The Wedding Photographer

Do you realize that most couples who are preparing to wed take wedding photography really as an after thought? We don’t want to mislead you, we want to give you the best of advise; that kind of approach is really dangerous.

See, these couples tend to get so caught up with all the wedding details their guests will see - like the cake, the wedding decor, the gown, etc. - and they often completely overlook, until of course its too late, that selecting the right wedding photographer is equally important. We did it on our own wedding. We were fortunate that the photographer we came across really knew what he was doing and often he insisted on many things we took for granted, you know, like the quality of films we bought etc (cause we had opted to buy our own film and develop it in order to cut on cost. We thought we had cut costs but we did not read the fine print on the film box then only to realize later that we had bought zhing zhong films).

On face value, the photographer certainly appears to be one of those people that you would hire and get on with it and after it all get your pictures or video and forget about him. On the contrary the photographer you choose to capture the moments of your wedding on film will play a very significant role in what is likely to be the single most important day of your life. Consider this: Long after the band stops playing, the guests have gone home, the flowers have wilted, all that will remain are memories and photographs. If the proper channel is not followed in getting a photographer, later, when the day you have waited a lifetime for has come and gone, and the pictures are developed, all of the disappointment will begin to set in. How sad!

In choosing a photographer give yourselves enough time to shop around. Chat with them and look at the work they have done before. Also insist on seeing the actual wedding pictures they have taken before. Looking at pictures of babies, sunsets and pets will not be helpful at all as this will not assist you gauge their experience in taking wedding pictures.

Please also be aware that each photographer has got his or her unique style of photography. Go for the style that speaks to you. There is need to capture mood, emotion and sentiment within wedding photographs. Weddings do not necessarily require photographers trained in photo-journalism that is mostly associated with magazines and posters. You need a photographer who is able to capture the natural expressions of you during your wedding.

Now the million dollar question… who keeps the negatives? Many photographers are used to keeping the negatives such that when you need to run reprints you have to go through them again. [Yah, the guy who took our photos went with our negatives… as we speak we are thinking of going after him.] You may choose to enter into a contract with the photographer clearly stating that you get to keep the negatives. This will protect you in future in case you need further reprints.

One quick one… see we don’t want to take it for granted, in the age of digital cameras also go for some pictures in digital form. This will make it easier for you to circulate photos to friends and family sooner than later by email or even post them on your website or blog like this.
So that’s it for now. Come around again tomorrow. Then we will also post some feedback we have received on the Zimbridal tips from some of the readers.

To Your Special day!