Photography

Why Choosing a Photographer is so Important for your Wedding Day

With the age of digital cameras making more and more people budding photographers, some couples wonder whether it’s worth paying for a professional photographer to capture their wedding

Recording images through a camera onto a digital format is only 50% of what a good photographer will do for you on your wedding day. A professional photographer who specialises in wedding photography knows everything there is to know about weddings, the formalities, who not to miss out in photos with the family, and in many cases, they will end up being one of best helpers on the day.

Establishing a good rapport and feeling comfortable with your photographer is essential for successful photos. After all, the wedding photographer will spend the most time with the bride and groom on the day. It is important to note though, that although the photographer will be with the bride and groom for most of the day, a real professional will be unobtrusive, but completely in control within the background.

CAPTURING THE PERFECT MEMORY AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME

It is the photographer’s job to capture the perfect moment at the exact moment, and that is why it’s worth choosing a professional. They have the experience and tools to do it, as well as the speed and insight to be in the right position at the right time capturing the emotion of the subjects with just the right amount of lighting.

Although it is very hard to predict what will happen at each wedding, a good wedding photographer learns that there are foreseeable moments during a wedding to look for. They also have the experience to know that unforeseeable events may occur, and can prepare themselves and their equipment to minimise any such events spoiling the photos.

UNDERSTANDING AND ANTICIPATING THE EMOTIONS AND THE MOMENTS

There are certain times throughout the day when people will be a little bit more emotional than at other times. Prior to the ceremony, many of the images capture a sense of nervousness and anticipation from people, whereas after the ceremony, there is almost a sense of relief and jubilation. A great photographer knows that this is where the emotions start and where the beautiful images will start to happen. The first time a father sees his daughter in her wedding dress, for instance, is just one of these beautiful moments worth capturing.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE UNEXPECTED

A little trickier for the photographer however, are the completely unexpected moments, which often make the best photographs of all. You can’t plan for it. You can try to anticipate when it might occur, but when a great picture happens, a good professional needs to be at the ready and react in a millisecond. If they see something and then have to pick up the camera, the moment is already gone. Diligence and patience are two of the most important hallmarks of capturing these fleeting moments. But paramount to everything is the ability to think clearly and quickly. More than having a decent piece of equipment or a fast lens, the most important tool for the professional photographer is his or her brain. The camera has to be ready to fire instantly, sometimes from the hip, and you can’t be off letting your mind wander.

Not only does the photographer have to react quickly, they also need to make split second decisions on what lens is the one to use, which subjects to include in the frame, and what is going on in the background. In an instant, the image is there and gone. And once the moment is gone, a professional photographer does not ask the bride, groom, or guests to do it again so they can capture it. That’s a set-up, not a moment.

REAL MOMENTS

A professional photographer captures real moments. The bride isn’t always perfect, but the moment is real. It really happened and when the bride looks at it, she’s going to remember that moment and the emotion of that very moment. That is the wedding photographer’s goal. “To have them remember their day in a way where art and reality coincide.”

DEALING WITH LESS THAN PERFECT WEATHER ON THE DAY

A professional photographer’s aim is to document weddings with excellence, no matter what’s going on in the sky or on the ground that day. If it’s raining, the photographer can take creative shots utilising the environment. They will find a way to make it beautiful. Rainy conditions can present unexpected, extraordinary opportunities for your wedding photographer to capture lovely, funny and sometimes dramatic photographs. Every bride dreams of a perfect wedding day, where the sun is shining and birds are singing, but unfortunately it’s not always like that. It’s up to the wedding photographer to capture the feeling of the day, and any good wedding photographer will tell you that those less than perfect weather days are more exciting and have the potential to deliver some of the most dramatic shots.

QUALITY PRINTS THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME

Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

The quality of paper and inks for prints and albums from these professional labs, ensures the client gets a finished product that will last. Not one that will fade after only a few years.

BEING A GOOD PROFESSIONAL COSTS MONEY

The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and with it, the ability to control various factors during the image taking and making process. However, with flexibility comes a price. Digital cameras and equipment are considerably more expensive than conventional camera equipment.

Therefore much of the cost of a photographic print produced by a professional photographer not only has a lot to do with their time and experience, but a great deal to do with the equipment costs, artistic vision and the usual expenses associated with running any legitimate business.

ALBUM CREATION

Not only does the photographer have to be good at recording images on the day, they also have to hone their talents in photo editing. Gone are the days where photos of the bride’s face were altered to the extent that she looked like someone else! Nowadays, the art of good editing and ‘photoshopping’ is to manipulate the image so that the client and nobody else can tell if it has been edited. A great deal of time is spent on the post-production of the wedding event and the creation of the wedding images and albums.

While there are many lovely albums in the department stores, professional photographers have access to high quality wedding albums that are not accessible to the public. A great deal of design work and time goes into an album created by the professional photographer, and that’s why you will pay more for them. Each album creation is always one of a kind.

Styles of Albums offered by professional photographers:

• Traditional matted style wedding albums
• Flush mount magazine style albums
• Magazine or coffee table albums.