AMV

Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

If you are still looking for a wedding photographer, we recommend that whilst visiting the photographer you ensure:

• you view a complete album of photographs from one wedding, rather than a collection of good pictures from a selection of weddings.
• the photographs and album tells the story of the whole wedding.
• the photographs are varied: some close up, some mid distance, some full length.
• the group shots are well organised, and are all of the group positioned in the shot, or have people been missed off at the edges.
• the subject of the picture or a distraction in the background.
• you see detail in the pictures: of the dress, the cake, the flowers, people's faces in shots taken from a distance.
• that you would feel happy owning your version of the pictures you are shown.
• the photographer shares your ideas of style.
• You should also make sure that the photographer you choose quickly establishes a good rapport with you and makes you feel comfortable.

Questions you should ask include:

• if the person you are meeting will be the person there on your wedding day. If not, ask to met the actual photographer and see some examples of their work. If this is resisted, be a little concerned. If you meet an alternative photographer from the same company, ask the same questions. Don't assume the same standards or experience as their partner or employer.
• how long they have been a photographer, and how long they have been taking photographs of weddings.
• if the photographer has professional indemnity insurance to cover the cost of retaking your photographs if something goes horribly wrong. If the photographer does not have insurance, you should take out your own wedding insurance policy to cover such an eventuality.
• how long the photographer will spend taking the photographs after the ceremony and/or at the reception. There isn't really a standard time for this, you should decide before you visit the photographer how long you think it is acceptable to keep your guests waiting, and see how close the photographer's estimate comes to yours. This will depend on the amount of photographs you want to have taken. You need to know the time between the ceremony and reception too in order to let the caterer's know timings for your meal. Will the photographer want time with you on your own etc.
• how the photographer copes if the weather is not as beautiful as you hope. Here it will help if the photographer has worked at your wedding and reception venues previously and or knows the local area.

Before Booking make sure:

• you ask each photographer to quote for the same job otherwise you will not be able to compare quotations. There are some variables in the cost of a wedding photographer: how long you want the photographer to be in attendance, the approximate number of photographs taken, the number of shots to be included in the package that is presented to you and the type of album the final photographs will be presented in. Be on your guard here. Make sure that the photographer anticipates taking more shots than they intend presenting to you, as this leaves a greater margin for error. Also be aware of "too good to be true" offers as these are usually just as they sound.

We hope that you will consider us as your photographer. We will be more that happy to demonstrate, answer any of the above questions and provide a quotation. Even if you don't use our services we hope that this advice will prove useful.