There are a lot of decisions to be made regarding your wedding day. You need to find a location, a caterer, a florist, a DJ, someone to create a beautiful cake, and (most importantly!) a great photographer.
With all of the amazing cameras out there today, it may seem like anyone can take pictures on your wedding day and you’ll be fine. Not true! A colleague of mine has a sister-in-law that is a hair stylist. A few weeks ago the sister-in-law said to the photographer, “Wow! Your camera takes great pictures!” The photographer’s response: “Your scissors are great at cutting hair!” Photography is about more than the camera; it’s about the person behind the camera.
Besides the fact that photography is my passion and I’m a little biased about its importance, finding the right photographer really is one of the most significant choices in your wedding planning process. The photographer is the only vendor that will be with you all day long (except, of course, the videographer, and everything I say here applies to your videographer as well!). It’s really helpful if you’ve had a chance to get to know your photographer and you like their personality.
I know that budgets and bottom lines play their part in finding vendors, but photographers are more than their prices. They will be interacting with you, your wedding party, and your guests. An engaging personality, and one that compliments your style, is a must. That’s why I like to meet with brides-to-be to discuss packaging and pricing rather than just sending a dry email. Who I am (along with my phenomenal images!) is a part of my packages. If you’re irritated with a photographer’s personality after a 30 minute meeting, imagine how annoying that photographer will be 8 hours into your wedding day.
My advice: find a photographer that has a passion for wedding photography, that makes you and your fiancée comfortable, whose reviews talk about how much fun previous clients had, and (of course) who takes gorgeous photographs.
[...] I include an engagement session in all of my wedding packages. Why? Because I feel an engagement session is an important part of the wedding experience. First, it gives me a chance to get to know the couple. Occasionally, I’ll only meet with one person when discussing my packages and showing off examples (it’s usually the bride!). The engagement session gives the other half of the couple a chance to meet their photographer. As I’ve said in the past, the photographer is a big part of your wedding day and having a good connection is incredibly beneficial (http://branderphoto.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/wedding-tip-wednesday-find-the-right-photographer/). [...]