Hunting for Photographer

Wonder how difficult it is for a pedantic person like me to hunt for a photographer? Very!

I was brought up by an arty and knowledgeable dad who pretty much never really praise me for anything I thought I did 'OK'. Yup, I don't even dare to say I did 'well'. Imagine me trying to find a 'good' photographer that dad will be happy for.

Anyway, hunting for a photographer is extremely challenging for me. First off, working off our on budget put a whole lot of restrictions on how much we could really spend for our wedding. When I started researching for our wedding in year 2008, I realised that the majority of our spending will be for the venue and photographer (duh?!).

Knowing my good procrastinating self, I made a list to remind us about our choices:

1. What do we really want looking back in 10 years time?

We would love to have something physical to look at, such as photos of what happened during the wedding, guests having good fun, and something beautiful we can share with our children. Thinking back on the several proms that I went 10 years ago, I would say, I do not remember a single detail of how the venues looked like. Maybe, they were grand and nice. A general statement, indeed. Perhaps, as much as we love to have our banquet at a nice and expensive hotel, it is not something we can afford at the moment. Enough said, we decided to spend less on the venue, so we can have more to spend on the photography.

2. Why don't ask your friends to do the shooting?

We will have a few good friends helping us with the photography as well. However, the photography service will also include other things such as the photo book, CD slides, and portrait album. We would love some extras.

3. What are the secrets to hunt for good photographer?

To be honest, we don't really know. Hunting for photographer from overseas is really frustrating. Unless the photographer does have an up-to-date website with loads of portfolios online, trying to gauge the photography skill is almost impossible. There are plenty of good photographers. Many people believe in 'vibes', which I think is an important element for choosing your own photographer. What is good for me, does not necessarily mean is good for you. Ultimately, the client has to be comfortable around the photographer, and vice-versa, to get the best shooting results.

So we did the following:

a. It all began with full on reviewing the photographers' portfolios online for n-months to gauge for consistency in the photography skills. Another good tip would be the 'word-of-mouth'.

b. We started emailing the potential photographers to ask for the price and products to be delivered. Malaysian photographers are VERY pricey!

c. Process of elimination. The criteria:
1. Price range vs. products to be delivered
2. The price of other add-on i.e. cost of additional hours, albums, CDs
3. Responsiveness and timeliness to our queries
4. Courteous manner
5. Does not sound like a money sucking machine and understand client's budget & needs
6. Flexibility i.e. able to travel at no cost or lower cost, no issues with copying poses from other couples

d. Go further into details, i.e.:
1. How many photographers do we get? Usually, they will advise you to employ at least two photographers. Ask for one photographer only, if you have some trusted friends to do the rest for you.
2. Who is the lead photographer? Make sure you get the photographer you want.
3. Can we copy some styles from other wedding couples? Seriously, if we are supermodel, we don't have to worry about posing, right?
4. Is there a leeway for hours contracted i.e. the apportionment of 10 hours between day and night, is additional 30 mins on top of the 10 hours charged, is travelling time counted as part of the contracted 10 hours etc.

Book your photographer as early as possible if you are 100% sure and happy about the service to secure a place. Another reason for this is that most photographers will increase their price lists once or twice every year. So, fixing the contract earlier may help save some bucks.

Last but not least, say 'No!' to bossy! No doubt we are paying the bucks for the service, we have to have faith in the photographer and pray that happy work-relationship delivers quality results.