Getting married is an amazing experience. It is just a day filled with emotion, joy, happiness and sometimes a little sadness when a member of family or friend who's no longer around is not there to share our special day. As professional wedding photographers we realize how stressful arranging your wedding can be. With so many photographers around, where do you begin? What do you need to understand when buying wedding photographer? With prices including a hundred or so pounds to many thousands, how are you aware if they are right for you?
It is just a simple fact of life that with the arrival of digital camera models, many people now call themselves a "photographer" ;.Over recent years there has been an explosion of people offering their services as wedding photographers, lots of who've never received any training, have no insurance, do not use professional equipment and do not need sufficient backups in destination for a cater for almost any eventuality. A specialist photographer could have all of the above and this post is just a quick "Help Guide" to what exactly to look for and the questions we recommend you ask when choosing a wedding photographer. Grab yourself a cuppa and get comfy. This isn't a conclusive guide, merely a general breakdown of what to check for.
Buying Photographer:
Personal Recommendations: Maybe you have gone to a wedding recently? What did your pals think of their photographer? As a Yorkshire wedding photographer many our clients come from personal recommendations from either Bride and Grooms who've used us, or from Venues that know the caliber of the task we produce and the nice value for money we offer.
Google And Other Search Engines:
A fast search on any of the major search engines will produce a mind numbing number of choices. As an example, in the event that you type into Google the search terms "Wedding Photographer" it'll return millions results. Simply going right through each result would take you years, in order a broad principle, stay with those on page 1 or page 2. The cause of this really is simple: If they're on page 1 or 2 then they have taken the full time to ensure their website is well designed, optimised and placed, to ensure their products or services are simple to find for prospective Bride and Grooms.
Choosing A Photographer
As soon as you have decided on a date, have booked your wedding venue and received confirmation then book all other services necessary for your wedding as quickly as possible. Leaving it to the past minute to book your wedding photographer is not a good idea. Many Bride and Grooms begin looking because of their photographer the day they get engaged.
Websites:
The very first thing to do is look at a photographers website but do NOT be fooled into thinking this is the be all and end all. Always pay attention to the images and not the web site design. Today for a few hundred pounds you'll have a real classy looking website designed. Remember that the website only shows the content that the photographer WANTS one to see. You will only generally see the best images, those they want to use to showcase their abilities so have a good look round the website. Have a look and observe many different weddings you are able to see. When there is only 1 or 2, have they only photographed a couple of weddings? Also just how much information does the photographer offer you? Are they at the start about their prices or are you experiencing to go in and see them to discover how much they charge? Do they give you specific detailed information regarding their services?
Also be VERY wary should they say they are a member of a "Professional Trade Organisation" ;.Some trade organisations only require photographers to pay for an annual subscription fee to join then permit the photographer to use the Organisations logos on their website. Indeed some organisations have zero joining requirements Wedding Photographer in Goa, you do not even have to possess a camera and your Granny, who doesn't have idea about photography, could join if she wanted. Research your options and take a look at Trade Organisations carefully since they are not absolutely all the same.
Some are for full time professionals only and Members are required to undergo evaluation, inspection and have insurance documents checked, others simply let you spend a nominal amount and declare you to be always a "Professional Photographer" ;.Understand that the photography industry is not regulated and everyone can claim to be always a "photographer" ;.
Price:
If it seems too good to be true, chances are it's! Many photographers just getting started have a tendency to charge really low prices and only cover their costs. Many see your wedding as a means of building a portfolio of wedding images. Now this can not apply to all or any budget priced photographers but as a broad principle, if the price seems really low, then there is a reason for this, so try and uncover what it is.
For a lot of Bride and Grooms, price eventually ends up being the determining factor. You may spend hundreds, if not thousands on the dress, the venue charges a tiny fortune, then there are the cars, the Grooms attire, Bridesmaids dresses, the cake, the flowers - cutting costs in your wedding photography may result in poor wedding photographs causing huge disappointment and photographs of the day that you only do not want to check at.