Wedding Photography - All You Need to Know and to Ask

Having recently got married and being wedding				standard greyscale image), burn it on to a DVD and
photographers, my husband and I understand the				pop it in the post to you.
business pretty well, but still found it quite confusing				It is also worth noting that some photographers have
to work out the best package for us. As a result,				two photographers (as our company Lime Leaf
we have put together a few points to try and help				Weddings does) so you get shots of the bride and
brides (and grooms!) to-be to best choose the				the groom getting ready independently which gives a
photographer for them.				great story of the day when looking back at them.
Photography and Videography are two of the most				This also means you get all the key moments
important things to get right for a wedding as once				captured from two different angles giving a great
the cake has been eaten, the venue has been				narrative of the day. Be aware if your chosen
cleared and the dress dry cleaned and hung up, they				photographer operates in this way, as you may
are the only ways you will have to remember your				initially think they are more expensive than the other
day. Get it right, and you will adorn your walls with				options, but you are getting twice the coverage.
the pictures and cherish them forever. Get it wrong,				Photography may seem as simple as pointing and
and it will be one of your biggest regrets as you				clicking, but a professional wedding photographer will
cannot replay the day at a later date.				need to understand composition, lighting conditions
1) Decide on the style of photography you want.				and how best to use them, the correct exposures to
Wedding photography comes in many different				use in every situation, thoroughly know and
styles, if you think of other weddings you have been				understand how to use their equipment inside and
to - was the photographer quietly working in the				out, and manage all of this whilst anticipating who will
background to get more of a photojournalistic				be doing what next, and where they need to be to
approach, or in the forefront trying to pose people				capture it.
and directing the bride and groom throughout the				6) Which package is right for me?
day for photographs? Be sure to check out many				If, like we did, you start looking at wedding
photographers websites and get an eye on different				photographers websites, and start trying to compare
styles then decide on the right one for you. Wedding				the packages offered, you will soon discover that it
forums are great for inspiration and also finding out				is a bit of a minefield! We actually worked our own
straight from other couples what they thought of				wedding photography packages out based on the
their photography style.				amount of time we can be hired for, but other
2) Why hire a professional wedding photographer?				photographers will work theirs out based on other
Weddings are very fast paced and like everybody				factors such as whether you want a DVD of images
tells you (and probably like us you'll think it won't				included or not, the inclusion of a proof book, the
possibly happen to your day) it does fly by so				size and type of album included, the number of
incredibly quickly that if choosing a specialist wedding				images you get and the number of prints included
photographer you can be sure they understand how				which can all differ in package to package. If you are
the day works and will capture all the key moments.				unsure whether you want some of the items
It may be cheaper to hire a photography student				included, get in touch with the photographer to see if
looking to get into weddings, or let your friend do it,				they can offer a custom package for you, the
but there is always the risk that you may not get				majority are happy to do so, and are simply trying to
the key shots such as the cake cutting, or bouquet				let prospective clients know that they have all bases
throw as they don't have the experience of				covered.
anticipating these events. Only you can decide how				7) Albums - to have or not to have?
important your wedding photography is.				Many wedding photographers offer packages
3) Where to find a photographer?				including a wedding album, so its worth establishing
Wedding photographers can be found very easily,				first if you are going to want one as this greatly
online, in the phonebook, in the local paper etc, but				affects the price of the package. There are the
the best way to find a wedding photographer is to				classic and beautifully made traditional matted
ask any recently married friends what theirs was like.				handmade leather-bound albums by the likes of
Not only will you be able to see from your friends				Jorgensen and Queensbury amongst others, as well
pictures if you like the style of photography offered,				as the more contemporary 'magazine style' book
but they will be able to advise you firsthand what				which was made popular by Graphi Studio and is
the photographer was like on the day. Another great				more of a modern coffee table book. The albums
resource is your wedding venue as they will be able				can be quite confusing with many different options
to offer you details of photographers who know the				of album size, cover, paper finish and the number of
venue and whose work they can recommend.				pages so make sure you are clear about what you
4) Make sure the photographer you use is reputable				are getting with the photographer first. Make sure
Nowadays, in the age of the digital photography				you can see an example of an album the size and
revolution, everyone has a DSLR camera and can				with the same number of pages you are going to
take pictures so it's not surprising that the number of				get.
wedding photographers around is going up, which is				8) Extras - album pages and number of photos
great as it gives clients a bigger choice. Unfortunately,				included in the package
this can also be a problem in that a lot of these				If you have decided on your photographer and
photographers do not understand the importance of				decide to get an album, make sure you check
using back up units, securing the images against cards				everything you get. It is unfortunately a known tactic
and cameras failing and getting the relevant insurance.				for some photographers to sell you a 30 page album,
This is why checking out your intended photographer				but then show you a 60 page album with your lovely
is so important, if they only use a single camera and				pictures in. Once you have looked through this 60
single lens, what would happen if that camera or lens				page album they then tell you that this will be
failed? Do they back up images throughout the day?				£XX more or alternatively they can take half
These are all things that you need to check. If the				of the images out. By this time most couples will
photographer has a website, look at the examples of				have fallen in love, not wanting to take out photos
past work on there. Be sure they're experienced with				and will end up paying the extra. Another thing to
low light or you may find your church shots and first				check is how many images you will actually get after
dance are blurry as these conditions are more difficult				the day. It's quite common for photographers to
to shoot.				shoot your day (around 50+ shots per hour on
5) Why so expensive?!				average) and only include 100 images in your
Wedding photographers come under a lot of flack				package. They will then charge you £xx for
regarding the prices we charge, you will see on many				each photo after the 100, but let you see all 600 or
bridal forums there are the posts asking why when				700 images knowing you will want them all.
some photographers charge £400 for a days				Sometimes you will also have to pay extra for a
coverage, some are charging upwards of				DVD of all the images as well and generally these do
£3000? There are many factors for this. As				not come cheap. Also, you should ask your wedding
mentioned above, the lower end price bracket are				photographer what rights you have for your images,
likely to be new wedding photographers looking to				as some will retain the copyright and therefore are
get a portfolio together, or those who do it as a part				able to do as they wish including selling to bridal
time job - nothing wrong with either of these,				magazines etc without your authorisation. Be sure
however you are unlikely to receive the same quality				your photographer respects your privacy and wishes.
of image from a £400 photographer as you				9) The photographer I want is way out of my
would a higher end one, due to many factors, one				budget - what do I do?
being equipment. Most professional level SLR camera				Don't worry, if you have your heart set on a
bodies start around £1500+, and the				photographer but their packages are out of your
professional level lenses are (dependant on the type				price range, it is still always worth asking them if they
of lens) around each around the same bracket. Then				could do a custom quote for you. Spring and summer
there is the cost of memory cards, backup storage				weekends are peak season for wedding
units, flashguns etc, not to mention the fact that				photographers, but they may be able to offer you a
most professional wedding photographers will carry				discount if you are looking at getting wed on a
multiple camera bodies and lenses, and it all very				weekday or during the quieter Autumn and Winter
quickly starts to add up. There is then the cost of				periods. They may also be able to advise you of
insurance (which is another thing worth checking out				better ways to plan your day so they can be there
about a potential photographer - professional				for a shorter amount of time but still catching all the
indemnity insurance covers if anything should happen				key moments by having the speeches before the
to the images and public liability ensures your guests				wedding breakfast or doing a mock cake cutting.
are insured if they trip up over a tripod or walk in to				Wedding photographers are a valuable resource to
the camera). Wedding photographers not only work				use as they are used to the format and timings of
tirelessly on your wedding day, but will also spend a				the day.
lot of time after the wedding putting the images				10) Any top tips?
through a 'digital darkroom' process where they can				Our top tip would be to make sure you are
process them to black and white, and develop the				completely happy with the photographer you choose,
images. When you consider that the average 10 hour				and are completely clear about what you are going
wedding will yield the photographer 500 -1000 images				to get. Also make sure you read their terms and
or more, this is a lot of time spent developing each				conditions thoroughly, and most importantly make
and every one.				sure you like and trust them. Another great tip which
You will find cheaper photographers will hand you the				we give our clients is to speak to your photographer
photos from the day, virtually unprocessed or batch				if there is anything regarding the day you are unsure
processed (i.e. One click to change 100+ photos to a				about, we are pretty much wedding experts!