You’ve spent a lot of hours and money planning the flowers,decorations, dress and details making sure that every aspect of your day isperfect. Long after the music has ended and the cake and flowers are gone, your photos are what you have left to remember your day by. They are the cherished family heirlooms you’ll share with generations to come. Here are a few tips to help you select a photographer to capture your day.

Tip #1 – Know your style

The three most common wedding photography styles are traditional, photojournalism and editorial. Traditional wedding images are carefully posed images of the bride and groom, wedding party and family. We commonly refer to these as the ‘Mom shots” because they are the types of images that parents most often want for display on the mantle or the wall. Because they are intended for display, these images are most often retouched to idealize the final portraits. The photojournalist photographer will document your wedding day as it unfolds in a candid documentary style. Because the intent of photojournalist is to capture a story, the images are generally not posed or retouched and are often characterized by a casual snapshot-like quality. The editorial photographer creates the highly stylized images you’re likely to see in high-end bridal magazines. The photographer puts the subjects in a situation and allows them to interact naturally and intuitively. This is similar to the photojournalistic style, except that the composition and exposure are deliberately and carefully controlled to heighten the emotion and drama conveyed in the image. These images usually undergo some amount of retouching and refinement to further enhance the impact of the final image.

Tip #2 – Hire a pro

While Uncle Bob might have an awesome camera, a good eye and a big heart, he probably doesn’t have the experience it takes to capture your wedding day in the manner it deserves. Photographing a wedding takes considerable skill to consistently be in the right place at the right time,every time. Then there’s all of the digital magic it takes to turn a picture into a timeless portrait. Sure with Uncle Bob you’ll have pictures of your wedding day, but will they be great pictures you’ll cherish forever?

Tip #3 – Book enough time

The fact is that your time on your wedding day is limited.You need to find the balance between the formal family portraits you desire and the creative editorial images you’ve been dreaming of. While eight hours of coverage might seem like a lot, it’s often barely enough. Unforeseen events and complications can wreak havoc on the best planned day. Running behind means cutting corners somewhere to catch back up, and the creative time with your photographer is usually the first to go. At best, you’ll try to hurry through your creative session with the hope of getting some pictures you’ll treasure.The result is fewer breathtaking images to hold in your hands and remember your day by for the rest of your lives. If you must book short, be sure your photographer is flexible enough to be able to add additional hours to your coverage on the day of your wedding, just in case.

Tip #4 – Find the right fit

You’ll be spending a lot of time with your photographer on your wedding day, be sure to pick one with a personality that meshes well with yours. Better yet hire a male-female photography team that complements your style. A female photographer can get those candid” getting ready” shots without worry or interruption and a male photographer can help put all of the men in the bridal party at ease. And getting two experienced primary photographers is like money in the bank when it comes to getting all of your special moments captured for eternity. Whatever you do, don’t settle for an “assistant” or “associate”. There’s a reason why they have that title and it usually comes down to experience. Most importantly, find a photography team that you feel comfortable with. Since you’ve taken the time to make sure every detail of your day is perfect, doesn’t it make sense to find perfect photographer to share your day with? We think so!

Tip #5 – Have fun!

This tip applies no matter who is making your photographs. We can easily fix blemishes, fly-away hairs and the like, but trying to erase the look of stress and worry is a whole other story. Let’s face it, we’re photographers, not magicians. A fake or forced smile never looks good, no matter how hard you try. The key to wedding day bliss is to take the day in stride and accept what life brings you. Keep in mind that the little things that go off plan will only bother you if you let them. That’s why we have an emergency kit with safety pins, a sewing kit, a tool kit, some duct tape and more. We’ve had to come to the rescue of more than one flower girl’s hem in our day! We were recently at a wedding where the caterer set the room with the wrong color linen and the bride momentarily went into meltdown mode. Sure, she paid extra for the perfect color linens that would accent her color scheme and the caterer dropped the ball. She had her moment of disappointment and frustration but quickly snapped out of it when she put it into perspective. It wasn’t what she wanted, but she knew that only a few people would ever know the difference. More importantly, she realized that in the scheme of things this was really no big deal. She quickly put her anguish aside, her party face on and had a great time at the reception. When she got back from her honeymoon she settled up with her caterer and ended up with a few dollars extra in her pocket to pay for a some spur-of-the-moment honeymoon splurges. Best of all, her smile was radiant all night and it came through in all of her photos. She now has a photo book that captures perfect memories of her perfect night, even if the linens weren’t quite right! If you can remember to have fun and not sweat the small stuff, your bound to have a night you’ll never forget. Consider the fact that your pictures will be that much better for it a bonus for having fun!

Tags: Wedding Day Photographs, Wedding Photography Tips