Hello my beloved readership,

the own wedding is doubtlessly the most important day in one’s life. But no matter how early you wake up or how long you celebrate this day ends too quickly and it will not come back. The more important it is to have a good photographer to capture all important moments therefore the choice of the photographer is a responsible one in order not to be disappointed because a recap will not be possible. In the following I am going to share my personal experiences with you and give you advices of what you to keep in mind when choosing your wedding photographer.

As you report to your boss, company, bank assistant, doctor and many more that you are leaving to your wedding apart from hearing the sentence: “Bring the wedding photos when you return” companied by best wishes an emotional alert is inevitable. These situations underline that there is almost nothing more important than the wedding photographer for the couple itself to remember and recap the most important day in life and to leave it for the posterity as a piece of inspiration.

The Most Important Motives To Capture Of A Wedding

To inspire the posterity and capture all important details about the wedding such as the theme, the decoration and styles to wear as guest or active participant here is a list of typical and to me important motives to capture on a wedding apart from the moments of the event itself:

• A photoshooting of the bridal couple with different backgrounds and poses (as suggestion: sights or everything nature provides us)
• the bride all alone on the whole
• the wedding dress and suit still hanging on the coat hanger
• the groom all alone on the whole
• details of the wedding dress and suit
• the hands of bride and groom when the groom puts the ring on the bride’s finger
• the brial flower bouquet
• the feet of the brial couple
• the bride and her bridesmaid(s)
  
• the bridesmaid(s) helping the bride getting dressed
  
• the bridal couple cutting the cake
• the wedding cake
• the bridal couple opening-dance
• the groom and his witness or rather best men
• the bridal couple with all the guests
• a wedding group-photo with all the participants
• decoration of the bride’s room, the tables and gifts or rather gift-hampers et cetera
• traditions

How to Choose a Photographer for the Wedding

Even if the wedding photographer plays a very important role on a wedding, even without that the wedding will take enough costs with all the details, as much money as you might save with good offers and deals. Therefore you should not take the first photographer who makes you an offer but compare many different ones and choose the best full package that covers:

• the prize
• everything the prize includes (such as editing and sorting out the photos afterwards, the equipment the photographer will use and much more)
• the amount of time the photographer will spend on your wedding as such
• and the arrival and return

Apart from that photographers specialized on weddings are mostly booked one year ahead so that when you ask later your photographer of choice might not have time on your wedding day anymore.
Especially if you are getting married on the main vacation season which as well is the main wedding season the photographer might be on holiday or booked for another wedding. I, myself, had to share my wedding day with six other brides.

“Different photographers, different conditions, different prizes.”
– Fall4Me

Your duty as client is to make sure to invite your photographer to the meals (wedding meal and cake) and have a lift during the wedding for your photographer apart from the prize you are going to pay. Whether your photographer accepts this invitation is of course left up to him or rather her.

Different photographers, different conditions, different prizes. Here are the different categories:

• Wedding photographers know their business and therefore put their prize pretty high as well as famous celebrity-photographers or photographers who have made their passion their main job and need to do that to assure their existence with that. Their prizes start at 1000,- €.
• Professional photographers who follow this job beside their main work would rather take half of the prize including the same service.
• Last but not least in the category between 100,- € and 400,- € which is the category with the lowest prize concerns photographers who are equipped pretty professional but keep their passion not more than a personal hobby without exceptions. Nevertheless you can expect as good results from those.

One personal suggestion is to rather choose a photographer who does not have a long way to the wedding place which means he or rather she is living in the same city and does not need extra costs connected to higher prizes because of travelling or overnight staying costs.

For what concerns the costs furthermore you will benefit from knowing a photographer personally having him or her among your friends since it is a common knowledge that friends make extra-prizes and even better offers for their friends. Apart from that a friend, someone who is a part of your life better knows despite all the profession, who you are, how you are and can best hold it into a picture.

One more thing to be aware of is that photographing a wedding is not everyone’s business. One might passionately love and be a photographer but not dare to accept taking photos on a wedding knowing what kind of responsibility it is. In that case you should not force anyone but try to ask.

“Every photographer has its own personal style of taking photos…”
– Fall4Me

What to Keep in Mind with the Wedding Photographer

Even if more photographers agree to take the photos on your wedding do not be shy to decline the other photographers to have your preferred one for your wedding. It is your wedding and you decide who is best for you as every photographer has its own personal style of taking photos and setting different focuses: one prefers details, the other prefers people and so on.

Beware that photographers are artists and the mind of an artist is as wide as the universe and at least as complicated to understand but business is business and passion is passion. Make sure to have had at least one personal talk or call to your photographer before the big day. On your wedding day you will be excited, overwhealmed and busy enough within a very short time to be able to direct your photographer. But since no one but you not even your witnesses will know what must-capture motives you will want to have from your wedding. Get inspired, create a list and talk to your partner, witnesses and bridesmaids to collect advices in order not to be angry afterwards when you cannot repeat the whole event and impressions.

In this conversation you should clearly explain to your photographer what motives you would like to have captured and your expectations on him or her. But do not exaggerate it. Your photographer knows about his or rather her business and knows what to do and how to work. Let your photographer a free hand.

Nevertheless your bridesmaid(s) and even more witnesses should pay enough attention and make sure that your motives desired get captured.

Thank You, Anna

Finally, photographer has been my long-year-friend and good neighbour who is a passionate photographer with professional equipment. She has a very artistic and modern style of taking photos. What makes her photographs special is that she has the ability to make un-staged moments look professionally posed. She loves details but she as well loves the move. Thank you for all the beautiful photos, dearest Anna. ♥

Love, Johanna