WEDDINGS

How Important Is Your Wedding Photography

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before hiring a photographer:

How important are your wedding photographs to you?

Do you plan on enjoying your photographs the rest of your life?

Do you have a style preference?

Do you want your wedding photographs to tell the story of your wedding day, or do you prefer a bunch of posed images from your wedding?

Do you want a storybook album with beautifully enhanced fine art photographs allowing you to relive the moments of your wedding for the rest of your life, or do you prefer your images unenhanced on a DVD?

Do you want a photographer who dominates your wedding day posing everything, or do you want a highly skilled photographer who captures what really happened on your wedding capturing even the smallest details while being unobtrusive, and without making your wedding day like a job for you?

These are all important decisions that every couple must make when hiring a wedding photographer. Now more then ever there are vast differences in the skills of wedding photographers, sadly wedding photography has been watered down by many who think that just because they have a digital camera that they are qualified to be a professional photographer. That said, there are also differences in the way photographers cover weddings and whether they offer beautiful storytelling albums or not.

Here are tips for hiring a photographer:

First, the photographer should have the artistic ability to tell the story of your wedding through beautiful photographs in a style that you want, including journalistic images of the real moments, beautifully posed portrait images, and of course the all important photographs of your amazing details from your wedding day. He/She must have the experience and skill to create images that are beautiful, spontaneous, and artistic. He/She must have a mastery of Photoshop to enhance your images and turn them into works of art, without this skill your images will look bland and boring. The photographer should have sample albums either online or in book form of complete weddings so that you can view complete wedding stories, and if they don't I would look elsewhere.

Second, understands that your wedding is your day and doesn't dominate your day, but captures your wedding in a way that allows you to enjoy your new spouse, your friends and your family. Many photographers think your wedding day is their day and will totally dominate your day, even disturbing your special moments to quote "get the perfect shot" if you disturb the real moments then the photographs have less value, as you will remember the photographer disturbing and posing you rather than what happened in those special moments.

Third, has the ability and desire to create a beautiful album or albums that you will cherish the rest of your life. Many couples now days opt for photographers who photograph their wedding and only give them an unenhanced DVD, but they are losing out on beautiful photographs and extraordinary albums created by artistic photographers. Sometimes it seems like a good idea to save money by hiring a low cost photographer who gives you the images on DVD, but most couples will regret it down the road. Do you have the ability to create beautiful albums like a highly skilled and artistic photographer? Do you have the ability to enhance your photographs like an artist? and do you have the ability to get your images printed by the finest labs in the country? I'm already having brides coming me to photograph their weddings, tell me that they didn't want to make the same mistake that their brother or sister did by hiring a photographer who only gave a DVD of images. Before hiring this type of photographer, think about how you will feel about your photographs after your wedding. Remember your wedding photography is an investment to be enjoyed the rest of your life.

Remember "you will only be concerned with what a photographer charges when you hire him/her, but you will have to live with your wedding photographs the rest of your life."

Frequent Questions

How would you classify your style of photography?

I actually don't classify myself into any specific genre of wedding photography traditional, photojournalist, fashion etc. The truth is that I photograph every wedding a little bit differently, and incorporate all the different styles. Every couple is different and have different preferences. But if you look through my portfolio you should notice a consistent overall style which is what you can expect. I can tell you that making my clients look great is my top priority so lighting, angles and lens choices are always made with that in mind. I do believe that a wedding is a live event and that capturing the real moments is the most important thing I can do as a photographer.

How long have you been photographing weddings?

I have been photographing weddings full-time for almost 18 years, and have photographed over 500 weddings.

Will you be the one shooting our wedding?

I will personally be your wedding photographer. With some of our packages we also bring another photographer.

How many weddings do you shoot per year?

We limit the amount of weddings we photograph to about 25 per year, so that we can give our clients the very best customer experience.

What are your rates?

Please email me and we'll discuss all of our great packages, or we can custom design a package that meets your individual needs.

What types of albums do you offer?

I offer matted and magazine-style albums from the highest quality manufacturers in the world. Our albums are custom designed by my wife Stefanie, and no two albums are exactly alike.

How soon should we book you?

If you believe that we are meant for each other, try to book as soon as possible. For popular dates I often book a year or more in advance but 8-12 months before your date is usually about perfect.

We love your work, what is the next step?

If you live in the Morgantown area, the next step is to schedule a meeting with me so that we can get to know each other a little better. If you're not in the area don't worry, because many of my clients book without an in-person meeting. Some are comfortable communicating entirely by email and others prefer a phone call. In order to reserve your date, I just need a signed contract and retainer from you.

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images (c) 2009 tim ray