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Most important reminders
Choosing the right photographer for your big day is very important. Not only do you want someone with whom you feel comfortable, but who is also reliable enough to produce the highest quality work. Once the hullabaloo has died down and the honeymoon is over, your photographs are often the only material reminder of the day. Select a photographer who has a studio, a good reputation and the resources to provide a solution should something go wrong. Ask your friends who they used and take note of their recommendations. Is the photographer full-time and experienced? Does he offer various packages and is he flexible? All these factors should be taken into consideration before booking. Make sure you meet the photographer who is actually going to cover your wedding. It is vital that you have confidence in him – a good photographer should be able to control the proceedings without being bossy and dictatorial. View examples of his work; it is advisable to see a complete wedding rather than a variety of selected best images. Price should not dictate your decision. Why pay a fortune for a dress only to skimp on what is a very important part of the wedding process? Remember you are paying for expertise, experience and reputation. A professional photographer should have a complete set of back-up equipment, does not panic if it is raining cats and dogs and has the ability to rectify any problems on the day. Don’t forget that most professional photographers will be vat registered and this will have to be included in the rates. Make sure you check out the cost of reprints for friends and family before you book. Once you have booked your photographer, make an appointment to meet again 2 or 3 weeks before the date to go through your pictorial requirements. If you have booked 18 months in advance, it is difficult for a busy wedding photographer to actually remember your individual character and specific requirements. Current trends include a mix of traditional formal bridal party line-ups and more contemporary “paparazzi” type shots, resulting in a set of photographs that capture the atmosphere of the day without being too intrusive. The very worst thing you can do is to present your photographer with a huge long list of required photos. These can take forever to arrange and you usually find that great Auntie Aggie has nipped off to find the loo and cousin George has disappeared to have a smoke. The whole procedure starts to become long-winded and tiresome for your guest most of whom just want to get to the reception and start imbibing. One of the most common complaints I hear about wedding photographers is that he took too long, was bossy and aggressive – perhaps due to looking for missing people who should be in photos! Ask the photographer to go through his usual shoot list and then tweak that to suit your specific needs. The digital age has opened up tremendous avenues for photography. It has given photographers more leeway on the amount they shoot and introduced the options to have your images printed in colour, mono or sepia. Images can be improved with careful on-screen cropping and offending parts or people can even be removed! However, remember to be prepared to pay for someone’s skill and time to perform these tasks. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that now film is not involved, rates should be cheaper. Many photographers have had to invest large amounts of money in new equipment and technology to be able to offer these improved ranges of services. Time has to be spent on the computer preparing and sorting the images. Often photographers will present the shots on disk with contact sheets – you benefit by often having a much wider choice. Don’t automatically expect a photographer to supply high-resolution images – it is his copyright and many packages are priced with the expectation of gaining extra reprint orders from relations and friends. If you do want to print your own, it may be worth asking for a quotation but don’t be surprised if this is not an option. Compare it to asking an artist to sell an original painting. In recent years, manufacturers of albums have expanded their ranges to meet the increasing demand for a more varied range. Contemporary, reportage and minimalist styles have been introduced to complement the traditional designs. You can use different sizes to give a more interesting result and there is the facility to have a digital album where the pages are actually made with your images and bound into a book, incorporating an artistic design. One final piece of advice – after the food, champagne and honeymoon have been and gone, photographs are your material memory of the big day. Choose wisely and carefully.
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