How many long months, days and hours go into preparing for your wedding? Moreover, how soon does it all get over? Just one day. Over in a jiffy! However, I am sure you agree that photography is one of the best ways to preserve memories and relive the romance and excitement of that special day again later in life. In addition, good photography is that which speaks to your heart and plays out memories in HD. Therefore, it is very essential (cannot emphasize enough) to choose your wedding photographer wisely. Say, you have selected your wedding venue in Mumbai. Now selecting your photographer needs more careful consideration and care as compared to other vendors like the florist, musicians etc. Consider the following tips while choosing your wedding photographer.

1. What’s your style?

Early on, decide what kind of photography you would prefer. Every photographer specialises in a particular style or a combination of few. You would like to consider whether you prefer the documentary style – which is candid shots of the entire event and people. Mostly in these pictures, the guests are not aware of being photographed. There are no formal poses like those in portrait type photos. Do you really want some formal posed pictures? You would definitely want some glam shots of you and your partner. You would want to think about a pre-wedding shoot, first looks, family shots, reception shoot and just-the-two-of-you kind of pictures. For any of these, select the style of photos that would make you happy to see them again and again. Once you have decided on the style you love best, focus on looking for photographers who specialise in it.

2. Research. Read. Ask.

Start searching early. Do not wait until the last minute. Browse, read up and check out photos of other weddings shot by different photographers. Do those pictures speak to you? Do they emote? Read reviews. Do reference checks. Check out their social media profile. It will give you an idea of their personality and photo sense. Review the feedback from clients and see how the photographer responds. At the same time, you can find out if their fee fits into your budget as some photographers do make a mention of it on their sites.

3. Interview time!

You may schedule meetings with potential photographers. Find out if they are available on your wedding date. If not you may ask if they can recommend another with a similar style. Meet them in person. This is very essential, not just to assess their work but also to see how your wavelengths match. A photographer is a very important part of your wedding. You need to be comfortable with him and feel totally at ease. Discuss your wedding venue, theme, style, etc with him, as he needs to understand what you want out of your wedding photos.

4. See their complete works 

Do not go by just a few images that you see in a photographer’s portfolio. For all you know those should be the selected best of the lot. In order to a get a well-rounded idea of their work, have a look at a few complete wedding albums they have shot. Do you like what you see, so much that it is difficult to choose the best shot? Has the photographer been able to capture the look and feel of the way you would like to remember your wedding? If you are getting married in a wedding hall in Mumbai, it would be a good idea to see their work of weddings at similar venues. For e.g. If your venue is a banquet hall in Mumbai, request a see-through of any wedding shots done by them in any hall or indoor venue. If you are exchanging vows under the stars in a wedding lawn in Mumbai, request for an outdoors shoot’s pictures. This will allow you to see how your photos will appear indoors with artificial lighting as compared to outdoors in natural sunlight.

5. Now match the works with your aspirations

Have you booked your reception venue in Mumbai? Has your photographer done shoots there or in similar venues? Review the photographer’s album for stills that you would like to see in your own album. Has he managed to get the kind of shots you want? Like images of the bride and groom when they share a moment, a smile. Or when the bride bursts out into spontaneous laughter? Or the look on the bride’s parent’s face, when they glance at their little princess all grown up? Also, bear in mind the composition of the images, the frame, lighting etc. Do you perceive sensitivity in his works in capturing human emotions? Do the people in the pictures look relaxed? Your guests need to feel comfortable around the photographer as well.

6. Hire only professionals

In the current scenario of hi-tech cameras, it seems as though anyone can click great pictures. However, the fact is photography is an art; a skill which has to be mastered. From capturing, the right moment in the right lighting from the right angle to express the emotion of the moment in the picture can be made possible only by a professional.

P.S. A quick tip- Hamaraevent.com can put you in touch with some really creative professional photographers.

7. Make sure you are comfortable

The relevance of liking and bonding well with your photographer cannot be stressed enough. Keep the following questions in mind while screening your photographer. Is your photographer able to visualise your vision for your wedding day? Do his suggestions make sense to you? Observe his mannerisms. Does he come across as pleasant or irritating? Does he come across as professional with sound knowledge? Bear in mind that the photographer is going to be close to you almost constantly to be able to capture great images. If you are uncomfortable with him, it is going to reflect in your pictures. Similarly for your guests. Your photographer should have the art of putting people at ease and coaxing smiles in order to get the best photos of your friends and family.

8. How many would be just right?

Wedding venues in Mumbai are so many and varied that you can host a wedding of any scale. Accordingly, you will need to decide on the number of photographers for your event. Most photo studios have more than one photographer. You need to confirm if the same photographer whose interview you approved will be covering your wedding. Also, discuss backup arrangements just in case the lead photographer doesn’t turn up on the said day. Confirm ahead if the photographer will get an assistant on the wedding day and the charges if any for that. It would be advisable to engage two or more photographers to shoot your wedding as, you can get more coverage of your wedding – For e.g. when you are getting your portraits done, your guests could be photographed.

9. Consider your budget

Once you have allocated a budget for the event venue in Mumbai, consider the budget for the next priority- your photographer. Compare the fees of your shortlisted photographers. You may find a very big price range difference among different photographers. Keep in mind that expensive doesn’t always mean the best quality. Moreover, since it is your wedding do not base your decision only on budget Consider the criteria for the images mentioned above. Discuss with your photographer, their rates for the amount of coverage, a number of hours, the type of album plus any other shoot you would like to include like the pre-wedding shoot, engagement shoot etc. And yes! Do not forget to discuss the charges for the prints- the way you want them – with or without effects and retouching, etc.

         The way it looks, on a parameter of importance for choosing the ideal wedding photographer, it ranks as important as choosing the right life partner as it is the most important day of your life and you place the responsibility of capturing memories of this special day in the hands of your photographer. Choose wisely.