You’re getting married, right? Congratulations! Of course you want your wedding day to be as perfect and magical as you have always dreamed, is making sure your wedding is perfect enough? Or do you want to be able to capture those perfect memories and be able to treasure them for decades to come? Here is how to choose the perfect wedding photographer for you and not only have the perfect wedding but capture those perfect, once in a lifetime moments.

Choosing the right photographer is mainly about your individual style and their style of photography. Firstly set up an appointment to view the photographers work and make sure you are able to view a fairly large selection of wedding images that they themselves have taken. The best photographers will show you albums that they have made as well as the proofs. The proof book shows you the typical type of images that the photographer usually captures within a wedding, the album usually showcases their best work. Ask yourself a few questions such as;

•    How do the images look?
•    Are they exciting and pleasing to look at?
•    Does the photo look like it has the correct lighting and colour to you?
•    Is the style the photographer uses what you are after?

If you answered no to any of the above questions or don’t feel comfortable with the photographer is it time to move on and start looking elsewhere. If you don’t like their work there is no need to consider them as a prospective photographer for your wedding even if they are cheaper than other options, photographer is not something that you should settle on just because it is easier than finding the perfect photographer for you. Do not compromise on what you are after because the end result will be that you are not happy with the images that are taken.

Secondly, ask yourself whether you feel comfortable around the photographer and are happy with their personality and mannerisms. Does the photographer seem confident and easy going or do they seem nervous and shy? A shy photographer will have problems with approaching guests and being assertive when needed during your wedding. Remember that the photographer is going to be there throughout your whole wedding so you need to feel comfortable with how they interact with not only you but also your guests, choosing someone who is not compatible with you can make your wedding day very unpleasant. Find out whether there will be a assistant and meet with them as well. Also make sure they are flexible when capturing images and take into consideration what you would like within your album and don’t just take a set amount of certain poses.

Thirdly, professionalism is VERY important. Does your photographer show a strong sense of professional commitment to photographing your wedding and not just see you as another customer? Do they have professional equipment to use, meaning cameras, flashes and different lenses for different effects and lighting? Do they know a lot about the business, how long have they been in operation? Ask if they have back up equipment in case of equipment failure. Inform them what you would like them to wear to your wedding so that they don’t turn up in stubbies and a singlet. Hopefully most photographers would have enough common sense to turn up to a wedding in a tux, suit or a dress, although if your photographer is a man the dress might be a problem. You should always get the feeling that the photographer you have chosen is 100% dedicated to making sure that your wedding day is wonderful and that all of the emotions and important details will be captured in the images that they take for you to be able to enjoy for the rest of your life.

Keeping the above in mind, an experienced photographer should have had enough experience at previous weddings to be able to anticipate when special moments will happen during your wedding and also be able to capture them, these are the type of things that a new photographer may miss. An experienced photographer also should know that during weddings things do go wrong sometimes and should have action plans in place to work around these hiccups.

Price and value are a very important aspect. If you have read through the first part of this article and realized that your photographer doesn’t have all of these qualities, it should not matter what their prices are as they simply are not the right photographer for you. Make sure you choose a photographer based on what is most important to you, check what they charge extra for. There is no point in hiring someone who charges a low base price but then charges you for everything else such as enlargements, album, each image. Ask about the cost of reprints and if you get your negatives or have to pay for them.  Make sure you know what is included in your package and have a contract drawn up to reflect this.

Last but not least, know what you want. Search through magazines and cut out pictures that you like the poses in, show these to your photographer so he knows what kinds of pictures you want taken. Tell them if you want black and white or sepia or any particular special effects so that they can quote you on these if they are extra, or let you know what their packages are with those kinds of things. Make sure you also book as early as possible. Wedding photographers book out fast! So once you decide on the date start searching straight away. Don’t leave it till the last minute as the best ones will have many bookings. Another idea is to purchase some disposable cameras and put them on your tables, your photographer can simply not be everywhere at once and some photos that are taken are just classics and may show you things that even you missed on your wedding day.

Once again congratulations on your upcoming wedding, good luck in finding the perfect photographer for you and your partner!