 

• “Don’t get Uncle Bob or a friend to cover your wedding”

Now you wouldn’t get someone who’s had a little experience at flying gliders to fly you over to New York in a Jumbo jet, would you? Chances are you end up somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Hence this brings us to Uncle Bob or a family friend.

He’s family, Uncle Bob takes great Wildlife shots and he’s taken some good shots of vintage cars. What’s more, he’s free! While it may seem like a saving nirvana, you risk bad blood if they mess up. Weddings are a very tough gig with many variables. What if you don’t like the photos? What happens if Uncle Bob hasn’t backed up the photo’s and his computer crashes?

The bottom line is book a professional and a good one at that.

 

• “We shoot over 100 hundred wedding a year!”

Experience is essential and you certainly don’t want your photographer using your wedding as practice. However, busier isn’t always better. Chances are if someone shoot’s 100 wedding plus a year, they’re shooting back-to-back weddings every weekend. Such a workload can burn a photographer out and make them tired and jaded. Personally, I draw the line at 30 weddings a year. This allows me to stay fresh and give a full professional personal service. You certainly don’t want a burnt out photographer shooting your wedding.

 

If you’d like to find out more about me then go to my website and don’t hesitate to contact me for more information regarding wedding photography.