Image by Photography Chester via Flickr
It’s not enough to grab a pocket camera and take a few photos of your wedding day. Unless you’re Jennifer Aniston and you’d like to keep it low-key, then that’s fine. But if you like to make your wedding day something that you, your husband, and your friends and family will remember for the years to come, it pays to hire a professional wedding photographer; one who is tried and tested and knows when and how to capture the best moments.
It’s not a hidden fact that professional photographer fees can be expensive. Some don’t realise this but it is expensive for many reasons. Photographers don’t only take photos. They prepare the equipment, use high-end photography gear, sift through hundreds, if not thousands of photos, edit them, and much more. It’s not as easy as it sounds.
If you are a savvy groom or bride-to-be, we bring you tips to help you get the most out of what you pay your professional wedding photographer:
- They should be punctual
If you’re paying a premium fee for your wedding photographer, they need to be on time when you have a schedule to meet with them. It doesn’t hurt to demand punctuality from a professional especially if you’re paying a hefty fee for their services. If you’re hiring a professional like Scott Morton as your wedding photographer, you never have to worry about punctuality; they value their customer’s time and money and will always do their best to deliver what they are paid for. You may view their portfolio here.
- Schedule, schedule, schedule
As if you don’t have enough on your calendar already. Planning a wedding is not easy; we have heard some crazy bride-turned-monster stories and we don’t want you turning into one.
Now this can get a bit tricky since not everything is going to go your way. Do what you can prior to the wedding and just hope for the best. Days before your wedding, make sure to give everyone a timeline of the preparations so that they know exactly where they need to be at a specific time.
Why is this important? Well, a missing bridesmaid, a late aunt, or a stylist that took too long on your mom’s hair can affect your time line. Let’s say you’re one hour late to reaching the venue because one bridesmaid pulled an all-nighter at the bar last night. Because of that, photo taking sessions now have to be cut short which means lesser photos and rushed poses. Instead of focusing on the moment, you’ll be too busy calculating minutes and hours in your head to see if everything is still within schedule. Again, this is something that is out of your control but it helps to do some preparation ahead.
- Lower your expectations
Your wedding day won’t be as big of a deal to everyone as it is to you so expect people to not religiously follow what is on the timeline. It could rain, or it could be cloudy which could force your photographer to figure out how to take photos in low light. What you can do though is assume that everything will take longer. Kind of like waking up 15 minutes early in the morning so you can take more time getting ready rather than jumping out of bed and feeling rushed.
Give some allowance for each activity so that your photographer doesn’t have to feel rushed when he is taking pictures. Longer time frames also means more photos so doing this definitely brings you more benefits.
- Get creative
Your wedding day doesn’t have to follow the same time line as most weddings. Most couples will have their photos taken together with friends and family after the wedding. This causes a lot of unwanted waiting for your guests.
Come up with something creative to get the guests pre-occupied. Those who are free could go to a designated area where they can write their dedication letters while waiting for their turn for the photos. Or better yet, why not make the photo session before the wedding ceremony? Groups that arrive first can have their picture taken together while waiting for the others. You don’t have to go the traditional route when you can have your own unique schedule for your special day.
Those are just some of the things that you can do so you get the most out of your wedding photographer. Any tips from newlywed couples who got just as much from their photographers? Let us know in the comments.
