CHOOSING THE RIGHT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Can someone give me a high five or some sugar =D? Blogging nearly everyday this week, I should definitely get some brownie points here but I suppose a nice high ten would be all the better.  As many of you may all know, my fiancee Sou-Wah and I are happily engaged and excited about our big day next year. Although we have not settled on a specific date and location yet we have already begun the process of ideas and themes for our wedding day.  Sorry guys, no secrets will be spilled here or in the near future until you see our wedding photographs =).  Which leads me to the obvious, who would photograph our wedding?  Ah, fantastic question. The answer is…WE…DON’T…KNOW YET!  Now that wedding planning is just around the corner for the both of us, finding the right photographer turns out to be a lot harder than we expected, go figure.  You’d think we would know by now but now that I think about it, brides choose wedding photographers a lot of times based on the theme and style of their wedding. So they choose photographer whose portfolio fits their vision.  If you portfolio displays a lot of outdoor weddings they are more likely to book someone say like Jose Villa (brilliant film photographer).  Maybe you fit the fashion and glamor ticket more and You’ll go with someone like Jerry Ghionis. Maybe you’re the type of bride who loves the fine arts approach and you choose our loving mentor Scott Robert.  Or just maybe you’re a designer and appreciate photography such as Apertura, Jerry Yoon or Images Found.  But, truly at the end of the day I believe most brides ultimately pick wedding photographers based on people who know or recommend them or your web presence is extremely likable along with having amazing imagery.  If you’re the type of bride who basis wedding photography on price only then you probably wouldn’t consider any of these artist or myself not that their isn’t a price on weddings.  We obviously have our budgets we have set and many of us want to stick to it.

However, with all things considered I still believe the most valuable thing to invest in on your wedding day is your wedding photographer.  I’m not just saying this because that’s what I do but I believe it to be the truth.  I’ve had several people whom I’ve connected with on inquires who have added me as facebook friends tell me later they regretted not hiring me or a photographer they really loved based on price.  Weddings are a once in a life time thing (hopefully for most) and at the end of the day no one will remember your cake, the food, the venue, who was there, what happened exactly and things that happened on the day many forget to see.  It’s PHOTOGRAPHY that brings back every single one of these memories back to life.  Might I add wedding cinematography is definitely hitting its revolution since the entry of the Canon 5D Mark II.  So when it comes to choosing your wedding photographer there are a lot of things to take into consideration so choose wisely.  If you care about photography enough, don’t hire a VENDOR PHOTOGRAPHER. Hire a artist who is inspired to capture your day with passion.  Vendor photographers are there for the job not YOU.

PS PHOTOGRAPHERS: Always make sure you education your clients on expectations. That is the #1 rule.  That means getting to know them but also layout all the details so there are no surprises.  No one likes to be left in the dark.

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a photo-less post.  =) Just wanted to share a few snap shots from our engagement dinner with friends at the Lowry in the UK. =) Thanks for stopping by again everyone.

Sou-Wah & I at the Lowry. Doesn’t she look absolutely smashing? =)

The O So Lovely gang who shared our joyous celebration with us =) Thanks everyone =)

I am the most BLESSED MAN alive.

The Fellas…

…And the beautiful ladies.