Weddings: What To Look For In A Photographer

* In order to start gathering a list of potential photographers for your wedding day, instead of popping open the Yellow Pages and picking random photographers, ask around. Surely, some of your relatives and friends have been married in the same city and they will, more than likely, have recommendations of photographers to use and not to use. Compile your list from these referrals, as well as from photographers booths you attend at wedding fairs and photographers who advertise locally through the paper and websites.

* Unless you are a trust fund baby and are financially set for life, you will need to go through your budget and determine how much you can afford for photographer services. Bear in mind that aside from the renting of your wedding venue and catering, this will probably be one of your largest expenses, so allot your budget accordingly. When you have your appointments with the different photographers, this will be one of the first questions you need to pose. Ask how much their fees are and what types of services they provide. If they are professional wedding photographers, they probably have several different wedding packages you can choose from that includes how many hours they will work for you on your wedding day and how many photos they will provide. Be sure to also ask how much reprints of photos will cost. If you want to be in charge of all reprints, determine if your photographer will keep the negatives or if those are provided as well.

* Once you determine that a specific photographer is within your budget, speak with them about their photographic style. This is extremely important when choosing a photographer. Photographers who shoot traditional shots will probably ask you to pose for them during the different events in your wedding, like the cutting of the cake or the bouquet toss. If you would rather not pose during these events and simply want a photographer who will seek out special moments in the wedding and shoot those (without asking anybody to pose), then you will want to seek a photographer who shoots more candid and photojournalistic shots.

* Ask to look through your photographer's portfolio. If you can, look through one of your photographer's most recent wedding shoots, so you can get an idea of the types of pictures he/she will lean towards. If you want special types of photograph styles, like black and white or sepia tones, be sure to ask if this is allowed and how much it would cost extra.

* If you are having a larger wedding with more than a hundred and fifty people, you might want to see if your photographer works alone or if she provides an assistant who also takes photos. If so, you might want to schedule an appointment with his/her assistant to see that portfolio.

* Be sure to speak with your photographer about the time frame allotted for getting the wedding photos back to you. Some photographers work quickly and will have the photographs back in a few weeks, while others take a month or two to return wedding photos.

* Finally, you want to actually like your photographer. He/she will be spending a lot of personal time with you on your wedding day and be around during your most intimate moments (when you are getting ready for the wedding, when you exchange vows, when you cut your cake), so you need to be sure your personalities mesh well.