One of the most important memories that you will cherish for the rest of your married life are the photographs. Photographs of the wedding are the memories that you and many of your friends will look back on again and again. Therefore finding a creative wedding photographer is worth the time and effort. Below are a few suggestions
The first thing that you will want to do is call around and speak to a few different photographers. Get a feel for them over the phone. You should not concern yourself with price at this point so much as attitude and personality. The best route is to call 10 or 15 photographers and take notes as you speak with them on the phone. Then go through your list and select three that you liked the best. Then call them back and ask to set up an appointment to meet them and view samples of their work.
Once you have the appointment set make sure you put it down in your schedule or date book. You will want to be dressed casually but nice and make sure you arrive on time. Giving off a professional presence by being prepared and arrive on time can ensure that you get quality service from the photographer.
Personality
One of the biggest and most important factors of a wedding photographer is their personality. Believe it or not this can really make or break your wedding day. For example if you have a wedding photographer that is too bossy and tries to direct the show it can really get in the way of the wedding. So in this interview you want to really check them out and see if their personality is a good match with yours. You can tell a lot about a person by just casually talking to them. Show genuine interest in them as a professional photographer and ask about their work and style. From this you can gather lots of little clues about their personality. Are they laid back and easy going? This might be a great combination but then again if they appear to be too laid back then you might worry if they will be prepared and arrive on time. Really spend some time with the person and try to get to know them and their personality as much as possible. Even the most technically skilled photographer with the best photographs might not be the one you want to choose. Instead having one that matches well with your attitude and style will make you feel more comfortable.
Samples?
You definitely want to see sample of the photographers work. One little piece of advice when looking at samples is to ask to see a whole wedding. Often photographers will have a stock set up portfolio that they will show to prospective clients. The problem with this is they often only select out their best work. So you are only seeing a small percentage of what they actually do. Therefore if you ask to see the pictures for a whole wedding sequence you can get a more accurate view of their work.
When looking at samples try to imagine yourself in the pictures. Are these the types of pictures that you want to be in? To they speak to you and say, "this could be you?" Do they strike up any emotions for you either positive or negative?
Listen to your ideas
During this interview it can be helpful to briefly outline your wedding plans including locations, dates, times and other such factors. This will give them a chance to listen to your desires. If you have some specific pictures that you would like taken make some suggestions and see how they react. Are they too cocksure of themselves and unwilling to listen to your fun and creative photo ideas or are they sincere and show interest in you?
Style
Another thing that you will want to both ask and look for in samples is their style. Do they have a more classic or formal look with mostly posed pictures or are there some candid shots. Typically photographer will fall into one of two styles. They will be either classic studio type portraits or they can be photo journalistic in their style.
If you are looking for a creative wedding photographer you will want a photographer that is flexible and can display a wide variety of styles. Truly artistic photographers will often be able to work in a wide variety of formats and styles and be able to accommodate your desires. Make sure they are flexible and open to your input! Creative wedding photographer will often have some fun suggestions of location and or props that can enhance the mood of the photos. Ask about these items in advance and watch to see what their reaction is. Most important no matter their styles, technical abilities or any other factor make sure their personality matches your own. |
