Wedding Tactics

One of the most important vendors you may choose for your wedding day is the photographer. Your photographer will document your wedding day from morning until night. They will capture moments you won’t even recall and they will gather your entire family for group portraits you may never be able to replicate. The photographer is a very important person in your wedding day. You must feel comfortable enough with them to communicate all of your wants and plans for your big day, and then, you have to trust them to get the job done. And, done well.

Recently some photographers are able to offer a different kind of wedding album. As an alternative to the traditional photo album, you can now upgrade for a few extra hundred dollars to a coffee table album. The coffee table album is just that, a larger book that is usually arranged in a more photojournalistic manner rather than the traditional matted photo album.

When it comes time to find your photographer there are some good introductory questions to ask. Also, before meeting them, if they have a website, read it. If you have brochures, read them too. Sometimes many of your answers will be here and when a vendor knows that you have read up on them, it will allow you to really talk to them about your wedding and not just the basics like what kind of camera they use and the number of proofs you get.

1. Find out who will be taking the pictures at the wedding. Some large vendors have a few photographers who do the work on-site, others are husband and wife teams or independent folks. You want to be sure to meet with the person who will be doing the actual photo taking.

2. These days, most photographers use digital but some still use film. Be sure to ask because this effects your cost and photo turn around time.

3. Do they have any back-up equipment?

4. *important* Who has the copyrights to your photos? Some photographers will provide you with a CD of all the wedding photos so that you can duplicate them on your own. You may also want to ask for a letter stating that they are turning the rights over to you.

5. How much time are they available for? If you wedding goes later than expected will they stay and charge more? If you want to cut costs and only want them for a short period of time, will they negotiate an abbreviated package?

6. Price! Most photographers have a few different packages they offer that feature different numbers of photos and upgrades and all the different costs. Be sure to discuss costs up front. In most large cities, wedding photography can range from a few hundred dollars up to eight thousand dollars. There is not photo package that should cost eight thousand dollars. If a photographer is going to spend upwards of ten hours with you, consider, the time you are getting ready, the posed portraits prior to the ceremony, the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, consider their time. They usually put in a lot of work afterwards getting photos printed and uploaded to websites. The price should also include an initial meeting and a thorough consultation prior to the wedding to discuss the event flow. All of this can be easily accomplished for as low as fifteen hundred dollars and up to four thousand dollars. Keep these figures in mind if you are willing to spend that much money. Otherwise, look to cut costs and compare vendors.

wedding, photography, vendors