Washington D.C. Wedding Photographers

It is so crucial to hire the right person for the job of documenting your wedding, it takes a considerable amount of deliberation and research. It is important for most couples to have the capability of fondly reminiscing their wedding by way of a photography album or DVD footage of the proceedings. If you are looking for photography, the Washington DC area has many fantastic professional wedding photographers available to service your wedding. Here are some guiding tips to make your life finding the right person for the job that much easier.

You should first do some research on the prominent styles that wedding photographers use for the genre. The two most common styles that are used are the documentary and portraiture styles. The documentary style features more dramatic shots, this approach does not feature many or any shots of people looking directly into the camera. The portraiture approach features posed shots in front of backdrops or prearranged locations such as a wedding gazebo or in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Many photographers will blend styles for their own unique brand, or per customer request. It is wise to discuss with your photographer their style strengths and weaknesses. You may even find that you would like to hire multiple photographers so more styles are employed, or simply for different angles. It's up to you and your budget.

The next thing you should do is commence your search with the recommendations of your friends, family, and colleagues, in particular, anyone who has recently been married, or has been involved in a wedding in some fashion. We also suggest asking your venue coordinators for their recommendations, some venues will require you to choose from an exclusive list of vendors, or at the very least, will have a list of suggestions. Another great resource for the inexperienced wedding planner is to search online wedding directories for good candidates. These websites provide useful information on all sorts of wedding vendors, including details on pricing, reviews, bridal testimonials, pictures, and more! Once you have done all the research you can, including perusing candidate's individual websites, you can call them up to see if they are available for your wedding date, and set up an appointment.

Now you can begin the interview process, it is imperative to prepare plenty of questions for your own clarity's sake and share your vision with each candidate. The first question should always be something like, how much experience do they have photographing weddings and in general, and how many weddings they photograph on average a year. You should also ask them if they have a rapport with the venues you have chosen, and if they would be willing to take a visit to the locations for a walk through to determine the best angles and qualities of the venue. It is wise to ask about logistics such as overtime and break policies, their labor demands, their editing skills, and for a complete gallery from a wedding similar in size as yours. The last thing you will want to ask for is a sample invoice of what the costs will be for the services. This will help determine which candidate is going to provide you with the best quality service.

You need to be able to trust this candidate implicitly, so you should get their personal contact information if you foresee yourself being comfortable with them. The more they are acquainted with you, the more likely they will produce a very unique wedding photography album book for you. Once you have found that candidate, write up a contract, place a deposit, and let them worry about the photo-documentation of your wedding.