Tips To Find The Best Photographer For Your Wedding

By Author: Erika Carson
Total Articles: 31
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As with all once-in-a-lifetime events, you'll want to remember every moment of your wedding, but the truth is that it'll fly by so quickly. This is where the all-important wedding photographer comes into play, one of the most important choices and investments in your wedding plans. You don't get a second chance to document your wedding. The professional wedding photos commemorate your special day that took months of planning. You want to be able to trust that your wedding photographer will capture the beauty and range of emotions at your wedding, and visually tell the story and create a lasting memory of your special day.

Now, how would you even begin searching for the best wedding photographer?

Give Yourself Enough Time
First of all, start the planning process over a year in advance because you'll need time to find and investigate top local wedding photographers in and around your area before you even consider interviewing and booking them. Non-winter seasons are popular for weddings and photographers will typically need to be booked at least a year in advance for weddings planned during April to October.

Collect ...
... Recommendations
Your friends, relatives and coworkers will likely have personal experience with wedding photographers whether for their own weddings or for that of their own friends and family. Plan lunch dates to peruse their wedding albums and trust your initial reaction of the artistry and ability of the wedding photos to capture emotion.

Also take the time to ask for the person's opinion about their photographer. Here are some good questions to ask:

How would you rate your photographer on customer service? Professionalism?
Did the photographer follow through with everything you discussed before the wedding?
Was the photographer responsive and punctual?
Was the photographer personable and helpful in making you feel relaxed, so you could enjoy the moment? Did you ever feel rushed by the photographer?
Was the photographer more incognito or more intrusive?
How did the photographer get along with unruly children who refused to cooperate?
Did the photographer have an assistant? What was the assistant like?
What kinds of compliments or criticisms have you received from family and friends about your photographer and your wedding photos?

Investigate Online
It's a mandatory step to take advantage of the wealth of information on the Internet to search for top wedding photographers in and near your area. At each photographer's website, look through their online portfolio. Don't forget to also take the time to check out each photographer at the Better Business Bureau and on Yelp for reviews and complaints.

Go through the same process for the photographers you've narrowed down based on recommendations from your contacts.
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You'll want to remember every moment of your once-in-a-lifetime wedding, but it'll fly by so quickly and you don't get a second chance to document your wedding. This is why the wedding photographer is one of the most important choices and investments in your wedding plans. It's with the professional wedding photos that you commemorate your special day. You need a wedding photographer whom you can trust to capture the natural beauty of your wedding, visually telling the story and displaying the range of emotions of your wedding.

Follow these three steps to find the best wedding photographer for your wedding:

Start Searching Well in Advance
Give yourself over a year to find your wedding photographer. Before you even consider interviewing and booking, you'll need time to search for and investigate top wedding photographers in and around your area. The most popular seasons for weddings are non-winter seasons (April to October) when photographers will typically need to be booked at least a year in advance.

Search for Photographers on the Internet
These days, all successful photographers have an online presence where you can skim through their portfolio of wedding photos and learn more about them before you even meet them in person! This is the best way to help you narrow down the top wedding photographers in and near your area without having to make a commitment. Once you have a good idea of which photographers you may want meet, search for each of them at the Better Business Bureau website and on Yelp.com for reviews and complaints.

Reach Out to Your Network
Meet with friends, relatives and coworkers who have hired wedding photographers for themselves or for their family to see their wedding albums and interview them about their experience. When viewing their wedding photos, trust your initial reaction about how successfully they were able to visually tell the story of the wedding.

When interviewing your contact about his or her wedding photographer, make sure to ask these questions:

Could the photographer relax you enough, so you could truly enjoy the moment? Did your photographer ever rush you during photo sessions?
How well did you get along with the photographer's assistant? (If appropriate).
How would you rate your photographer on professionalism? Customer service? Punctuality?
Did the photographer get along with your friends and family? Children?
Did you receive any compliments from family and friends about your photographer and/or your wedding photos?
Did the photographer attract attention during the wedding or was the photographer more hidden?
Did the photographer keep to his or her word about everything agreed upon before the wedding?

Don't forget to check out each of these photographers on the Internet as well, as detailed in the previous step.
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The wedding photographer is one of the most important choices and investments in your wedding plans because you'll need to rely on him or her to capture every moment of your special day. There are no second chances when it comes to documenting and remembering every moment of your wedding through professional wedding photos that commemorate all the planning and anticipation. Finding the best wedding photographer is key to being able to trust that the beauty and range of emotions at your wedding will be captured. If all goes well, your photos will visually tell the story of your wedding day, creating a beautiful lasting memory.

Before you even begin, the most important piece of advice to keep in mind is to start early! Top local wedding photographers in and around your area will be booked solid at least a year in advance, especially during non-winter seasons (April to October). Starting the search over a year ahead of schedule means that you'll have the time to find, investigate, interview and book your wedding photographer.

What resources can you tap to find the best photographer for your wedding?

The Internet
A quick Google search will provide you with a thorough listing of the top wedding photographers in and near your area. Each photographer should have his or her own website where you can view their online portfolio of wedding photos. Aside from the photographer's own website, it's worthwhile to look up the photographer on Yelp.com and the Better Business Bureau. The reviews and complaints at these websites will be crucial for the decision-making process.

Your Network
Friends, relatives and coworkers can provide the inside details on the wedding photographers you've found on the Internet or even point you toward new photographers you may have missed. Make sure you see their wedding albums and ask for their personal opinion on the photographer's work ethic, personality and style.

Consider asking your network the following questions:

How did you feel about the photographer's presence at your wedding? Did the photographer seem undercover or meddlesome?
Did the photographer fulfill all agreements?
What opinion did your family and friends have about your wedding photos and wedding photographer?
Was the photographer helpful in relaxing you, so you could focus on enjoying the moment?
Was the photographer professional, responsive and punctual?
Can you give me an example of how your photographer dealt with uncooperative children?
Can you tell me about the photographer's assistant, if he or she had one?

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