Once again the news wires were cluttered with some unfortunate customers dealing with a non professional photographer and getting burned. I can't stress the issue enough of how important it is to do your homework before hiring any photographer. With the economy at an all time low consumers want to save every cent they can. I don't blame them, I like to get a deal too. Unfortunately, when the economy dips everyone scrambles to find alternate incomes to support their own households. One quick way is to become a quote professional photographer. For a modest investment one can buy a cheap digital camera and viola they are in business. Now they think," how do I make extra income while still maintaining their day job?" The instant remedy for them is wedding photography. That is really bad news for prospective brides. In their efforts to save as much money as they can on their wedding they are very vulnerable to this fly by night photo studio in hopes of getting a deal. You will always get burned dealing with this type of approach. The better way is to do a little research. Make a smart decision. It is really simple too. With a few simple questions and observations you can tell if any photographer is worth his salt as a professional.
Number one ask to see his last wedding. The complete set of proofs that he/she gave to the bride. They can be touched up and ran threw post processing. I am not talking about raw images just the finished set they showed the bride and her mother. The reasoning is, you are only as good as your last photos. It doesn't really matter what they did in the past. It is all about what they are doing now. Now look through this set and look for consistency through out the day. Ask yourself are they too dark or light at different locations through out the day and are they all properly exposed. Can you see the details in the wedding gown? Can you see details in the shadowed areas? Does the color of their skin look natural? If this bride were you, would you be happy with this set of images? You will be able to tell a lot about how experienced this photographer is by seeing this complete set of images. Number two ask if you get all the files with copyrights included in every package. A true professional will cringe and bit his tongue when you ask that question? The reason is a true professional does this for a living. He/ she doesn't have another daytime job and this isn't a hobby for them. They rely on the income of selling you addition orders after the wedding. This is how they stay in business and support their families. Now that doesn't mean a professional won't ever sell the digital files, it just means there will be a little resistance when you ask. If the photographer determines that his re- sales with you will probably be minimal he may offer files at additional prices. And the third and final question to ask is for the bride. Can I see myself working with this person all day? And does he/ she really seem genuinely concerned about doing the best job possible for my wedding. And there you have it. Three easy to follow steps to hiring a wedding photographer. If you are wondering why I didn't mention pricing it's because price is important but a professional photographer isn't ever going to rip you off. He/ she will always give you a fair deal for a fair days work because they want you to have a great experience so you will come back again and again and again for future sittings.
Use a little common sense when your looking for candidates to interview. Like if the guy doesn't show an address on his web site and wants you to email them and they will get back to you. Red light girls! This guy is already preparing to disappear if something should go wrong with your wedding photography. He/ she wants to remain anonymous for a reason. Look to see if they belong to any professional organizations on their sites. Google the studios name and look to see if they have bad reviews or worse yet, no web presence at all.
Use these tips when hiring and I am sure you'll find the best photographer for you.
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