Your big day has come and gone. Everything went perfectly. The ceremony was grand, the speeches great, and the food and drink spectacular. You’ve just come back from your honeymoon so the next stop is the photographers to pick up your snaps and video clips of the happy day. You arrive at the photographers place only to find that your one-off shots are out of focus, heads have been cut off in portraits, and the quality of the compositions are awful.
Great wedding photographers don’t become good by accident. Some have years of experience and spend thousands of hours at weddings honing their craft. But how can you tell the difference between a great photographer and one that could possibly spoil that unique day? Here are some tips.
If you look at the example above, you will see that there is a huge difference between your Uncle Bob getting the job on the day, and hiring a professional to do the work.
Visit Them And Check Out Their Equipment
Most photographers have a studio – even if it is at their home. Go and visit them and check out their equipment. If all they have is a snazzy-looking DSLR and a tripod, chances are they are new to the game or have very little experience. Most will have several cameras, and a lot of peripherals such as lenses, tripods, lights, flash reflector panels and more.
Portfolio
Ask to see their portfolio. Any photographer worth their salt will have an array of pictures to show you from previous weddings. Not only will this give you the opportunity to check out the quality of snaps, but also might give you some ideas on the type of shots you want for your own wedding.
Question, Question, Question
Don’t be shy on questioning your potential photographer. Try and mine him or her for ideas – not only so you know the kind of photographs or video files they produce, but also gives you a heads up if they know what they are talking about.
Testimonials
All photographers will have testimonials, either on their website, or available for you to call. We’d suggest calling a few of the photographer’s clients. Not so much to talk about the photographs (there should be plenty on display on their website, or they should provide links to portfolios), but more about how the day went. How open to ideas was the photographer? Did they treat guests with respect? Were they organised? Piece of mind over this part of the day gives you one less thing to worry about during the event.
Doing a little research on your photographer can’t do any harm – you only get one crack at getting great shots on the day. There is no replay, no starting over and no second chance. At JL Images we welcome all enquiries and are more than happy to provide testimonials, talk you through the types of shots you would like on the day, and have a portfolio ready for your perusal.