First my disclaimer.   I am a wedding photographer.  Obviously I hope you will book your wedding with me!  But I also want my clients to be happy with their decision of selecting me.  So here are some tips - from a wedding photographer perspective - on how to get the photos that you want for your wedding.

THE FIRST STEP .  The first step is to decide what you want.  Many couples really are not sure what they want from their photographer.  A good way to start is to put your thoughts together before you make the first visit with a photographer.  

"What you want" can be broken down into a several categories:

Deciding what you want # 1: THE FINAL PRODUCT. 

Make a list of the things that YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE.  Don't worry at this point about what you CAN AFFORD TO HAVE.  Just list it all out.

Decide what you would like in each category

-Prints?

-Album?

-Enlargements or additional albums for special people?

-Enlargements or wall portraits for myself?

-Do I want the photos on copyright-free CD so I can make reprints?

The FINAL PRODUCT can range from a base package of prints with no album provided by the photographer, to a set of prints and a nice album, to a nicer album and some enlargements to share with family and friends, to the same package but with additional parents' albums, to a high end package consisting of a custom album with custom cover, parents' albums, some very large prints on canvas, and a collection of enlargements.

Some questions to ask yourself in deciding on the FINAL PRODUCT would be:  How do I want to share share my wedding with friends and family?  How do I want to show my wedding pictures to co-workers and friends?  Do I want just prints?  Do I want an album?  Do I want a basic album or do I want a really elegant album?  How do I want to preserve the memories and images of my wedding for myself personally?  Do I want a portrait for the wall of my home or office?  What kind of portrait?    Do I want to give pictures to certain people?  To who?  What kind of pictures do I want to give them?  Do I want to do anything special for some people; like my mom?  Do I want to give her a special book or just a picture or two? 

Deciding what you want # 2: THE STYLE   All photographers have a style.  Many photographers will describe their style with one or two words.  I call my wedding photography  "a mix of classic photography and photojournalism."  But the reality is that you will just need to look at a photographer's work to see if you like it.  Are the pictures appealing to you?  That's the basic question to ask yourself.

Most photographers will generally shoot weddings with a mix of styles- some posed portraits, family and wedding party group photos, and photojournalistic or candid shots.  Most photographers will also offer black and white as well as color.  Some photographers will offer photographic effects, such as a black and white image with just the bridal bouquet displayed in color.  But again, you really need to look at the work and ask yourself if it appeals to you. 

Photography in the digital world is a complex process that starts with the capture of images, goes on to image processing and editing, and ends up with finished images, generally in the form of prints.  A photographer's style is based on the way he or she uses skills in all of these areas.  I personally spend about two hours at the computer for each hour that I shoot.  Just as photographers in the age of film had a "style" that was based as much on darkroom technique as technique with the camera the digital photographer has a style that is based on the camera and the digital darkroom - the computer.

Deciding what you want # 3: AMOUNT OF COVERAGE.  How much coverage (hours of photography) do you want on your wedding day?  A typical 4.5 hour package that I offer will begin with informal pictures as the bride and groom get ready and end about  1.5 hours into the reception.   In truth, my "4.5 hour" package will often stretch to about 5 or even 5 1/2 hours but I expect that.   You need to ask your photographer about situations in which things might not go as quickly as planned.   Will the photographer charge more?  How much.  In my case, I don't worry about it if I go over a little bit.  I expect it.   

I have found that if a couple needs more time for coverage, it will normally be at the reception.  Receptions often start slowly, with dinner being served or a buffet, and so the reception activities might not start for an hour or more.  In this case you might want more coverage at the reception.

A typical wedding for me will go like this. 

• Bride and groom getting ready, location shots, background shots, decorations, etc

• Portraits and other photos of the wedding couple

• Group photos, wedding party photos, family and friends

• Group photography stops AT LEAST 30 minutes before the ceremony and I take candid shots of the bride, groom, and others waiting, as well as guests arriving and other details.

• Ceremony, bridal couple immediately after the ceremony, leaving the church, etc

• Reception  - I will generally reach the 5 hour mark about 1 1/2 hour into the reception

• Candid photos, capturing things as they happen, throughout the day

Deciding what you want # 4.  PERSONALITY.  Every wedding has a personality.  You will probably spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than with any other single person other than your new husband or wife.  You really do want to select a photographer with a personality that will make all this 'being together" as comfortable as possible!

How to tell?  Just look at the way he or she communicates with you.  Is he/she patient?  Friendly?  Easy to be around?  Do you feel comfortable with him or her?

Deciding what you want # 5.  RELIABILITY.  This is really a tough one to gauge but it needs to be mentioned.  Every year I get calls from brides that their wedding photographer has cancelled on them and they are stuck just one month before the wedding with no photographer.  Anyone can have an accident or a serious illness that will prevent them from doing their job but that is not always the reason for the cancellations.  Twice in this past year I have received emails from brides who reported that their photographers had just chosen to do 'other things' and get out of photography.    Many, if not most, wedding photographers will do their photography as a second job, and that's fine if they are reliable.  How do you determine if they are reliable?  There are a couple things to look for.  Also see "Something is wrong with this picture if..." below.

How long has this person been in business?  Does he or she have a proven track record that makes you feel they are committed to the job?

Is this photographer insured?  There are many good photographers who operate their photography as a sideline.  No problem with that.  But there are certain "must haves" that will draw the line between ones who operate professionally and those who don't.  Insurance is a "Must Have" in today's world.  It is unlikely that a guest will trip over a photo cable and be injured, but this kind of thing does happen.  There are many other little indicators of "professionalism" vs "amateurism" such as business licenses, etc, but INSURANCE is a requirement. 

Photographers use equipment.  Equipment breaks and malfunctions.  It is really important that your photographer have at least two of everything - two cameras, replacement lenses, replacement cables, lights, flashes, etc.  Just ask a photographer if he or she has backup equipment in case of malfunctions.  Also ask if it is the same quality of equipment as the primary equipment.  

Deciding what do you want # 6.  YOUR BUDGET  Prices for wedding photography vary widely from location to location and within a location so you really need to check a couple of places and see what prices are in your local area.  The average price paid for wedding photography in the US is about $2600.  Average prices in my local area are lower than that.  My "average" wedding is about $1650 with engagement pictures included, six hours of coverage, and a really nice 20 page album. 

Some OTHER THINGS you should consider

• Thing you should consider # 1  Copyright Traditionally photographers have retained the copyright to every picture they take and the only way to get a copy is to buy it from him or her.  Lots of photographers still work this way.  But digital is changing that and many photographers will also offer their images on CD or DVD.  If that is something that you want, make sure you ask if it is available.
• Thing you should consider # 2  Photography is Art.  There are some really special things and some strange things that fall into place when you buy "art".  There is no way to measure what you get; you either like it or you don't.  Art is also trendy.  Some photographers, both good and not-so-good, will fall into fashion in a local area and be able to command higher prices.  Are they better than the others?  Hard to say....it's "ART" and they are POPULAR, so they may charge more.  Another really strange characteristic of art is that expensive art will often sell better than reasonably priced art.  If it's expensive, it must be good, right?  Well.....maybe yes and maybe no.