how did you choose your photographer??

Congrats hon bet u cant wait , those months will come around so quick.

As I am on a tight budget, we thought photographers prices were very pricey so a great friend of mine who's hobby is photograpghy is going to take all the pics and his wife is videoing the wedding as our wedding present.

Bless them x

Perfect gems recommended ours - we have never met him but I liked his work. He got in touch with us initially and it all stemmed from there.

I found a few-through the internet, friends and a wedding fayre. We then went round to their houses/galleries and looked at a full wedding rather than just hilights (cos obviously theyre only going to put their best ones in). checked out their galleries on internet too to see if was the style we were looking for and eventually found ours. It can be so expensive, its well worth the effort of shopping round-theyre all used people doing that I think. It was the first thing I booked (after the church obviously!)

I looked at the work of several local photographers, got quotes and then met two of them within our budget whose work we liked. We just warmed to one of them a bit more so that's who we went with. He was really friendly and chatty and came across as the kind of person who would get the best out of people in the photos, very important as I'm camera shy - as are lots of our guests!

The photographer is going to be a big part of your day and your memories (the photos are there for good) so I think it's important to feel comfortable with someone, as that will show in the photos. The last thing you want is a photographer you don't really click with. When I met the one we went with, I knew pretty instantly and wrote the cheque for the deposit there and then even though he suggested we have a think about it and get back to him.

I just asked ours for a meeting to have a look at more of their work, the kind of albums they do and to see if they're right for us. I was up front that I was meeting with a couple of others. At the end of the day, although it might be a very personal choice for you, to them, you're just business so they shouldn't be offended if you decide they're not the right one.

Pen

I was on a tight budget when looking round, found a couple of cheap ones on the internet which I was going to book, but they wouldent meet up. Then I had a sound piece of advice from somebody, (might of been on here actually!!), the photos are what you are going to keep for life, the memories, the cake will be eaten, the food and drink will be gone, the dress hung up in the wardrobe, the balloons popped, the favours taken, the flowers dead or pressed, but the photos will be for life!

I decided to cut back my budget on other things and spurlge a bit more on my photos, because they can never be re-captured.

Just a thought for you?

I completely agree. My h2b saw our photographer at someone elses wedding, and as soon as we got engaged he said he wanted that photographer. We found out his name and contacted him through his website. As soon as I watched the cd he sent I was blown away. I then unfolded the price list and found out the cheapest package was £1650, but it doesn't matter, it just means we cut back in other areas. The photos are what last forever.

Hi Clare. We don't bite! It's quite normal to ask to meet the photographer before making a booking. I would recommend that you see at least 3 different ones to give yo an idea of what is available. Apart from the photography, the photogrpher's personality is very important as he/she will be with you through most of the day and the last thing you need is to feel uncomfortable with them.

We all understand this and one more thing. Don't be pushed into signing up with the first person you meet, it is really worth spendign a little time and meeting several. I would mention this to the photographers before the meeting so that there is no inclination to try to get you to sign anything before leaving. Remember these photographs are going to be around for a very long time, you owe it to yourself to take as much care choosing the photographer as you would choosing the dress!

Good luck with your selection.

Clare

In a way of sounding a bit contrdictory - you need to decide what YOU want. Most couples we see have not decided anything - style, albums, products, budget. Meet withyour photographer with an open mind, knowing you will take a day or so to reflect on it

On the other hand listen to what the photographer says - a good one will be brimming full of ideas you had not considered yet

Dont decide on the day. Sleep on it - once you have compared what you are after, with what is on offer decide what to do

Secondly - personality and vision is the next big decider. Do you want a director? a pasive photographer? A photographer that does not alter your day, or one that creates a pose or expresion. You are going to be with this guy or gall all day - thy will be arround when your dress is going on, and interacting intimatly with you and your family all day long. For example - I know I work in a totally different way to the other chap in my village - for some people I recommend they speak to him - some couples are looking for something we dont do - either in the way we are, the way we work or the style we offer

Thirdly - look at them as a business - are they geared up for the job - PL + PI insurance, backup cameras, on and offsite backups. Look at the letters, the paperwork, the way they answer the phone, when they anser the phone, if they anser the phone. you need to be dealing with an efficient business, not a haphazard individual

For example -I know a chair cover supplier that is fantastic, great product,, great price, great turnout on the day, totally rubbish at communications - will we recommend her - at the moment - unlikley

Fourthly - Ask about reprints, copyright, online galleries and the such - and make sure you look at albums with weddings they shot, in albums thay have supplied - in approximatally the format you are after. There is a sad trend for new photographers to show images from courses, or albums created by suppliers

Finally - remember - if you dont like the contract, re-write it, or dont sign it

Remember - testimonails are only great if you know the provenace of the testimonail.. dont belive the hype!

how do I phrase it other than 'I would like to meet you to find out if I even like you' lol - easy: "We would like to arrange a meeting to look at you rwork, discus your pricing, ask some questions and get a feel for who you are and what you do"

Richard King

I actually asked on here for a recommendation and got a few names. After checking out websites, I phoned one. He lives quite abit away from us and although I have never met him, I got such a good feeling from him over the phone. He was offering me what I wanted before I even asked for it.

Sounds a bit sad but it was like finding my dress... I just had a feeling about it. Lets just hope that feeling pays off.

I was looking for a very specific pkg which hardly anyone offered us (even for a January wedding when it was very quiet for togs!) - so I was sort of led by that. However, if when I met Alex I hadn't clicked with thim then I'd have kept looking...

Recommendations are always good, but you need to meet up with the tog (he/she would expect that before any decision is made) and make sure you not only like their work but also 'them' as you'll have to react to and work with them for a fair chunk of time on the day! You need to feel comfortable with them!

Beware - I know one person (not a hitcher) who used a tog, paid about £1800 for the 'full' fancy pants all singing all dancing package and then had NO SAY in the photos used in her album! Its things like that you need to be careful of.

Get a list together of all the questions you want to ask any togs you meet - thats what I did. And if you can, meet them at the venue at some point once you've made a decision so they can outline options as to what areas they will use for photos - but its likely if you use a local photographer they may already have photos taken at the venue(s) you're using that they can show you.

Good luck!!

She did our friends' wedding and we love their album and how we barely even noticed she was there when she was photographing the ceremony.

Not all photographers feel this way. Yes it pays the bills, although the photography experience should be more than just a financial transaction.

Peter

You just need to book several appointments and meet with them. We clicked with the first photographer we met and he tailored a package to our needs so we were really happy. We asked lots of questions about how he got into photography etc and his passion really came through when he spoke about it, so we knew he was the real deal. His portfolio was wicked and he showed us the whole portfolios of his weddings (rather than a few of the best shots), that way we knew he had talent. HTH. Best of luck!

"PenelopeP:

to them, you're just business

Not all photographers feel this way. Yes it pays the bills, although the photography experience should be more than just a financial transaction. "

Yes I need to earn money to feed the family etc, but this is a passion for me.

I cried like a baby during yesterday's ceremony, the singing they had was amazing, the sun was out and the couple were SO in love and so happy, I was jumping about like an idiot and shot for 10 hours in all, and I LOVE IT!

Check exactly what you are paying for, I do custom designed albums, so the client doesn't have a lot of say in the album, but that's cool with most people, as they know I shoot for the album.

I prefer to meet with potential clients, we have to gel, and I am usually the vendor that is with you the longest on the day.

But I do get bookings which are booked "unseen", usually recommendations from other vendors, or WOM.