How to choose your wedding photographer

1. Choose a Professional Photographer

It is very important to use a professional photographer. After all the hard work of planning down to the last detail of your perfect wedding day, when your special day comes to an end your photographs and albums are what you have to make your day last a lifetime.

A professional wedding photographer, has the right equipment for this specialist field, and knows how the day works to help everything run smoothly. Uncle Harry may take wonderful photos but without the knowledge, experience he could and almost certainly will make a mistake that will cost you your memories.

2. Look at Photo Portfolios

Look around at different photos and styles and see what you like, each photographer has their own style in posing, photojournalistic, natural, saturation, contrast etc.

Evoke Studios has a number of albums, prints, canvases from many different weddings for you to have a look at. We make sure you are making an informed decision.

3. Call Photographer & Make and appointment

Make sure they are available for your wedding date. As well as great photos, your photographer will be with you most of the day so make sure you connect well with their personality and they make you comfortable so it is important to meet with them.

4. What do wedding photos cost?

As with buying anything there are many different qualities, there are budget options where the photographers may be less experienced or supply albums that are of lower quality, however although you do need to find a photographer around your budget, look for a experienced photographer who’s photos make you feel something and you will never regret what you invested. Your photos are the record of your wedding and you may be happy to pay that little bit extra for superior quality.

Prices range from $900 - $15,000 (or much more) depending on what you are wanting.

Evoke Studios full coverage package (bride and groom getting ready, ceremony, family photos, bridal party and entry at your reception) with 2 photographers and a 20 side album starts at $2,500. Budget packages start from $1,800.

5. Why is there is a huge difference in price between photographers?

This is because of many factors.

Some inexperienced photographers may give you a better price so they can gain a portfolio and experience. In other words, what you have saved in dollars could cost you missed photos or poorly taken images.

There is a great difference between photographers who use digital cameras and those that use professional series cameras and lenses that allow them to photograph in lower light conditions, and supply a more professional finish. If your photographer is using quality equipment they could be bringing about $20,000 worth of equipment to your wedding.

Look at what they are including in the package. Included in your package may be just the coverage or it could include things like, magazine albums, parent albums, coffee table albums, prints, frames, canvases etc.

Brides can budget up to 30% of their wedding budget on photography. Brides also tend to under estimate the cost of photography by about 50%.

Your photographer after preparing your photos and album will have spent about 40 hours on your wedding and co-ordinate with suppliers.

6. I am on a small budget what can i do to cut costs?

The old saying you get what you pay for comes to mind.

As wedding photographers can only take on one wedding a day you may get a discount if your wedding is on a week day or if your wedding is in June / July as there are not as many weddings during winter.

Evoke Studios budget package starts at $1,799 and we have been able to discount this one because we do not take an assistant which means you don’t get as many photos to choose from. We don’t visit the groom getting ready and the album is a coffee table book which costs less to produce. We find those on a tight budget are happy with these things being removed so they still get a professional result.

Also pre purchasing additional pages in your album can also be a cost saver.

7. At your appointment

Make sure you view albums and photos from a number of different weddings. Ask lots of questions, some questions you could ask are below.

	Do you bring back up photography equipment? If a camera fails what do they do

	Do you have a Wet Weather Plan? If it is raining or bad weather do they have an alternate location

	Will you be the photographer at the wedding? You may be meeting with a sales person and not the photographer that will be photographing your wedding, also if a photographer books a bigger package you may be sent a junior photographer instead of the person you have met.

	Will you provide a Second Photographer? Most photographers will have an assistant to help with lighting and carrying bags etc. However if the assistant is also a photographer you will end up with more photos from a different view point to choose from.

	Are there any add on Charges? Some photographers charge for additional items to keep the initial package fees down as low as possible, make sure you know what these fees are some may be, Travel Charge, Staying on longer than a certain number of hours

	When will my photos be available? Do I get to help design the album? Some photographers design the album and you don’t get any input into how the photos will be laid out in the final album

	What coverage is included? Is it limited to a time, do they come to the bride and groom getting ready? Will they stay at the reception?

	Is my deposit in addition to my package? Some photographers add the deposit on top of your package

	Are you a member of a Professional Association? Example, AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photographers)

	Does my package include the photos? If you want your photos on a disk most photographers will charge extra for this. Ensure you know what size the photos will be on the disk, for example are they for viewing on a screen (small resolution) or for print (full resolution)

	Does the photographer offer a payment plan?

For instance a layby system to make payments easier. Beware of pressure sales tactics. Make sure your photographer will work with you to keep within what you can afford.

8. What is Coverage?

This is the amount of time your photographer will spend capturing your wedding. Some photographers limit this to a time frame. Your package may include,
» Groom Getting Ready
» Bride Getting Ready
» Arrival at the Ceremony
» Ceremony
» Family Photos
» Bridal Party Photos (may be limited to a number of locations)

» Reception (some do entry only, others will stay until the bridal waltz)

9. How do I see my Photos?

Each photographer does this differently. Some will give you a small printed proof to look at, some do it over the internet or you go to the studio to view them.

10. I Love all my photos can I have all of them?

This is called a full resolution disk that you can print the photo yourself whenever you like. Some photographers include this in their package others charge an additional fee for this.

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