Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration.  They think about coordinating the date for vacation times. Or they coordinate the wedding day for the family to be able to make it into town.  Or they plan it based upon maybe available venues, like the church or the restaurant.

But one of the biggest things couples fail to plan for is the photographer. Don’t think this is something small.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you realize that the photos are what are going to last a lifetime.

What are some of the factors when you start planning with the photographer in mind. The date and time.

First let’s start thinking about the time.  How many couples would want their photographer rushing through the photo shoot? I am pretty certain that most people, couples especially, will not raise their hand to that thought. 

Not even thinking about your photographer, most of the times the bride and groom will do just that. The couple or family basically rush the photographer to try and take all the pictures. 

How so you ask? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30.  How many shots do you think the photographer can realistically get in with only half an hour to work with?  Not many.

Even worse, let’s say he does take all the shots?  Do you think they will be of the best quality when the shots are rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the wedding times and the receptions accordingly making sure there is ample time to take photos.

Second thing to consider when planning with the photographer in mind is your photographer’s availability.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance. If you do deal with a large photo company, they very well could have several photographers on staff.

Well making wedding plans without thinking about the availability of the photographer could be a nightmare.  Because if you book that special day and don’t make sure that the actual photographer will be available, when your wedding day comes you might be shocked to find someone totally different.

This happens more than you can imagine when dealing with a big photography company.  You might not realize they have plenty of photographers on staff, and if the photographer you fell in love with is booked, unless you specifically ask, the company might not tell you. When the wedding day comes, a second rate photographer or worse yet, they might outsource the work and somebody else will show up.

So be prepared and don’t let this happen.  Planning your wedding day is wonderful. Make sure that your plan has the wedding photographer in mind as well.

The wedding day will probably be one of the most important times that occur for a person’s life. Many hours goes into a lot of the planning for the wedding. All of the tasks that go into wedding planning can be time consuming, stressful and very frustrating at times. That is why it is so important to do some homework and find the right people for all of the jobs.  One of the most important jobs is that of the photographer. From my experience as a San Diego wedding photographer I’ll show you it can be a few simple steps away.

Finding a wedding photographer is a big job. There are several things to take into account when trying to make this important decision. The photos that you take away from your wedding are going to be the most memorable keepsakes that you have. The photos will be all over your walls for the rest of yourlife. One very obvious factor in deciding which photographer to choose is price. Many photographers will charge a price for a certain length of time at the wedding. It is important to know what will be included with that price up front
price. When it comes to finding a wedding photographer, the biggest upside to pricing is there is a lot of competition. Remember, that a lot of photographers can and will negotiate their price a little bit to fit what you need.

Another thing to take into account when deciding is how much experience does this person have. Is this their firs big wedding job, or have they done a few dozen or more? Their price may reflect how long they have been in business as well. Just because someone is experienced, doesn’t always translate into being a better photographer. A lot times people that are just starting out and are trying to build a reputation for themselves will turn out to be great. The advantage of going with someone like that is you know you are going to get their best effort. When you are trying to find a wedding photgrapher, you will find photographers of different levels of experience. Having a photographer do an interview can give you a good idea of what it will be like working with them.

A final thing to think about when you prepare to make that decision is what kind of personality does the photographer have. Are they likely going to try call all the shots and decide on all your poses? Or will they allow the bride and groom to make some decisions? The other thing to think about is do you want to be the one to make the decisions on the photos. The bride and groom might have enough to worry about that day as it is. Take all of these factors into consideration when you choose your photographer. If you do, no doubt you will have some beautiful photos to cherish for the rest of your lives.  Take it from me, your experienced San Diego photographer.

Being asked to be the photographer for a wedding is a big responsibility.If you’ve been approached to do it as a friend, or maybe asked to do it as a professional, here are 5 great tips to do the job right.

This tips are coming from first hand experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.You could be a seasoned pro, or you could be an amateur, but by following these tips, you will do the job smoothly without second guessing yourself.You will be ready for whatever may happen.

Our first tip is easy and that is to have the couple and maybe their families make a list of photos they want to take.With a day that can be as hectic and chaotic as a wedding day, doing this will help when you are trying to organize all the group and family shots later on in the day.Imagine how wonderful it will be to just go down your list and know that you aren’t leaving anything out.

The second tip on our list is to not delete any shots.  In this day and age of digital cameras, most photographers use them.Great as they are, they might tempt you to delete a shot they may like that you don’t since it is so easy to do.Don’t bother even peeking at the previews.Remember, what you think is a great shot, could be vastly different than what the couple thinks is a great shot.You never know, they might like all those so called un “professional shots.

The third tip to make sure you do is taking candid shots.A good photographer isn’t one who just takes the standard basic shots, like family shots, typical wedding shots, or whatever is the usual.  But they will also try and capture the emotions of the day through the shots of all the people that were there.It could include things that don’t go perfectly, like a flower girl not wanting to walk down the aisle or the ring bearer making a wrong turn.  Every shot counts.

The fourth tip is which is often overlooked is to make sure you have several cameras and other equipment as backup.  Do you even want to imagine having a camera stop working halfway through the day.Plan for the worst that could go wrong.By being prepared for the worst and bringing extra cameras and equipment you will avoid the horrible moment fo not having any working cameras to capture the rest of the wedding. day.

Last piece of advice, make sure you know the lighting of the wedding. Don’t get thrown a curveball by the different lighting conditions whether inside the church or outside, practice and you will be prepared. Go see the locations and scout it out for the big day, by finding the best places to shoot as well as studying the lighting needs.

Following these 5 great tips will help you greatly on that special day.  It will prepare you for whatever might go wrong, it will prepare you for capturing what goes right, and it will prepare you to help contribute to this wonderful day by being the best photographer you can be.  Take it from my years of experience as a San Diego photographer.