Choosing a wedding photographer is one of the most important tasks you will have to complete on your wedding checklist.
We spend so much time and money planning every single detail of the wedding, we tend to forget that we will want all those little details captured for our viewing pleasure forever.
Choosing a wedding photographer is not just about finding someone who can take pictures, it’s so much more than that. You will want someone that is not only talented but who you are comfortable with.
The pictures taken at the church and the reception are good to look at, but the ones taken at your chosen location are the ones that you will cherish forever. You will want a photographer that can make you laugh, that can get you to loosen up and be yourselves very quickly. You want a photographer that understands that those memory captured and the most important thing to you.
Before you pass over your money to a photographer there are a few things to consider that you may not have thought about.
- Book your venue or have an idea where
- know what you want dont assume everyone with a camera knows what they are doing
- view their social media pages and website these will let you know how invested the photog is
- give them a call for a consult often sends you to their page but ask for a viewing of an entire wedding even more so one at your venue or place where garden shots will be are they legal? ask for a business licence. Its illegal to operate a business in the Bahamas without a licence and it also is a form of protection for them and yourself should things go wrong
- discuss price and what is included. do not assume that prints or full edits are included. Ensre they have a contract and it suits you where as you are protected and so are they.
The trick to finding a wedding photographer sits not only on the point that they are good for you but that you are good for them. Yes its a job however its a stressful job and you must make sure you and you photographer are on the same page for your wedding day.
It is recommended that you do not delay in finding a photographer so as soon as you decide on your wedding date its time to start looking. This portion of photographer hunting is fairly simple, it requires you to either use google or facebook to find local photographer. Do an online search for wedding photographers in your area and see what comes up.
Visit their social pages and website to view their work. This will help you with choosing a particular style of photo that you want. We dont recommend looking at photographers not in the country because the images are deceiving. When I say deceiving I mean the locations are not what you will have. The weather is not the same local customs are definitely not the same. You want someone who not only is a good photographer but who understands how this work in your area.
Find your Venue
This is something many never consider. Where do you want to have your garden shots taken? Most likely you know which church you are going to and your looking for places for your reception but so little thought is placed on your garden shots. Knowing where you want your images taken will help you find a photographer that is right for your.
If you have an idea where you want to shoot your garden shots, when it comes to discussing the wedding with your photographer you can ask for images of past weddings they may have shot in that area before. This will give you a really good understanding if the photographer is resourceful in shooting in that area.
Know What you Want
I cant stress how important it is to know what it is that you want. When I say know what you want I mean know what type of images you would like. If you are not sure you can hop over to this page about the four types of wedding photographers you need to know about. Knowing the different styles of shooting can help you in narrowing down the photographer that is best for your.
By this time you should have already looked over a number of photographers social pages and websites and seen certain images that stood out to you as amazing. Compare those images to the styles mentioned in the post listed above and you will have an idea of what type of wedding photographer you are looking for.
- Traditional Wedding Photographer
- Fashion Wedding Photographer
- Contemporary Wedding Photographer
- Photo Journalistic Wedding Photographer
Get Social
We live in the information age. the age of the internet so use it. You can check on you mobile device a laptop or desk top even a tablet, there are so many ways to get on line. Once you are there you can search up wedding photographers in the Bahamas and see what comes up. Why is this important? Its simple. Consider this. If the photographer takes their job seriously as a photographer they will want as much exposure as possible. This means investing time and money in developing a web page and social media pages. Fly by nights who just want to make a quick buck will not take the time to develop a website, they may have a facebook page but its free and anyone can do it.
Consider the cost and dedication of a person to take the time to build a website that gives you the information you need without having to call and waste time finding what you want. Although having social media and a website does not guarantee great photos it simply reflects that the photographer is taking their job seriously.
Make the call
The call actually refers to making contact with the selected photographers that you have viewed and visited their social pages, you have determined that they fit the style of wedding photography that you like and now you want to take this list and narrow it down to the few that will best suit you.
To make the call you can actually call via the phone contacts on their website or social pages or you can email them with further questions. Often an email is better as you can ask questions and have them answered in a form that you can remember or actual go back and check vs a phone call that you may confuse the various photographers. Send you questions to the photographer and ask about their work.
- Can they show an entire wedding?
- What is their availability?
- Have they shot at your locations?