According to the article the first step is style. Understanding your style and each photographers style.
Your style: are you looking for upscale formal, are you planning to invest in large prints or coffee table book, is it a country relaxed wedding, do you want a lot of photoshop features or more natural images? Look around your home or think about your dream home and how it will be decorated and then how will your wedding photos enhance those homes.
Photographers style: when your looking at their work try to read the expressions in their clients faces. Did they look happy and natural or forced. Where the photos engaging throughout the samples? Did you like their colorization, photoshop techniques, did they pull you in with their work or turn you away as to over the top? Were they creative os pretty standard fare?
When you meet potential photographers, what vibe do you get in person? Yes, you really loved their work or maybe friends told you that you had to have so and so to photograph your wedding day, but was their chemistry their between you and the photographer when you met? were they open to your vision of the day, did they have ideas you liked when you talked. Just the other day I was meeting a potential client for videography (they already had chosen a photographer and a friend had referred me for videography), when talking about a possible First Look the bride kept saying their photographer hadn’t made any suggestions during their meeting yet I was and they were thankful. Now, I’m not saying anything bad about their photographer it’s a personality not ability thing. I get into the moment of your wedding as we meet and think about what I can bring to the creative part of the day, many others already no their wedding day plan and fit their style. I’m sure come wedding day this photographer will have a plan, have spent more time with the couple creatively, and they will capture the love of the day.
Next, they suggest to see a few full wedding albums. I apologize here as we have never invested in full albums and we will rethink that this year and possibly add it for the future as it is a great way to see our work in a setting you can imagine your wedding photos at your home. We haven’t done this as we don’t sell prints and give our clients digital and photo CD full printing rights. When we meet we show couples our work digitally.
Compare packages: How many hours do you want/ need for your wedding day? How much to they charge for staying later because things got off schedule? What do you get in each package and how does that compare with other photographers you meet? I know we are sometimes hindered because we do not sell prints making your photographic needs one stop shopping. I also know we are on the lower end of pricing for wedding photography not because we deserve less money but because I know how much a wedding costs and don’t like breaking peoples banks. I love photographing and filming weddings more than I like charging people for my services. I spend hours editing films and photographs, I spend a lot of money of equipment trying to stay up to date and I am happy with the income and time I get by being a part of your wedding day.
There is more to the article and I encourage you to read it by following the link above. Please choose your photographer wisely and even though you might not choose us to photograph or film your wedding day please know we will be happy to help in any way we can make your wedding day what dreams are made of.
Thank you!