Choosing a Photographer for Your Wedding

There is a person at your wedding who can make or break how your day unfolds and greatly influence the experience of your special day for you as well as your family and guests. That person is your wedding photographer.

There are many factors to be considered when choosing a wedding photographer such as years of experience and style of wedding photography. Photography is a combination of art and craft. Some may be great craftsmen but lack an artistic sensibility that must be honed over decades as a photographic artist. Many photographers can create good photos when the conditions are perfect, but a true pro can create wonderful photographs of your wedding under difficult or sometimes adverse conditions.

Don’t make the mistake of hiring someone who doesn’t understand how to seamlessly blend in with the wedding day in a way that allows events to unfold naturally. This ability to blend in, not only facilitates better photographs, but will greatly enhance the experience of your wedding day for you and your guests.

Of course, a true professional wedding photographer knows how to take charge when needed such as during the formal portrait photo session after the wedding. But, it is crucial to be able to gently guide your loved ones quickly and smoothly though this critical period without breaking the magic spell of the romance and enchantment of your wedding day by being overly bossy, insensitive, or egotistical.

I have seen while attending weddings as a guest or heard many stories about how the photographer “ruined” the wedding by being overly bossy, insensitive, or losing their composure. I have heard of weddings where the photographer had a tantrum and had to disappear for ten minutes before being able to return and resume taking photos.

One strategy I use to help the day go smoothly is to do many of the portrait photographs prior to the ceremony. Usually I start with the groom and his parents, best man and the groomsmen. The groom then goes off somewhere else while I photograph the bride and the bridesmaids as well as the bride’s parents. Normally I will start the portraits at least one hour prior to the ceremony and this greatly shortens the time needed for photos after the ceremony and allows the bride and groom to quickly rejoin their guests once the portrait photos are completed.

I photographed a lovely wedding a few years ago where we did photos of the bride and bridesmaids primping and applying makeup which often make for very sweet photos. We then did many portraits prior to the ceremony. By the time we had completed the formal portraits after the ceremony, it had been more than six hours since I had something to eat. With the amount of energy I expend while photographing a wedding, I was feeling the lack of nourishment was affecting my ability to do the best job possible.

When a waiter offered me a hors d’oeuvre, I accepted and at just that moment, the bride’s stepmother walked by with the bride’s father. The bride had warned me that her stepmother could be insensitive and abrasive but I was still stunned when she came right up to me and said “it must be great to get paid all this money to stand around eating hors d’oeuvres.” The brides father had a stricken look on his face and I knew that if ever there was a make or break moment at a wedding, this was it.

I looked the stepmother in the eye and said “you are correct, it is great to get paid to stand around eating hors d’oeuvres, plus I love getting to be part of a wonderful celebration where I often feel like a member of the family by the end of the day.” She was totally disarmed and we ended up having a lovely conversation. I later realized that she was someone who couldn’t help saying the first thought that entered her mind and as a result was actually somewhat misunderstood.

Make sure you select a photographer who knows how to get along with many different types of people. Someone who can check their ego at the door and can concentrate on helping to facilitate the magical day you deserve while creating beautiful photographs that you will cherish for a lifetime.

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