Make sure you take the time to find the right photographer. Many times people hire the first photographer they meet and are then disappointed once the photos are delivered.
Your wedding, pets, family, or anything else are obviously special enough and important enough that you are hiring a professional photographer. Take the time to find the one that you feel comfortable with and that can actually do the job.
You are the boss and the photographer works for you. Make sure your photographer understands your wishes and desires of the job. And don’t be afraid to tell them what you want.
Here are a few stories from important events I have personally witnessed:
~ The first story is when I was a bridesmaid for a friend at her wedding. The photographer they hired was a professional photographer with 15+ years experience but was also a family friend. Mainly they hired her because she was affordable and convenient. MISTAKE! First of all she missed many moments because she was too busy socializing and partying with everyone else. Second she realized AFTER THE CEREMONY that she didn’t even have film in her camera. Which means there were no pictures of the wedding ceremony for the bride and groom to share for years to come.
~ The second story was a wedding in which I was a guest. The bride and groom hired a decent sized professional firm out of their local area. Good for them. They knew what they wanted and spent some money to get it. Unfortunately the photographer the company sent apparently didn’t know anything and decided to take all of the photos in front of a large fireplace with a mirror above the mantel. How can you possibly take photos in front of a mirror? Aren’t you worried about reflections and glares? They also spent approximately $3000 and found out the did not actually receive any pictures! The price they paid was just for ONE photographer to show up and who apparently did not know how to take pictures. After they paid more for pictures, it ended up taking three months to get them.
~ This last story was at a 50th anniversary party. Again this was a professional photographer with more about 13 years experience that had been recommended by friends so everyone assumed he knew what he was doing. Well first of all he showed up late to the party. So he missed some of the events of the day. Not a huge deal but frustrating. Then the pictures were delivered. The photographer had cut the heads off of MULTIPLE people in MULTIPLE pictures. It would have been one thing if it was just a picture or two but no it was almost half of all the pictures taken.
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Basically what I am saying is make sure you meet the photographer first and make sure they are qualified.
If you hire a big firm, ask if you can meet the person shooting your event BEFORE the actual event. Generally I would advise against hiring a big firm IF they don’t allow you direct contact with your photographer. The people working at those firms are many times people that have no experience other than a little training from the firm. If you at least get to meet and talk with your photographer you can judge for yourself if they are qualified to shoot your event.
Take your time, interview professionals, and pick the one you feel is the best fit for you, both personally and professionally.
