What to look for in a Utah Wedding Photographer

As Brides may know when it comes to planning a wedding, there is a lot more to organize than grooms could possibly understand. Catering, locations, announcements, dresses, colors, what to eat, what to feed, who to invite, the list goes on and on. Most of those choices though are one-time decisions, and once the celebration is over they generally bear no lasting consequence.

Enter Wedding Photography. Besides choosing who you're going to marry (and subsequently the in-laws that come with), your Wedding Photographer might be the most important decision you'll have to make regarding your special day. Living in Utah and doing wedding photography, I constantly ask myself why so many couples take a gamble on their photographer and let Uncle Leo handle the pictures because he just bought one of those fancy big cameras. Sometimes you might not want to risk hurting family feelings, so you let Uncle Leo do it despite your wishes to hire someone more professional.

As a bit of wedding planning advice; offend who you need to, including mothers (they'll get over it). It's YOUR wedding, do it as YOU want to. If you don't like the pictures Uncle Leo took at the Family Reunion, chances are you're not going to like what he's going to deliver after your wedding has come and gone, and the moments have passed forever. Every photographer needs to start somewhere, but Wedding Photography isn't it.

So what should you look for as you google away to find the best photographer? Here are 5 things to keep in mind when choosing your Wedding Photogapher.

1. Define your style: Some photographers are very traditional, others are very urban or trendy. Some may excel in black and white, others may have incredible post-processing techniques. Find out what style you enjoy the most and seek out a photographer that not only says he can shoot that way, but has a portfolio to prove it. And this goes without saying, make sure they have a portfolio! If they're a rookie wedding photographer, make sure they have other photographs to show you that include people. Anyone can shoot landscapes, people take practice.

2. "Click" with your Photographer: If at all possible, meet with your wedding photographer ahead of time and see if your personalities click well. Your photographer will need to understand your personality so they can best pose you in a way to fit who you are, they'll also understand you in those candid moments and capture that memory when you weren't even looking. Hiring your photographer for your Engagement and Bridal shoots is a fantastic way to get comfortable with each other, so come your wedding day they know how you work, and you know how they work.

3. Find poses you like in magazines: Your photographer has directed many different styles of photos, but it doesn't hurt to show them what you're looking for. Browse some magazines and other websites and make a little photo collection of poses and styles that you love. As a wedding photographer, I'm not offended if someone shows me work from other photographers and ask me to mimic it; the more poses I have at my disposal the better! Don't be afraid to show your photographer what you'd like, and using a picture is the best way.

4. Find out if you get the Digital Copies: Printing is cheap and easy, find out if your photographer is willing to give you all the pictures digitally for you to print later. Even if it's a file big enough for just a 5x7, it's important that you have access to your pictures when you want them. Most photographers will be hard-pressed to give you copies of the original files and that's understandable, but make sure you get some smaller copies. With how fun it is to e-mail, put on your blog or print off a slew of 4x6's to pin to the wall, make sure you have that freedom.

5. Set a timeline: After your honeymoon, life becomes hectic for awhile. It's not uncommon for me to not hear back from a couple until 3 weeks or more after their wedding. So, before you run away to your exotic location, be sure to let the photographer know when you'll be back, and setup a time to talk and even meet to review the pictures. Chances are, they'll wait to print your final copies until you let them know which photographs you want.

Good luck and Congratulations!