It can be difficult to choose a wedding photographer in Southeast Michigan and feel like you’ve made the perfect choice! Which wedding photography style is “right” for my wedding? Natural light vs flash photography? Do I want to “pose” for my wedding pictures? These questions are all good ones and there are many more. Here are some important points to review with a photographer before you hire them for your wedding.
Experience. If you needed a medical operation you’d make sure your doctor had lots of experience, wouldn’t you? The same is true for a wedding photographer. Just because you have a great digital camera doesn’t mean you know which pictures to take, or where to be and when in order to capture great candid moments of a wedding day. Don’t let your perfect day be lost to inexperience: choose a professional wedding photographer for peace of mind and masterful coverage.
Candid wedding photos can be beautiful story telling images IF they are composed well and have attractive lighting. Or they can look a lot like snapshots if they’re not skillfully crafted! Look for candid photos with nice, natural lighting and avoid the ones that look like they were lit with an on-camera flash.
When you hear the phrase “posed wedding photos,” you might visualize pictures where people look unnatural, stiff, over- dramatic or even corny! Yuck! Other than traditional group portraits, wedding photos composed by an artistic wedding photographer don’t look posed at all. They look natural and beautiful- even candid looking, and have incredible lighting, great backgrounds and a pleasing composition. So don’t be scared of posed wedding photos- just choose a photographer who knows how to do it well. These are likely to be the pictures you’ll frame and put on the wall.
Outdoor locations can add a nice touch to your wedding photos. There are many great places in Livonia, Farmington, Farmington Hills and Northville for creative wedding photography. Make sure you choose a photographer who’s familiar with your area. Plymouth and Ann Arbor are two more towns that are great for artistic wedding photography. Outdoor wedding images can be awesome and memorable, and taking them can be a lot of fun for you and your bridal party.
Lighting and composition are two elements of photography that separate amateur snapshots from artistic photographs. Sure, there are “rules” and techniques that can be applied, but even without knowing these, many people can recognize inspired work. If your eye is somehow drawn to the main point of interest and then you find yourself studying the image looking for highlights, textures, shapes…chances are good you’ve found good composition. If on the other hand, the subject of the picture is dead center in the frame and it’s obviously lit by a flash- well, maybe a friend took that one.
Here’s an often overlooked, but important factor to consider–personality. Is your photographer a good match for you and your fiancé? Good sense of humor? Patient or pushy? Fun to be around, neutral, or just kind of dull? Everyone’s got a good match–make sure you’d enjoy spending your most important day working with him or her.
Finally, there’s planning and communication. Is your wedding photographer interested in you, your fiancé and your dream for your wedding day? Does he or she ask for your input on the pictures–your likes and dislikes? Do they offer to meet with you again and plan the timeline for your wedding day photos? If you answered yes to all these questions, then chances are good you’ve found someone that’s really dedicated to your satisfaction.
I hope this is a helpful guide for you. If you have more questions, ideas or suggestions, please call or email us at the studio in Farmington Hills. I’ll be happy to hear from you. Thanks, and Happy Wedding!