Step 65 - Review Photography Checklist with Wedding Photographer

(3 Months to 4 Months before the Wedding)
You want beautiful photography of your wedding. It's the biggest day of your life and it's a must to have a beautiful photo album as a keepsake from your very special day. A few months before the wedding you should have a one on one session with your photographer. You want to review with the photographer, the photos that can be taken to go along with the wedding package you ordered, are you limited on what photos that can be taken or do you have an unlimited package.

As you meet, you want to educate the photographer with the family tree structure on both the bride's and groom's sides of the family. You want the photographer to know the names of the people he/she will be looking for as he readies the photo shoot and what is the structure and how many members of the bridal party.

The important thing is for the photographer to gain an understanding of all who should be in each photo. Are there divorced or widowed parents involved in the wedding? Where should the photos of the bridal party be taken? Should the photos be in front of the church, or be taken at a park, city landmark, in front of the lake, or the green in the town center? Who should be in the photo, are there flower girls or ring bearers that should be included in the photo shoot too?

You need to go through the checklist in detail, how many pictures and what pictures will make up the day's shoot? Is the photographer taking pictures in all the locations, the bride's family's house, the ceremony location, a bridal party destination location, and the wedding reception? What photograph's should be taken at the wedding reception? How many reception tables are there? Should the photographer be taking photographs of each table, or each table with the bride and groom.

It is important to get a good photo shoot, from the biggest day of your life. Hopefully you have chosen a wedding photographer that is an authorative and take charge person, but in a nice way. You want to understand how the photographer runs his photo shoot. What does the photographer want from you during his/her session?

When you get photographs taken, the wedding photographer wants to get the best pictures he/she can, but as he/she is taking photos other relatives want to take photos too, sometimes in the shoot you end up with photo subjects looking off in different directions and this disrupts the great picture that the photographer is trying to attain. Some photographers request that no other photos are taken besides his/hers when they are taking photos.

Wedding guests get upset if they don't get a good photo. The goal is to get a win/win situation. Try to get the photographer to agree to allow him/her take their photo first and then the wedding guests be allowed to take theirs. The bride and groom or someone who represents them needs to get the word out, not to take photographs the same time as the wedding photographer.

Also you need to discuss if there are any entire group photos at the wedding reception. Should there be a group photo with just the bride's side and one with the groom's side, and should there be one with the entire guest list and where is there a good photo spot at the reception hall to get this photo taken. Does this photo need to be taken while the sun is still out, before the reception gets really going?

Also what are the contingency plans should there be inclement weather for an outdoor shoot? Is there a good backup location that is indoors for the shoot? What about moving the photo shoot a day or two earlier or a day or two after the wedding or sometime after the honeymoon? Make sure you discuss what should the contingency plans be long before the time of the wedding!

Make sure you review the photography checklist with the wedding photographer or with whoever is taking the wedding photos. You should also review the photographs after they are taken and arrange with the photographer which photographs are to go into the photo album, who prepares the photo album you or the studio and what other photographs will be made available to family members and wedding guests and how your guests can obtain the photos. Are any large photos to be created, what about wallet size?


The Photography Checklist for Wedding Photographers


At the Bride's Parents Home

Mother/Maid of Honor adjusting veil
Bride putting on garter with bridesmaid looking on
Bride in bedroon mirror getting ready
Corsage being pinned on mother
Corsage being pinned on father
Portrait of mother and bride
Portrait of father and bride
Brothers and/or sisters with the bride
Group shot of whole family one last time
Bride with all bridesmaids
Bride with each bridesmaid
Bride leaving house with parents and bridemaids
Father helping bride into car
Shot of bride in back of car from the front seat looking back



At the Ceremony Site or Church Prior to Service

Groom waiting
Groom and best man
Groom, best man and page boys
Best man adjusting groom's tie
Groom with father
Groom with mother
Groom and best man waiting at front of church
Guests arriving at church
Bride arriving in car
Bride exiting car with father helping
Bride kissing father on the cheek
Bride with mother and father looking on
Bride and bridesmaid's group shot in church garden or vestibule


During the Ceremony Site or Church Service

Bridal party coming down the aisle
Bridemaids, flower girls coming down the aisle
Father giving the bride away
From the rear of church looking down the aisle at couple
Soloists
Readers
Musicians
Above from organ area or balconies
Ring Ceremony
Kissing
Exchanging of vows


After the Service Inside the Ceremony Site or Church

Bride signing the register
Groom signing the register
Bride and Groom signing the register
Best man signing the register
Maid of honor signing the register
Bride and groom coming back down the aisle as husband and wife



After the Service Outside the Ceremony Site or Church

Groom kissing bride full length
Groom kissing bride 3/4ths length
Groom kissing bride close up head shot
Bride and groom looking at ring
Bride and groom with rings and bouquet/flowers
Bride and groom with officiant
Bride and groom with wedding party
Bride with bridesmaid's and flowers
Groom with best man and groomsmen
Bride and groom with bridesmaids
Bride and groom with groomsmen
Bride and groom at church door
Bride and groom leaving church
Bridal party outside of church
Bride and groom with bride's parents
Bride and groom with groom's parents
Bride and groom with bride's immediate family
Bride and groom with groom's immediate family
Bride with her mother
Bride with her father
Bride with both parents
Groom with his mother
Groom with his father
Groom with both parents
Bride and Groom with both sets of parents
Couple getting into limousine
Shot of couple from front seat or sunroof
Shot of couple leaving in limo with church in background


Special Shots

Action shots with entire wedding party in pretty location (jumping for joy etc.)
Couple sitting with dress train spread out
Couple on bridge looking at water/looking at sunset
Couple talking next to tree
Couple walking on beach
Couple in ruins of unique building, etc.


At the Wedding Reception

Reception facility decorated but empty before reception begins
Closeup photo of seating chart
Photo of the wedding cake
Bride and groom arriving at the reception
Couple greeting guests in receiving line
Photo of bride and groom with bridal party table
Close up of best man/father offering a toast
Photo of bride's father speech
Photo of groom's speech
Photo of best man's speech
Photo of bride and groom's first dance together
Photo of bride and father dancing
Photo of groom and mother dancing
Photo of couple cutting the wedding cake
Photo of bride feeding the groom the wedding cake
Photo of groom feeding the bride the wedding cake
Photo of bride throwing the bouquet to single ladies
Photo of bride throwing the garter to single men
Photo of single man catching garter put garter on single lady who caught bouquet
Photo of bride and groom with grandparent's on bride's side
Photo of bride and groom with grandparent's on groom's side
Photo of musician's performing/(or dj)
Photo of wedding gifts on table
Group photo of everyone at the wedding
Bride and groom with everyone on the bride's side
Bride and groom with everyone on the groom's side
Bride and groom with each and every reception table
Bride and groom leaving the reception
Shot of "just married" decorated car with bride and groom
Shot of car leaving reception
Candid shots at the reception


Make sure you get great photo's from your wedding, create a beautiful wedding album for a special keepsake for the biggest day of your life! See you on the other side!

Step 28 - Interview and Book your Photographer

(9 Months to 24 Months before the Wedding)
To insure that your wedding memories are beautiful and preserved, you will need a skilled photographer to capture the special moments of your wedding day. There are an abundance of wedding photographers in your area. However, to find a really good wedding photographer takes a lot of hard work. Almost anyone can take pictures with a digital camera. The great photographer insures you really get a good picture, insures the right lighting, captures a lovely view in the background, insures the subjects have the proper attention span, captures the right pose, picks up the smiles and the laughter and has editing equipment to improve the cropping and enhance the lighting.

To find a great wedding photographer, you can start by checking out wedding related websites, even check wedding vendors and see who they recommend. Even go to Google or a search engine you use, then input the city the wedding is to be and put in "wedding photography", "wedding photographer", and :wedding". You can go to magazine stores or book store with magazine sections and look for magazines about weddings, planning, and photography and some of them even have yellow pages for wedding photographers. You can go to a free classified site such as "craigslist" or find another high volume free classified site and put in an ad "looking for a fabulous wedding photographer to shoot our wedding". In addition, you can find excellent wedding photographers found elsewhere in this blog.

Some photographers have studios and many work out of their homes, some work full time and some part time. Your goal is to identify about a half dozen of them that fit your style and then choose one that best meets your criteria, and you are comfortable in conversation with. You should meet with them in their studio if they have one or meet with them in a central location. Maybe you can arrange with back to back to back appointments, target how much time you need for the interview and stick to the appointed time.

You can meet with them at a table at a bar, the quiet time of a restaurant or reception hall, the eatery of a golf or tennis club, or even at a coffee shop when they are not too busy. Just be sure to find a place that's not too crowded or noisy where you can talk and can get a little space. Don't let your appointment overlap with another appointment, if your first impression is good you can always reconnect. Don't get coerced into a contract until you are finished interviewing.

Often photographer's apply a sales pitch, the discount holds true for today only. If later, you agree to book the photographer, stipulate, you will only book the deal with the original discount offered. Brag, (make him/her feel good), we interviewed six wedding photographers and we decided to choose you. Remember, it's your special day, there are a ton of wedding photographers around, you have the upper hand, you want the best for your wedding.
                                  
You should review each photographer's website before interviewing them. As you begin your interview with the wedding photographer, provide him/her with the date and time of the wedding ceremony and reception. Know what your budget is for the wedding (don't divulge the amount at the onset of the interview) and let the photographer know the amount of wedding guests you are planning to invite.

Let the photographer tell you about how he/she operates, does he specialize in traditional format or are his pictures more of photojournalism. (Traditional is more off a wedding checklist whereas Photojournalism tends to be shots that are created with the input from the couple to tell a story). With photojournalism sometimes the shots are done outside of the wedding day, and may include shoots with the wedding party doing action shots such as jumping for joy.

You want the photographer that can work with you, becomes familiar with each person's family structure. Tell him/her about what you are looking for in your wedding planning, what style of  wedding photography that you are seeking. You should be asking him a bunch of questions in your interview such as equipment he uses, how does he operate, does he have any assistants, does he meet with you at each wedding shoot, and does he offer select photography packages.

You will have decisions to make on what pictures you want. You will want pictures for your wedding album, large pictures for framing for yourselves and family members, you might want wallet size photos to share with family and guests and you want proofs as well. A professional wedding photographer can cost anywhere from $500 to $4,000 with a typical package running around $1500.

For your wedding, it's the one time in your life you must get yourself a great wedding photographer, don't even think of having your wedding done by an amateur. You only get married once, these photos are a keepsake and a treasure. The setting has to be right, the lighting has to be right, the subjects need to be centered, the expressions have to be right, proper editing techniques might have to be applied such as cropping, ridding red eye and lighting enhancements.

The photographer will often try to convince you to upgrade and will try to talk you into getting anything and everything. For your wedding, you do want a good selection of photos, listen to hear about the packages that the photographer is offering but in the end (unless you have plenty of budgeted money) tell the wedding photographer exactly the photos you want and how much would the photography cost for just those photos. Remember, there are a lot of other wedding photographers that would love to do your wedding. You have the upper hand.

Some tidbits about photographers, many photographers limit or restrict guests from taking pictures. Different photographers have different policies regarding this. The reason why photographers do this is, during the bridal and family photographs, with guests taking photos at the same time, some of the subjects may look at someone with a camera other than the photographer, so in the shoot, you end up with family and bridal portraits having some of the people looking in different directions.

Also, you can get flashes from other cameras occurring at the same time the photographer is taking his shot and a lighting disturbance is seen in the shot. Sometimes the photographer is restricted in the church, for a good shot, three guests with cellphone cameras jump up and get in the way of your professional wedding photographer.

Most wedding photographers are trying their best to produce the best images they can for their client. Many bride's hear complaints from their guests of not being able to get good photos for themselves at the wedding and the bride ends up being upset with the photographer. In your interview with the photographers, ask how they handle the situation when the conflict arises. You want a win/win situation. Talk over the photo shoots with the photographer, have him announce that he will take a photo first and then the guests can take a photo. Try to talk to the officiant and the wedding coordinator of the venue and try to help the photographer get good locations, instead of restrictive locations. Tell the DJ's and musicians announce, let the photographer get his shot off first and guests can get their photo. After all, you are paying good money and want outstanding photography so you need to understand a little about the photographer's world and create a winning situation for all.

You may think you are overpaying a photographer but there are many things to consider. The photographer on average spends a little bit over 40 hours on a typical wedding shoot. The photographer might spend 3 hours on your engagement shoot, spends the full day at your wedding shoot (bride's house, arriving at the church, entering the church, the wedding ceremony, exiting the church, signing the registry, photo shoots with the bridal party, then many photos at the reception). He/she spends 10 hours to process the images (moving images from camera to computer and film, cropping, adjusting for red eye, touching up photos, get proofs printed), he/she spends 10 hours in production, designing, and producing the wedding album, and 5 hours in meetings, phone calls, corresponding in emails, planning sessions, and trips to the photo lab. There's a lot of behind the scenes work.

The photographer has a lot of expense outlays, in addition, besides office overheads, they have got to purchase all sorts of camera equipment and some on lighting, have to purchase computers, have to purchase wedding albums, cover insurance, pay for assistant help, cover studio rent or mortgage, proof prints, proof albums, get DVDs, get CDs, purchase camera software and computer software, plus that's not mentioning all the furniture and storage needs of the office. They spend a lot of time covering phone calls and many of their interviews end up in no sales. The average income of many great wedding photographers are $28,000, wedding opportunities much of the time only happens on Saturdays.

What makes a great wedding photographer? The best photographers have these attributes. They have character, are highly recommended, they're sincere, highly personable, perfectionists, attention to detail, have creativity, and have excellent sales skills. When you conduct an interview with the photographer you want to look for one with these attributes. You want a photographer that would make a great guest at your wedding reception. You don;t want a photographer that is rude, authoritarian, lazy, distracting, sloppy, or unprofessional. Don't just pick one out of a book!

Your wedding photographer should be someone who you are comfortable dealing with, is friendly with your guests, but when they're in session taking photos, they take charge, assertive, efficient, and well organized. The great photographer meets with you, your parents, the vendors, know the ceremony and wedding reception schedules, gets details of both family structures and has a list of the "most wanted" photographs and becomes familiar with the photo shoot locations before the wedding day.

It's one less headache when you have booked with a great photographer, you know your photos are in good hands and is one less worry on your wedding day. After they do a good job for you, write them a good review and inform them you would be more than happy to be a good referral for them if they ever should need one, often how well they do depends on referrals and they can use some help.

You might consider leaving disposable cameras as a wedding gift favors, so guests can take candid shots. You also might mention to the photographer, that later in the reception, you would not mind if the photographer take professional shots of any guests that would like them. It may be a great time for some guests to get family photos, they are dressed for the occasion dressed in their best clothes and this allows the photographer to make a little extra money on the side. This may enable you to get additional photo shoots for your album or get extra discounts from the photographer. Make sure any photo shoots are after the formal part of the wedding reception and there is a place for photographing.

Make sure the contract include everything agreed to, there is no surprises, no hidden fees! Usually you will have a down payment, and a final payment at a specified date. Have the best man of maid-of-honor drop off an envelope with a cash tip around the last half hour, usually at the wedding reception, of their photo shoot. You should expect the photos to take two to three weeks until they are ready, it is wise not to apply pressure to make sure there is ample time to get a great product from your photographer. The most important thing of all, if everything agreed to is not written down or there is no written contract, there is NO contract! You need to protect yourself!

You may think about the photographer manning or monitoring a Photo Booth. So that's all things considered when you interview and book your photographer. See you on the other side!










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