Selecting Wedding Vendors: Picture it!
Text: Sari August | Picture and Advice: Michael Price

Memories of your wedding are preserved in your mind, your heart, and in your wedding album. You want to recall the events of that important day by looking at the pictures, and you want to share them with your friends.

Your wedding photographer should plan every aspect of the wedding day with you and make sure that all the pictures you want are taken during the event. Careful planning can avoid disappointments. Photos taken before the wedding ceremony ensure fresher makeup and more time to spend with your guests later, whereas taking pictures after the ceremony may portray a more relaxed couple. And some grooms prefer to see their bride for the first time as she walks down the aisle.

The digital age has taken wedding photography by storm. More and more wedding photographers are working with today’s most popular format – digital – and the number of those who don’t are constantly dwindling down. With the right combination of lens and software, digital cameras can produce any size picture, even poster size. Digital images can be altered to remove unwanted blemishes or Exit signs with software, such as Photoshop. Digital photography is also preferable for low-light situations because the resulting image can be immediately viewed and easily adjusted, whereas film photography requires additional equipment and leaves more to chance.

There are two methods for capturing digital images: RAW and JPEG. Photographers employing the RAW method are able to precisely fix exposure and color balance without image degradation. The image can then be converted to different resolutions, suitable for an archival DVDs and for ordering prints online. All of the image information is embedded in the image file, so nothing is lost in reproduction.

Photographers offer package plans or à la carte arrangements, customized to your particular requests. If a photographer's rates seem high, keep in mind that, in addition to consulting with you and accompanying you from the wedding ceremony to the end of the reception, the wedding photographer has overhead expense. Photographers working with digital equipment spend time processing the images to your liking and converting them to resolutions to meet your need. Traditional film photographers develop the film, and prepare proofs and the final prints. This is in addition to wedding album preparation, which both types of photographer engage in.

With digital photography, you may be able to obtain the negatives and save money by getting less expensive reprints with the same professional quality from online labs such as www.mpix.com. And you can share the online pictures with friends who may not get to see your wedding album for a long time. In fact, you can opt not to order an album with the convenience of the Internet. With traditional film photography, your previews are usually ready between 1 and 3 weeks, from which you create your album. The cost of the previews may be included in your album order. Most film wedding photographers keep the negatives; some might sell them to you after a few years.

Camera format varies. For traditional film photography, the larger, midsize cameras produce larger negatives, better quality pictures, and are great for producing poster-size photographs. The smaller 35 mm cameras are easier to handle and are more suitable for candid photography. Also, film photography is suitable for creating black and white photographs.

While the traditional album is still in vogue, the new “coffee table” albums pages have one photograph serving as the background onto which other, smaller photos are flush-mounted.

Choosing the Right Wedding Photographer:

• Spend some time looking through the portfolios of several wedding photographers. Choose one whose style most appeals to you, and whose enthusiasm and passion for his or her work is conveyed during your discussions.
• Make sure the photographer understands exactly what you want.

Recommendations:

• Confirm the following items in your contract: date, location, arrival time, total amount of time the photographer will be present, package plan, and the name of the wedding photographer assigned to your event. If the photographer assigned to your event is not the principal in the business, get references about his or her experience and work.
• Inquire about other weddings the photographer has scheduled before and after yours. If your wedding runs late, the photographer may have to leave for another assignment.
• Some photographers tend to "take charge" of the wedding so that they can get all the pictures done quickly. Some might become rude if your guests don't readily cooperate with them. Ask references about these kinds of behavior.
• If you are planning to get married in a church or synagogue, find out the rules concerning photography.
  
• Make sure your photographer and videographer work well together. Conflicts may arise if the photographer prefers to use available light only, while the videographer wants to use big strobe lights while taping.
• Ask questions: Will backup equipment be available? Is there a limit to the number of shots that will be taken and how many will be delivered? Is the photographer expecting to be fed? Will the photographer sign a release for negatives handed over to you? Are digital cards erased or backed up during the event? What is included in digital image processing and what is extra?
• If a friend is shooting your wedding, make sure he or she brings along enough film (about 10 rolls) or digital cards.
• And, just as important, make sure the photographer you choose for your wedding is respectable and honest because it is easy to steal photographs from the Internet. That’s why recommendations from BRO are so important.

Money Matters:
To save money, ask your wedding photographer about gift certificates in case your guests are wondering about a gift for you, just like registering for wedding gifts at a store. And, remember that you can order digital reprints from reputable online labs.