When I’m asked by friends and clients alike, how do I choose a wedding photographer, I will always give the same response. We’re just about to enter the 2010 wedding season so appropriate perhaps that I put my response down for a wider audience.

The two most important things to consider when choosing a wedding photographer are:

- Do I like their photographs ?

- Do I feel comfortable and relaxed while they are working with me ?

Everything else is secondary.  There are many, many, aspects to making a choice but its the two answers above that cover the majority of concerns for most couples.

Making your choice.

Photographs are the lasting memory of your wedding day, so choosing the right photographer to shoot them is incredibly important. Couples often get distracted by the details of the package, comparing one offering to another, they often lose sight of the quality of the photographs.

Why are these such important questions to ask ?  Well the two are inextricably linked, when the subjects are relaxed, the photographs are so much better, and to take better photographs, the photographer needs to make you feel relaxed. Take a look at their portfolio and ask how they work, how the images are taken. Show your photographer what you want if you’ve seen images you really like. Ask them if they can produce something along similar lines and look for evidence in their portfolio. Ask about the style of images you want, perhaps black and white as well as colour, relaxed or formal. Contemporary and reportage wedding photography, terms often used, but do you and your photographer agree on what they mean. Relate these terms to photographs in their portfolio to ensure you understand each other.

Take advantage of the photographers consultation meeting, look for that all important rapport. Do you feel at ease, are you relaxed, do the responses you get look and sound like they understand you? Importantly do they feel they can work with you ?

Check the package you’ve chosen meets your needs. Go through the details to understand whats included and what options are available to you. Remember to ensure you’ve booked enough of the photographers time. Additional albums, prints and frames can always be booked after the event. If the photographer isn’t there, you’ll need to ensure your guests are reliably informed that they are taking his or her place.

Most photographers will dress to fit in with your guests. Always worth informing them of colour schemes and checking how they plan to dress on the day.

Make sure the photographer you use has liability insurance, heaven forbid anything unplanned should happen, but worse still if they aren’t insured. What happens if they break a camera or a lens on the day, do they have backups with them ?

Make sure the photographer you book is the same one who will take your photographs on the day. Most photographers work as sole traders and attend every wedding, but there are agencies who pass work on to others.

If you’re still not sure.

Consider having a pre-wedding shoot. This is an excellent way to understand what to expect on the day and become comfortable with your photographer. The photographs taken on the pre-wedding shoot can be used to create your signature mount or guest book for your wedding guests to capture their comments on the big day itself.

Check the terms and conditions of your contract. Ask the photographer to explain what they mean if you aren’t sure. Check the cancellation terms to ensure you are clear about charges should you decide to cancel later.

Pricing.

You’ll see I’ve avoided the cost until now, probably because most couples already know their budget and what they want in terms of photography.  For those on a tight budget I recommend you ask your guests to take as many photographs as possible and send them to you. The law of averages says you’ll end up with some images you’re pleased with. Please take care if you are considering what seems to be a good cheap deal. Packages of digital images only can seem to be a bargain, but remember, to make a profit the photographer may not be able to spend anywhere like the amount of time needed to crop, colour correct, and process the hundreds of images taken. Then design albums, create galleries, and provide images to your guests. Which means you may end up doing it, or worse still, the cutbacks are in the quality and the final images are not what you expect.

Once you’ve booked your photographer.

Keep in touch with them. Many weddings are booked months in advance, many more than a year ahead of the date. Changes to plans can have a significant impact on the time and organisation for good quality relaxed photographs. Remember, relaxed subjects make better photographs and if there’s a rush to squeeze things in, no one will enjoy the consequences. The majority of good photographers I’ve met would also make good wedding planners, so let them know whats happening and they’ll ensure you’ll know what this means to the contents of the wedding album.

Check the timing with your photographer once the wedding is over. Do you want galleries up as soon as possible, a sneak preview of the images for a select few. Galleries online to view from your honeymoon destination ? Whatever you choose, ensure you’ve let your photographer know what you want.

Above all, relax and enjoy yourself. With a happy couple, guests having a good time, the perfect venue, and all of the details in place, any reputable photographer will find it difficult to take anything but the finest wedding photographs.