IENACE

Your wedding photographs will serve as cherished mementos of your wedding day for years to come. Your wedding portrait will probably hang in a prominent location in your home. You will likely include a wedding photo with your thank you notes. Close family members may also display your wedding photo in their home. With so many people seeing these photos you want to be sure they are the very best. With so much riding on these photos it is a good idea for the couple to take this decision very seriously. This article will provide sage advice for how to select a wedding photographer in Los Angeles.

First and foremost, a couple should not even consider hiring a Los Angeles wedding photographer without seeing his or her portfolio. This is so important because the portfolio will give the couple the best indication of the quality of photographs the photographer is capable of taking. The couple should look for a number of things when viewing these photos. Obviously, they should examine the pictures for clarity, lighting shadowing and other elements. The pictures should be clear, the lighting should appear natural and there should not be any shadows distracting from the subject of the picture.

The technical quality of the photos is not the only thing the couple should focus on. They should also examine the photographs to see how natural the subjects of the photos look. This is important because they want themselves as well as their friends and family members to appear natural in the pictures and not overly posed. The couple should also note whether or not the photographer takes a wide range of photos in many different poses or whether he seems to have only a limited number of creative poses. The couple should also note if the photographer seems equally comfortable taking pictures in indoor settings and outdoor settings.

In addition to examining the portfolios of the wedding photographers it is also important to interview the photographer. This is important because the couple will be sharing the most important day of their lives with this person so they want to be sure it is someone they are comfortable with. It is a crucial step that will distinguish the top choices on your list of photographers. The photographer will likely spend awhile with the bride in her home before the wedding where he takes a number of shots of her preparing for the wedding. He will also likely drop by the location of the ceremony to take similar shots of the groom with his groomsmen.

After the couple has had the opportunity to examine online wedding portfolios and interview the wedding photographers they should be almost ready to make a decision. The last factor they will have to consider is the price for the photographer’s services as well as the cost of the prints or images on CD. Some photographers will charge a flat rate for their services which includes an assortment of photographs. They may also have prices for additional prints. Other photographers may just charge a flat fee for their services and a set of proofs which the couple can use to order additional prints. Some couples prefer only paying for the proofs because they want to make decisions about the number and size of prints they order after they see the proofs. All of these details should be carefully detailed in the contract and the couple should be sure of these details before they make a commitment and sign the contract.

Your best friend has asked you to take pictures of their wedding, and you want to do the best job possible. They may have decided not to hire a professional photographer and instead are relying on you to take pictures for them.

You feel the pressure, and want to make sure you don’t mess up. Here are some guidelines to help you from Jim Whitesell, a Edmonton wedding photographer:

1. Use the best equipment possible

A small point-and-shoot camera is fine for capturing family memories, but doesn’t do as well as a digital SLR with an external flash. The focus time, shutter delay, and limited reach of the small built-in flash will all cause problems for you. If you do not own or have access to a digital SLR camera and external flash, you can probably rent them from a camera store. Be sure to test and practice with the camera before the wedding day! A professional will likely have multiple lenses as well, but this is often beyond the ability of a casual shooter.

2. Take at least two memory cards

Although it doesn’t happen often, memory cards can fail. Keeping an extra card with you is cheap insurance that will keep you shooting if your card does quit working. Be sure the cards are of ample size so you don’t run out of space half-way through the night. 4GB is the minimum size you should have with you.

3. Batteries, batteries, batteries

Be sure to charge the camera batteries the night before, and preferably have a second battery charged and ready. Most external flash units use AA batteries so have a couple extra sets of these, too.

4. Attend the rehearsal

Taking pictures at the rehearsal is the best way to be prepared for the pictures you’ll take at the actual ceremony. You’ll have a feel for where to position yourself for the best shots. While a professional wedding photographer won’t usually shoot at the rehearsal, they will often show up to not only reassure the bride and groom that they are prepared for the next day but also to scope out the building. Their experience will enable them to know where the best shots are just by seeing the facility.

5. Posing the bridal party

When taking formal pictures of the bridal party, watch the details. Make sure everyone’s face is visible, and pay attention to the placement of hands and feet. Pleasing poses are key.

6. Shooting the ceremony

If the wedding will take place inside a church, you’ll need to shoot the ceremony without flash. Use a tripod to hold the camera steady or camera shake caused by longer exposure times will likely ruin the pictures.

7. Shooting the reception

If possible, try to get a shot or two of the reception hall before everyone arrives. Takes some shots of other details, too – like the head table decorations, cake, etc. Once things are underway, it’s always nice to go table-to-table and get pictures of all the guests.

8. Shoot the details

Take pictures of the little details. The rings, bridal bouquet, ring bearer, flower girl, bride’s shoes, etc. are all great details to capture and the bride will be quite pleased to have these.

9. Capture the fun

There are always fun, unplanned moments that make each wedding unique and memorable. Always have your camera ready to capture the moment!

10. Back up the photos

As soon as possible after the wedding, burn all the original images to a CD or DVD for safekeeping. Do this before you make any changes to them. If you accidentally delete an important picture or have a computer failure you’ll still have the originals to fall back on. Even a professional low cost wedding photographer will make backups.

Your friends have entrusted you with a very important task. The pictures are the best way to remember the wedding and all the fun details. While a professional wedding photographer will do a better job, those with limited funds may not have the ability to pay for one.

If you aren’t ready to take the pictures yourself, why not suggest you pay for all or part of a professional photographer’s fee as your gift to the bride and groom? And if you just happen to be near Edmonton, Alberta, I highly recommend you check out Jim Whitesell’s site for Edmonton wedding pictures.