by Andrew Van Gundy
Thinking of Letting A Friend or Relative Help You Out?
With the huge advance in digital cameras and imaging over the last 8 years or so, there has been a flood of new “photographers” to hit the wedding scene. It is often the mistake of the bride and groom to think that a close friend or family member who takes good pictures of their kids and has a nice camera is just as capable of documenting the details and emotions of their wedding day. And it is the mistake of the hobbyist photographer that thinks that becoming a wedding photographer is a way to get a week’s pay for a day’s work. The wedding is simply the first day of the work week.
There is a reason many professional photographers steer clear of weddings all together. Though photographic genius’ in their element; the fast pace, stress-laced, one shot at getting the shot atmosphere of a wedding, with no option for “do-overs” is an environment that few thrive in.
A friend or relative may be a good option in a few circumstances as long as you remember that you’re not hiring a professional and shouldn’t expect professional results. To do so could be the beginning of a wedge in your relationship if anything less than the best is produced.
Are You Really Getting the Full Picture?
Remember that great photos some of the time don’t mean great photos all of the time. When interviewing a photographer over the phone or in person, be sure to find out how long they have been shooting weddings professionally and roughly how many weddings they shoot each year. Be sure that you feel comfortable with the length of exposure your photographer has had to the profession.
Anybody with a digital camera and a fast trigger finger can take thousands of images and come away with a few great ones, but your wedding photographer should be hitting the nail on the head with almost every click. When you look at a wedding album, check to see if the album, or the photographer’s website for that matter, is a compilation of several different weddings, or if the album is one wedding. DON’T book a photographer that is only willing to show you the best of. It’s a good idea to ask to see at least 2-3 FULL weddings from your photographer. They should be thrilled to show you more work, and you should see great images the whole way through, not just a “Best Of” selection.
Are You Really Saving Time Booking By Phone or Email?
In my opinion, the most important element of getting great wedding images (once you’ve established that you have an experienced photographer capable of producing consistently beautiful images) is to meet with your photography in person. It is my preference to meet ALL of my brides in person whenever possible, and when geographically not a possibility, I try to set up a video chat session.
Being comfortable with the personality of your photographer is one of the most important keys to getting good images. If you feel awkward or stiff, there’s a good chance your wedding images will be awkward and stiff. Having fun with your photographer, being comfortable when expressing intimacy, and feeling like your photographer isn’t a vendor, but an invited guest at your wedding are all very important to getting great images!
Remember, your photographer should be interviewing you just as much as you are interviewing them, and should be willing to forgo the income of another wedding to ensure that every wedding they shoot is as quality as the last. A simple way to dig into this is to ask your photographer if they have ever turned someone down for a date they weren’t already booked for, and why. And don’t forget to double check yourself too! If this isn’t someone you’d invite out to drinks with you, you probably shouldn’t invite them to spend ALL day documenting one of the most important days of your life.
Is the "Shoot List" Your Friend or Foe?
This one is a little tricky because a shot list is a great thing to have, but in moderation. Make SURE to give your photographer a shot list of every picture that is important to you. If you don’t specify, don’t be disappointed when you don’t get it. But be careful not to make the list SO long that it’s next to impossible to reference on the fly. Remember, your photographer should be a professional, and this may be your first wedding, but it’s not theirs.
For example, there shouldn’t be any need to list “Kissing at Alter” or “Shot of Bouquet” on your shot list. These are given. When discussing a shot list with my brides, I ask them to list in detail all of the specific family shots that are important to them, if there are any unique or special shots they want me to be aware of (such as a grandmother’s picture tied into the bouquet), and lastly any images that are obvious but just SO utterly important to them that they won’t feel good unless they remind me to capture it.
The family part of this is the most important because, if done correctly, family pictures can be done quickly and efficiently, but if neither you, your family, or your photographer are entirely sure on who is supposed to be in a shot or not... what should take 10-15 minutes will quickly spiral out of control and eat into bridal party pictures and reception time.
Who's the Expert, You or Your Photographer?
Your photographer is going to see your location differently than you are. You see a beautiful oak tree, and your photographer may see a spider web of shadows across your face and dress. Remember that your photographer is there to document your wedding, and to make you look good! One of the most important pieces of that equation is lighting. Make suggestions, tell your photographer what you would like and any ideas you have for photos, but it’s always nice to hear a bride ask “what do you think? Is the lighting better somewhere else?”
Allow your photographer to make some suggestions if they think another location may work better, or to suggest coming back to that spot when the lighting has changed, perhaps sneaking out for a few minutes after dinner around sunset. Now that tree looks like it just got cut out of a magazine!
Assurance of Insurance?
There are two types of insurance that every photographer should have, and a few simple reasons why this is important to you. First, Liability insurance. This is important to you because some locations will not let a wedding professional work on the premises without it. And in the rare event that the photographer sets down their bag and a guest trips over it and injures themselves, neither you nor the venue are responsible, and the photographer is covered by their insurance.
The second type of insurance that your photographer should have is some sort of personal articles policy or business policy that covers the replacement of their photo gear should anything happen to it. At your wedding, the photographer should have at least two cameras they are shooting with so that if anything were to happen to one, they have a backup. But this type of insurance is important to you in the event that two days prior to your wedding, your photographer was at the beach doing an engagement shoot and his primary lens got washed out to sea. The last thing you want is for your photographer to be under-equipped to shoot your wedding. (This example did in fact happen to me personally. Davie Jones’ locker tried to get the best of me, but two days later, thanks to my insurance, I had a brand new lens, no financial loss, and was all set for my wedding that weekend with brand new equipment).
Are Your Photography Expectations Realistic?
We are concluding close to where we started, with this concept: You Get What You Pay For. Price is a deciding factor in every decision you will have to make for your wedding. But instead of asking how much each vendor or item costs, the better question to ask is what is the VALUE of this vendor or item to me. There’s no way that I can tell you what your target price for a photographer ought to be. But I would like to ask you... do you remember what you ate at your best friend’s wedding last summer? Do you remember what her colors were? Or her center-pieces? The type of flowers she had?
At the end of the day, the guests have gone home, the food is consumed, the flowers will begin to wilt, the decorations will be packed up or returned to the rental company, the dress will be preserved and hung in a closet, and everything that you’ve so meticulously planned for the last 6-9 months will be behind you, an afterthought, and a memory. You’ll be creating a lifetime of new memories and experiences with the one you love, but how will you remember your wedding? Your wedding images and album are the only visual reminder of all the moments that you remember, and even the ones you don’t from that one day that you planned and waited for more than any other. And thirty years down the road, they will still be there, still preserving that memory. So the pertinent questions are: who will you choose to capture your story, and how valuable is that to you?
Andrew Van Gundy is a renowned wedding photographer who works throughout California. To find out more about his work, visit his website: www.theweddingphotog.com.
