1. Expensive doesn’t always mean good – There are so many wedding planning blogs like wedmegood , sayshaadi , weddingsutra which have a detailed directory of photographers in your area . Do a thorough research when it comes to pricing . The end result might be the same quality wise ( not style wise)  if we compare two photographers but you see a huge difference in the price . Why a certain photographer is charging what he/she is charging? What value is he/she bringing to the table apart from the photographs ? There can be plethora of reasons behind the same – huge inventory of equipment , industry experience , targeting a different set of market altogether or photography being the sole earning for them.

2. Know your style preference – Do not hire a wedding photographer just because your best friend hired them . Your taste & preferences would be very different from your friends and it might result in utter disappointment if there is a style clash . Trust me no matter how good a photographer is , nothing can be done if their shooting/post-processing style is very different from your expectations . Again , a thorough research is the solution 🙂 .  Ramit Batra ( one of the finest wedding photographers in the country) has a wonderful blog on the topic to help you figure out the same .

3.Full wedding sets – Never ever just go by the few pictures you saw on the slideshow of the photographer’s website . If you like a certain photographer’s style , always ask them to send you the full wedding set . Any decent photographer who is in the industry can make 10 wonderful images on your wedding day but you need someone who can make each image look like a masterpiece . That’s what you are paying for ! Try to analyse the quality across the wedding set , how good the photographer has communicated the story , if he or she is good with night photography or they have killed the ambient light by bombarding flash recklessly . Using flash is not a bad thing as many think , as long as your photographer knows how to use it.

4. Make sure your wedding photographer is not just a “weekend photographer” – you want a professional photographer, someone who is doing this as their sole living as they are better equipped with the gear ( backup equipment , better storage solutions) , more experienced and in my opinion , are far better in their work as they have dedicated their life to create art . They chose to do it because they absolutely love it and not to earn some extra cash over the weekend . This will ensure that you not only receive the best quality but also the most choices of products and services.

5. Photobooks are evergreen – I wish I could write this whole paragraph in bold . No amount of technological advancement can take away the feel of a printed photograph . A HUMBLE REQUEST , PLEASE DON’T LET THE DIGITAL FILES ROT ON YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE . As a wedding photographer, I can’t even begin to describe my disappointment when prospective clients tell me that they are very sure they don’t want the photobook . It makes me sad when I think of all the photos that I worked upon for hours would never get printed. Display your wedding pictures proudly because on a crappy day in married life , pictures in print do make things better . Holding an album in hand would take you back in time and going through good memories will definitely relieve some stress .

Let us know in the comments , if the post has been helpful to you 🙂