>

By Ruth Kennedy


Few tangible items will be kept after your wedding day. Sure, if you subscribe to tradition, you may keep part of your wedding cake to eat it on your first anniversary, but how many brides and grooms rave about the taste of one-year-old freezer-burned cake! If you think about it, the only really important tangible items from that day will be the photographs and the video. So how do you choose a wedding photographers boston ma? What should you expect from them and how do you grade their work? The following general factors are suggested

Competency should be the priority when selecting a hopeful. Everything else is secondary. They can be the nicest person in the world, but if the photos aren't very good, who cares? You're not looking for a friend; you're looking for great photos of your marriage. But gauging competency is sometimes difficult. The work we all put on our websites and in our sample albums is our best work. And, unfortunately, that can sometimes be deceiving.

Imagine if you could go to a marriage in your pajamas, and walk around and look at the work of your prospective vendors. You could see what the flowers look like after 5 hours, taste the food and cake and watch the DJ or band as they engage the crowd - all without being seen. You have that option with your photographer. You just need to know how to ask.

As you are interviewing them and looking at portfolios, you will also want to be asking about proofs and albums. Some will ensure that their customers get proofs of all of the photographs taken. Others only offer a larger formal album. Still other photographers provide customers with digital proofs and the rights to reprint any pictures.

Reach the photographer by mail and make a request: If you have my date available, please show me 2-3 full marriages from the past year, preferably from the time of day of your marriage. A full marriage is the gallery they give to the clients, not just a selection of images in an album or on a website. There should be hundreds of photos in a full gallery.

Therefore, first and foremost, you must like the images that the photographer exhibits from other brides. You will know what you like after you have seen a number of photographers but make sure you are looking for some of the following in the images:

Look at his style, the colors, the black and white images, the sharpness and softness of the photographs. Look at how he poses the people in the mandatory photos of immediate family, grandparents etc. Are the poses too formal or too relaxed? Are the people smiling and can you see their faces? Does he capture the groups in a manner that you would like to exhibit mounted on your walls?

After looking through several full wedding galleries of images (don't worry, you can move quickly, what you're looking for will be apparent as you go), narrow down your list to 2 or 3 photographers. Phone or email your narrowed down prospects and set up appointments. Pay attention to how quickly they respond. Ask an additional question in a separate email and continue to monitor response time.




About the Author: