Choosing a photographer can be a tough decision. They have to be in your price range, you have to love their style, their packages and let’s face it, their personality too! Here’s a list of a few things we think are important when choosing a wedding photographer:
1. Make sure there are two photographers, and that they are both actually professionals.
The reason we shoot with two photographers is for the following reasons:
A) Safety: With two people around, you have back-up. If something were to go wrong, you will have another photographer there, of equal talent to cover the day. For example, should the photographer get ill, or if a memory card were to corrupt.
B) Variety: Having two people shoot your wedding gives you two different angles and perspectives of your day!
C) Quantity: You will get more photos.
D) Flexibility: For example, if you wanted shots of both the bride and groom to be getting ready in the morning you need two people to be in two different locations.
2. Lighting:
Making sure the photographer you choose has good lighting equipment is just as important as making sure you like the photographer’s style, personality and packages.
Things they should have:
A) At least two off camera flashes B) Two high end camera bodies that can handle higher ISO. The reason for two flashes and two camera bodies is for back-up in case one fails or breaks. Here are a few good camera bodies to look for:
Canon 1D series, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III
Nikon D3S, D4, D700, D800, D810.
3. Lenses:
Make sure they have high-end lenses. Good lenses make a huge difference in quality by letting more light into the camera. You’ll want to make sure that the “f” number on their lenses is at or below 2.8. Also, the lower the “f” number, the sweeter the out of focus areas (Bokeh) areas of the image will look.
Some good lenses to have for wedding photography (just to name a few):
50mm f1.2, or f1.4
35mm f1.4
24-70mm f2.8
85mm f1.2, or f1.4
70-200mm f2.8
135mm f2.0
100mm f2.8
4. See it all:
It is very important to see photos from both indoor and outdoors, posed and candid shots. Some photographers are very good in some areas, but not so good in another. Make sure they have a good mix of all scenarios.
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5. Digital Images:
If your photographer tells you that you will be getting all of your photos as digital images, ask what type of files. Some photographers will give you “Digital Negatives”, that is just a fancy term for “unedited photos.” In our opinion, this is not what you want. Editing makes a world of difference in the quality of your photos. Digital negatives are not colour corrected, may not be properly exposed and have no filters on them.