Photography is an art and it takes a passionate and skilful photographer to fully capture the beauty of his/ her subject(s). Choose your wedding photographer after careful deliberation and with prudence. After all, how you will remember your wedding day will depend on your memories and the wedding photo album. Memories fade away, but pictures last forever.

Sourcing a Photographer

You can look for a photographer in your locality by examining various sources such as the Yellow Pages, billboards, newspapers, or the Web. Of course, the best option remains the 'word of mouth' recommendation. A friend/ relative who got married recently can give you an honest opinion and have a first-hand knowledge of the photographer's professionalism.

If they strongly recommend their photographer based on what he/ she did for their wedding, grab the opportunity to enquire further. However, restrain yourself from booking him or her until you have a look at his/ her portfolio! Beauty is subjective and for all you know, you may not agree with your friend's or relative's perception of “what is beautiful.” It makes sense to decide based on your personal preferences.

Important Factors to Consider

You should choose a photographer based on his/ her technique and pricing.

Technique: A wedding may be captured using various techniques or styles such as traditional, formal, casual, or candid. A skilled photographer should include a variety of techniques in his offering. Choose someone who incorporates various styles in his/ her photography and adapts to every occasion and moment. He or she should take casual and candid pictures that are natural and spontaneous rather than make you 'pose' for every snap. Always choose a photographer based on his entire work, not selective work as shown in his/ her portfolio. His/ her portfolio will include only the best of his/ her work, which can be misleading.

Price: Are you wondering how much of your wedding budget you should allocate to the wedding photographer? The standard norm is to allot about 10-15% of your total wedding budget for the photographer, which can be anywhere from $500 to $10,000. You can get a basic package for a price of $1,500 or, if you have a small budget, you could try hiring a part-time photographer or a student photographer. Prior to finalizing the deal with the photographer, make sure to enquire about what is included in his/ her services.

After you have scrutinized the technique, style, versatility, and price the photographer offers, you can schedule a meeting with him/ her. Before the meeting, you should already have a good idea of what the photographer has to offer and the objective of the meeting should be mainly to validate your decision. Be yourself, try to strike a good rapport, and discuss your wedding details.

Photographer's Personality

It is vital for you to strike a good rapport in the initial meeting. If the photographer's personality or demeanour does not match yours (if there's no fit), he/ she will be unable to mingle with the guests or interact with them when taking pictures. Also, good results in the form of good pictures are possible only if you feel comfortable collaborating with the photographer.

Brief the Photographer About the Wedding

Once you have decided to hire the photographer, briefly outline the details of the wedding such as location, date, time, sequence of events, and other aspects that the photographer needs to know. This will give him/ her time to plan his/ her activities as well as come up with creative and innovative ideas or ways in which he/ she can present your wedding with elegance, grace, and charm.

We hope these tips will help you make the right decision in choosing the appropriate photographer. As years pass by, you will be able to show your children, friends, and relatives what a splendid wedding yours was and also bring back fond memories of the wedding to your partner. We cannot stop time, but it is possible to capture the most memorable moments of our lives for ETERNITY!