Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

You are now engaged, Congratulations! Now what?

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming and you may not know where to start searching for the right photographer. A good starting point is contacting family and friends who have recently been through this process, look at their photographs and solicit their experiences with their photographer(s).

You have seen your wedding photographs in your mind’s eyes for some time and now you need to find the photographer who will make it a reality.

With the onset of Digital photography, there are more wedding photographers today than ever before. Should you then use an established studio or a freelance photographer (small, sometimes home studio)? They both have their pros and cons.

An established studio will have many photographers at their disposal (some on staff, some freelance) that they can call upon in the event that the assigned photographer is unavailable on your wedding day. A freelance photographer may or may not have an arsenal of photographers at their disposal.

On the other hand, a freelance photographer may be more flexible and may be able to give you a more personalized service and in some cases, a better package than some studios.

Some freelance photographers may also work part time for established studios. You should never therefore assume that bigger is better.

Although studios have set packages, inquire if you must select the studio package or can one be customized only for your needs. You may not need everything in a package thus reducing the cost or on the other hand, you may need just a little extra.

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, some studios may limit the amount of printing that they do. Instead of providing proof prints some will have an online gallery only, some will produce only proof books while other may do both a gallery and book(s). If that is important to you, then your studio should reflect same.

When interviewing for a photographer, it is of the utmost importance that the photographer’s style is compatible with your ideas. Ask to see complete albums and not just an album/portfolio of, the best. If possible, see proofs and how those proofs were transformed into the bridal album. When you find that photographer’s work that matches your style, you should then inquire if that photographer is the one who will shoot your wedding.

If an engagement session is planned, ask that your wedding day photographer also shoot your engagement. In any event, it is imperative that your talk with your wedding day photographer prior to your wedding and let your photographer know the things that are important to you. In addition, this meeting, whether in person or via the telephone will allow you to get some sense of how the personalities will co-exist.

I am a NY wedding photographer who would love to make your wedding dreams a reality. If you are in the market for a New York wedding photographer I ready to work with you.

Wedding photographers are very friendly and extremely accommodating but remember, you both will be together for most of one of the happiest days of your life.