1. To understand the value of wedding photography especially the wedding album.
The simple fact is the wedding album is an heirloom, the first gift of your married life together that will be cherished not only by yourselves but by the future generations of your family. There is no one out there that can convince me that having images on a disc is the same, knowledge tells me the life span of images on a disc will be viewed no more than 3-4 times mainly by the bride and the groom may look at them fully once. Whereas your wedding album will be on display, shown to guests at every opportunity and will be loved by yourselves and your family. You cannot put a price on having something you can interact with, feel the quality of and admire the perfect material showcasing your imagery in all there magnificence. Honestly if you don't believe me just look at your own family albums of loved ones that are no longer with you and ask yourself how much would you pay for those beautiful memories? My own personal albums are priceless to me.
2. To understand the importance of hiring a professional photographer.
So many people out there are doing it badly these days the industry has suffered massively over the last few years because of cowboy shooters just wanting to make some fast cash, having no respect for the images they're producing and trust me you'll never be happy with the results. There is no point in spending thousands of pounds on your wedding day then pay next to nothing for your photography - the photographs are the only lasting memory of the emotions felt during your wedding day. That famous saying "You get what you pay for in life" has never been so true, please don't become one of those couples emotionally distraught with shocking photographs.
3. You need to trust your wedding photographer.
The photographer is responsible for capturing those beautiful images that will be loved and cherished by yourself, your children, your grand children, your great grand children. If you can't trust the photographer 110% then walk away and find someone you can trust, first impressions and that gut feeling is something not to be ignored. Treat the photography search just as the bride searches for her perfect dress - when she sees it she just knows. You need to be totally comfortable with the photographer because they will be there with you throughout your emotional day and if you don't feel confortable it will really show in your photographs. Personally speaking for myself it's vital I have that best friend working relationship it's the only way I can work and on the wedding day I will do whatever it takes to make sure I do my very best for you.
4. To understand the work that goes into shooting a wedding.
You see the photographers fee and think "my god that's really expensive for a few hours work?" but you need to be aware that your not only paying for the day of photography, the fee also includes the consultation meetings prior to your wedding, the post production of images, the album design and manufacturing and the overall experience to help make your special day so perfect. Your wedding photography must match and exceed your own memories of the day, personally speaking I want to you to be so excited and in love with your images that your beaming with pride when showing them off. Most people have DSLR cameras these days even the latest iPhone includes a fantastic camera so it is getting harder for people to understand the difference between "uncle bob" and the professional photographer. All I ask is that you don't end up like those poor couples you read about who have been left upset and hurt because of really bad wedding photography.
5. Meeting a potential wedding photographer.
Make sure you always ask to see a complete wedding from the photographer and don't just settle for the portfolio containing their best shots - you'll be amazed how many so called photographers out there are stealing other photographers images, website designs and even text. Another thing to be wary of is that its easy to attend a training course and then pass the instructors image, set up and pose off as their own, by viewing a complete album this will help to reduce the possibility of you being conned. You should also research the photographers website, blog and social media sites as this will also give you a good understanding of the quality of their work. Remember it's your special day the day you've always dreamed about so don't let poor photography tarnish your beautiful memories.
The information above is purely my views and my views alone, I hope by reading this it'll give you something to think about before you take on the vital decision of choosing your wedding photographer.
Feel free to comment and share this article, I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you agree or disagree.
Have a great day!!! - Gavin
