Tips for hiring a wedding photographer

The story of your wedding day is entrusted both to memory and photography. Both fade over time, but good photography can bring back many happy memories and remind you of all the emotion and feeling of your special moment in time.

Listed below are some helpful wedding photography tips. Make sure that you meet personally with the photographer who will shoot your wedding. Many larger studios employ several photographers with varying levels of ability. Ask to see the work of the photographer who will shoot your wedding. It is important to view a photographer's work from an entire wedding rather than a compilation from several weddings. You want to see how this photographer handles all parts of the wedding day. A reputable studio or photographer should be able to show you several demo albums from entire weddings. Wedding photographers generally fall into two categories. --Traditional wedding photographers are likely to be skilled at portraits and traditional type poses. --A wedding photojournalist will seek to capture your wedding as it happens rather than focusing on setting up the shots. Most photographers are capable of both approaches but do one or the other better. Wedding photojournalism is hip right now. To be competitive, most wedding photographers will advertise that they take photojournalistic pictures. If you are interested in the photojournalistic story-telling approach, it is important to verify that the photographer has the expertise to do this well. An important question is whether your wedding photographer will shoot digitally or with film. If a photographer says that he shoots digitally, ask to see samples of his digital work. Since many wedding photographers are new to digital photography, the quality of their digital work may not be on par with their film work. With film-based photography, a professional lab assures that all prints have the correct color balance and density. With digital photos, it's often up to the photographer to handle such adjustments. What factors should determine whether your wedding is photographed digitally or with film? If you like to look at pictures on a computer, digital wedding photography may be just right for you. But if you are more traditional and are satisfied looking at prints, film-based photography may be ideal. Current digital cameras are capable of extremely high image quality. Make sure your photographer is shooting with at least a 6-megapixel professional digital camera. This file size or greater allows for excellent quality prints and enlargements. Should you provide a list of desired photos for your photographer? Yes and no. Most wedding photographers know from experience the essential group poses. But try to come up with a short list of shots unique to your wedding. Think about who will be there and what special shots you might want. It also is helpful to provide some creative direction as to what locations might be ideal for your photos. If possible, set aside a short amount of time for your photographer to take portraits and group shots outside, particularly if the weather is nice. People tend to be more relaxed outside, so the photos are more natural and candid than inside the church. Plus, the lighting is usually better outside. Often a wedding is very much a family reunion. It's a good idea to have an understanding with your photographer about taking group or candid shots of people who are dear to you and whom you may not see often. Try to point out these people for the photographer. How do you find a good wedding photographer? The best resource may be word of mouth, but you also could try an online wedding photography site such as www.theknot.com, which has comprehensive listings of wedding professionals and links to their Web sites. Bridal magazines and bridal shows are another resource. It is important to book your wedding photographer soon after getting engaged because a photographer's calendar may book up well in advance, especially for May and June. You may forget the taste of your cake, but your wedding photos are something you live with, for better or for worse, the rest of your life. So ask the right questions and select a talented photographer who shares your vision.

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