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| PHOTOGRAPHER ROEL DIXON MAHATOO

Photo: Roël Photography

BASIC GUIDELINES WHEN LOOKING FOR A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHAT IS YOUR BACKUP PLAN?

By Roël Dixon-Mahatoo
You have spent a lot of time and money to make your wedding special, here are some basic guidelines to help choose the right photographer to create those special memories for you.

1. What is your budget?
There are wedding photographers for every price point imaginable and fees typically reflect the photographer’s skill level, reputation, amount of coverage provided and products offered in their plan(s). All too often, couples try to “cut corners” on their wedding photography to save some money only to find out that their chosen photographer cannot deliver quality images. These couples often regret not making it a priority to get a photographer with the skills and experience to deliver the images they really wanted. The general guideline is to spend about 10-to-15 percent of your wedding day budget on your photography. Wedding photography is one of the few items that you will purchase that results in something tangible so that you can remember your special day.

2. Is photography a hobby or a full time job for the photographer?
Digital cameras are becoming more affordable and there are many new “wedding photographers” on the scene.
• Do you want to hire someone who isn’t a full time professional photographer?
• If they already have a full time job other than photography, when do they find the time to attend to their photography client’s needs?
• Do they have the time to improve their photography skills by taking courses?
• When do they process their images?
• What is their turnaround time like for delivering wedding images?
• If they are working as a photographer part time, how does their other job help them with wedding photography?

3. Do you like spending time with the photographer?
Don’t underestimate this one… your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. Your photographer will spend most of that day with you (and photograph you when you are most vulnerable). Are they professional? Is the photographer personable and easy going? Are they angry or bossy? Can you trust them to document one of the most important days in your life?

4. Do you like the photographer’s work?
Most wedding photographers have websites with sample images from weddings. Also ask to see their printed portfolio - images on the web often look much different in print.

5. Do you like the photographer’s style?
Some photographers employ a hybrid approach others offer something completely different. What is most important to you?
• Traditional in their approach to creating wedding images. They may do a lot of work in their studio and prefer posed shots on the wedding day.
• Photojournalistic (PJ), they essentially “document” the day’s events as they unfold by being the proverbial “fly on the wall” and are typically unobtrusive in their style.
• Artistic photographers who see objects in the world as works of art - their photography has an “abstract” feel to it.

6. Does the photographer understand what YOU want?
Photographers have a vision of how they would like to shoot your wedding. Do they understand how you want them to document your day or do they treat every wedding the same way? It is your wedding and you get to call the style.

7. Motivation for a referral?
Most wedding vendors (photographers included) get a large percentage of their paid work from referrals. A question to ask is, “Why is this photographer being referred to me?” If it is because the person making the referral loves the photographer’s work and service or is it because a “fee/ commission” was being paid by the photographer? Don't be afraid to question the referrer. Remember: Photographers with great work and service don’t need to pay a referral fee to someone else - they usually have more work than they can handle.

8. Will you get the product mix you want (or not want)?
Are you after just the negatives (digital files) or do you want your photographer to provide you with proofs, enlargements or custom designed albums? Is there something else such as second photographer coverage or a slide show set to music on DVD that you want? Do they lock you into a “fixed plan” with products you do not want or is there flexibility in what you can order from them?

9. Who exactly will photograph your wedding?
Couples are often shown a portfolio of images from the studio’s lead photographer and another photographer from the studio shows up to photograph the wedding. Find out exactly who will be photographing your wedding and evaluate their work.
10. Will the photographer show you an entire wedding?
Most photographers have their best images on their website and in their printed portfolio for numerous reasons. Ask the photographer to show you an entire wedding that they shot? This will give you an excellent idea of what their style is like and the coverage they provide.

11. Can your photographer provide references?

12. Backup equipment:
Does the photographer bring backup equipment for their camera bodies, lenses and other critical items? This is the most important question as there are some unfortunate stories of photographers who show up at a wedding without backup fail to capture the event at the worst possible moment.

Enjoy your wedding day to its fullest - and it is my wish that you have the most beautiful and special images to remember your wedding day!

Guidelines and questions courtesy Roël Dixon-Mahatoo, owner and lead photographer of the Roël Photography studio in Stratford, Ontario. It is only the third Canadian studio ever acknowledged by Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) which boasts more than 30,000 members in 30 countries. Roël Photography has also received Awards of Excellence in print and album competitions from WPPI. Roël is also the author of Africa: Beginning a Journey, a coffee table book of wildlife images produced in partnership with Plan Canada to help raise funds for AIDS-affected children. visit www.roelphoto.com.


www.WeddingsHoneymoons.com | October 23, 2008
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