I have recently attended a few Bridal shows and also the SWPP convention .
This has got me thinking a bit about an article I wrote for the Local Brides NI magazine a while back about choosing your wedding photographer. Obviously I have a vested interest in this subject but as always tried to give a balanced view. So I thought that at the start of a new year that this might be a good time to revisit some of the points from the previous post with a condensed few points.
You will probably spend quite a long time planning your dream wedding down to tha last detail of flowers, chair covers, dresses, cars etc etc. But how much do you really think about the photographs? After all at the end of the day the food is eaten and the flowers soon wilt but your wedding photographs will exist in a beautiful album that will endure for many years telling the story of your day.
Now I am a realist and fully appreciate that everyone has a budget (either large or small) but I would say that in terms of picking your photographer it is not a good idea to choose based on budget alone. Generally photography really is one of these areas where you do get what you pay for. A good photographer will have spent many years honing their skills. They will have quality equipment and be able to deal with most situations. Importantly they will have public liability and professional indemnity insurance and a range of backup equipment.
The price normally reflects the quality of the photography and the quality of the albums provided.
It is crucial that when choosing your photographer you have a good look at samples of their work and this
should be a few samples of complete weddings. Nearly anyone can pull together a series of decent shots, but viewing a full wedding album will tell you if they can prodice consistant quality for an entire day.
Have a look at the actual albums , are the good quality or do they seem cheap. Are the well designed and put together and is the photography likely to stand the test of time. Its fine to have a few pics here an there
that are very modern and contemporary. But fashions change and you dont want to look back in a few years
time and wonder what on earth you were thinking. Good photography images can be timeless. Do the sample albums seem to capture the fun and emotion of a wedding, in short do people seem to be enjoying themselves.
Now many people make the choice to just ask a friend/relation to do the photographs but this is not without
its own risks. Unless he/she is experienced in weddings and everything that can (and does) happen it can be
a truely daunting experience. Its a world away from simply taking family snaps and its not just the levels of
equipment and backup kit etc that are required. Its actually knowing how to get the best out of it.
I sometimes use the illustration that just because I own a pair of football boots does not make me Lionel Messi.
So it is important that you should get to know your photographer and byuild up a rapport with them. Only when your photographer knows your personality can they truely capture the emotion of the day and create that individual and unique heirloom album
Wedding Photography in Northern Ireland
