subject: Don't Take A Shot In The Dark- Hire A Professional Wedding Photographer [print this page] It seems like everyone these days is a wedding photographer. I know so many people that think they can take good wedding shots just because they own an expensive camera. It's a lot more than that. Aside from being able to focus a lens, a professional wedding photographer also needs to have an artistic sense of style; to know when, where, and how to make the best shots. Not only that, but they should have the ability to manipulate the photos after they have been taken. Can they clean up the shots, add effects, and do what it takes to make a simple photograph into a work of art?
You'll want to know how your wedding photographer maintains their business. Do they have a studio? Who handles developing? How professional are they really? I guess I am a bit more passionate about this than most. When my wife and I got married, we used a "wedding photographer" that we knew. She ended up letting her film get too cold and freeze, so all of the shots she took for us were on damaged film. They looked blurry and grainy. In the end, the only half-way decent wedding photo we got was taken by my brother-in-law from his point and shoot one-touch camera, and that one isn't great by any means. A whole day of memories that we now have no way to share with out friends, children, or grand children, all because we ended up with an amateur photographer.
My advice is this: It's your wedding, and providence willing, it will be your only one. Skimp on everything else, but don't skimp on your wedding photography. Every other "miss" will be lost in the waves of time, but your photography will preserve the highlights and important points of that one special day forever. Find a photographer that is professional and willing to travel? Is your wedding going to be in New York, Miami, or San Diego? Find a photographer that is willing to go the extra mile for you, instead of settling for someone just because they are local. How about Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Naples, or even Jamaica? A truly professional photographer will jump at the opportunity to enhance their own portfolio while blessing your wedding with memories, eternally captured.
So take the time to consult with a professional wedding photographer. Show them your dress and your colors, give them time to know what tools they will have to work with in order to make your day something that everyone will want to look at for generations to come.
