New York City Wedding Photographer

It is so important to hire a skilled professional to document the events of your wedding. The emphasis must be stressed on a professional that comes with plenty of experience, customer satisfaction, and critical acclaim. Every couple wants to be able to reminiscence on their wedding, and sometimes when you get up in age, your memory begins to fail, so it is important to have your wedding captured via photography, videography, or both. If you are on a budget, and have decided that you want a photographer for your wedding, then you will find that New York City is abundant with great professional wedding photographers. Here is a helpful guide to follow so it is that much easier to select the right candidate for the job.

The first objective you should look to complete is research and settle on a particular style you think would be great for your wedding album. There are all sorts of prominent styles among photographers, but the two most common styles are documentary and portraiture. The portraiture style, the photographer utilizes posed shots in front of backdrops or prearranged locations, it is a stiff approach, but a traditional one. For instance, picture a bride and groom posed under a gazebo outside of a reception hall or a church. The documentary style features more creative shots which allows for more dramatic angles. In general, this approach does not feature too many shots of people looking directly into the camera. Some couples determine it is worth it to hire two photographers, especially if you have the budget space, as it allows you to capture more angles, or employ two different styles to have a unique wedding photograph album.

The second objective once you settle on a style is to start your search off with the recommendations of your friends, family, and colleagues, in particular, anyone who has been married recently, or involved in a wedding to some extent. You will also want to ask your venue coordinator as some venues require you to select your vendors from an exclusive list. It is advisable to cross reference your candidates on a good online wedding directory. These websites are very resourceful tools as they provide users information on vendors including pricing, reviews, bridal testimonials, videos, pictures, etc. Be sure to study each candidate's personal website and any highlight galleries they have available online. Once you have a solid list, call them up, and ask them of their availability around the date of your wedding. Even if they are available, but seem too busy to handle your wedding properly, consider a different candidate. Unless the candidate is absolutely otherworldly in relation to talent, it is good sense to hire someone who has more time to spend dedicated to your specific needs. We are proud to be part of Wedding Photos by Professionals.

The third step is to begin the interview process with each candidate, you will want to come prepared with a plethora of questions for the candidate, and share your vision for the wedding with them. One of the first questions you should ask them should be what gave them the impulse to become a photographer. How much experience do they have? How many weddings do they capture on average a year? Can they offer a full gallery of one wedding that correlated with the size of your wedding? You should ask the candidate if they are familiar with your venues, and if they would be willing to scope the locations out with you. Most professional photographers actually suggest it, so if they so say no, you should say no to this candidate as your potential photographer. You should ask them plenty of questions regarding logistics and labor demands, such as overtime policies and breaks. The last thing before ending each interview is ask for a sample invoice, and discuss the costs of the services. You will want to compare each invoice side-by-side, and see what candidate will give you the most flash for your finances.

The key factor in determining your candidate besides cost and experience is how comfortable you are with the candidate. You need to be able to trust your photographer not only with the quality of your wedding pictures, but also dealing with your guests, in other words, the candidate should interact with your guests and do their job as unobtrusive as possible. If you feel as though you have the right candidate, write up a contract outlining every detail with them, and place a deposit. If you were diligent in hiring your photographer, in due time you will be struck with awe by the album they produce for your dream wedding!