Choosing a Wedding Photographer

A wedding is a special event, and one which is deserving of being remembered for many years. Your wedding photographs will play an important part both in preserving these memories and in bringing them back to mind as time passes.

Much can be said about the selection of a wedding photographer. However, we believe in keeping things simple, and offer the following:

Most photographers will arrange a meeting with you to discuss your requirements and for you to view his/her portfolio. The portfolio should contain a reasonable number of enlargements, 6"x9" or preferably 8"x12". (What looks good at 4"x6" may not look so good at 8"x12"). Remember that the portfolio is likely to consist of the photographer's 'best shots'. It may also contain a number of photographs (4"x6" would be acceptable) taken, for example, before a bride leaves for the ceremony, during the ceremony, and at the reception. Look at the quality, cropping, composition and style of the photographs. There may be some photographs with 'special borders' in the portfolio. We consider special borders to be a personal preference. The quality of the photograph itself is what needs to be evaluated. It's advantageous to have some idea of the number, type and style of photographs you require, before meeting with a photographer. Also, consider whether a storybook-type album appeals to you. When you do meet, you will be able to communicate your requirements to the photographer and also see whether his/her photographic style suits your requirements.

Discuss with the photographer (i) whether 'original' images or negatives will be made available to you; (ii) whether attendees may take their own photos, and if so, at what stage/s during the wedding/reception; and (iii) whether a backup camera and/or photographer will be available.

Make sure that there is agreement with regard to (i) the times and places where photographs will be taken; (ii) the number of photographs/enlargements/originals you will receive; and (iii) the number of hours that the photographer will be available for.

Ask the photographer whether there are any hints or tips he/she will be able to provide (especially to the bride and groom) in order to achieve the best possible photographs. Also, 'light' plays an important part in the quality of a photograph, and is sometimes ignored when selecting and/or preparing a wedding venue. You may, therefore, wish to ask the photographer whether he/she would be prepared to provide input with regard to lighting, etc. at any indoor venues. (You may not be able to do much about the lighting, but it's worth asking anyway).

Select a photographer with whom you feel comfortable and in whom you have confidence. At this point you may wish to leave the rest up to him/her. Be guided by the professional - you will be paying for his/her services - and allow him/her to do the best job possible.

We do not wish to turn this into something which belongs in a photography course, but the following two points may be useful to those who would like to know some further relevant information.

(1) The term 'megapixels' (relating to digital and scanned images) is often taken as a measure of the quality of an image. Digital images may be stored in a variety of different formats, and with different degrees of 'compression'. The more sophisticated the camera or scanner, the larger the range of options. Image quality is also influenced by the type and size of the film used (in the case of film cameras), the type and size of the sensor, the number and size of the sites on the sensor, and image processing within the camera (in the case of digital cameras), settings on the camera, the quality of the camera lens, and the quality of the rest of the equipment used to produce the picture that you eventually look at (plus a few other things as well). So referring only to 'megapixels' does not give the full picture (no pun intended). It is wise, however, to ensure that your photographer is aware of the maximum size of any photographic prints or printed images that you require.

(2) It is possible nowadays to purchase a fairly sophisticated camera, set it to 'Program' mode, and take reasonable photographs. In our opinion, in general, the use of other modes of operation may provide greater flexibility and produce improved results by permitting the manipulation of depth-of-field, background brightness and/or motion effects. (We know that sometimes it may be possible to program 'Program' mode, and to use 'balanced TTL' flash, but are still of the opinion that using other modes may be beneficial). We'll leave this one for you to discuss with your photographer should you wish to do so.