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10 Things you must know before hiring a Wedding Photographer

By Rohan Mishra (Candid Photographer)

The dancing is over, the mehndi is fading, you completed your pheras and stepped into the next phase of your life. Your wedding day is a warm precious memory now. But are the pictures you hold in your hand as wonderful as the ones you hold in your heart?

There is an art to wedding photography. It requires spontaneity, style, empathy along with technical expertise and a great congeniality. Here are my top 10 tips to help you get the most out your wedding photography and know what your expectations should be.

Your gut is as important as your wallet

It’s the most important day of your life! Your photographer will be your shadow throughout. Your first impressions about the personality of the photographer are key. Does their ‘work style’ match your taste? Judge this by looking at their portfolio and what they managed to capture in other weddings. If it leaps out at you, you’re a step closer.

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Who is the ‘lead’ photographer?

A lot of photographers have studios and (mostly very talented) staff/partners so they can cover multiple events on the same day, simultaneously. You need to know whether the main photographer will be covering your wedding. You also need to see the individual work of the team members who will be assisting or covering your wedding, especially if the ‘Lead’ photographer won’t be present.

Wedding Photographer

Hire an ‘artist’ not a ‘hobbyist’!

Relying on a ‘friend’ or ‘a ‘relative’ for getting those priceless candid wedding shots is a huge risk! Shooting a wedding takes professional ethic, skill, time, effort and even objectivity. Not to mention the planning and all the processing work post the wedding. A friend or relative will not be able to enjoy the wedding from behind the camera (not to mention the fact that he/she will be in NONE of the photographs cos he/she is taking them.) Also, you’re expecting quality images from hours and hours of celebrations.

There is NO TAKE 2 at the wedding. A moment lost is a moment lost forever. The professional, calm eye of the wedding photographer who can adapt to random situations, candid moments and who has invested in skill, equipment and photo-technology to make sure the wedding pictures are the best quality is needed.

Photography is an ‘art’ and owning a camera does not make anyone an ‘artist’!

 “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head.” – Henri Cartier Bresson.

If someone does have their heart set on capturing your wedding, let them do it in addition to the professionals.

Wedding Photographer

Why a pre-wedding shoot is cute but crucial

Let’s face it, not everyone likes facing the camera. Our faces get weird, we get self-conscious. The pre-wedding shoot is a great way to warm-up before your wedding day! And spend some quality time getting comfortable with your photographer. You’ll learn to have fun and trust them enough to provide some candid moments. It will also help your photographer understand what kind of photos you like which will help him to meet your expectations on your wedding day.

Wedding Photographer

The importance of a wedding couple portrait session

Ensure your photographer steals you away from all the hustle and bustle of your wedding day for some quality time… with the cameras. Make sure you set aside some time and you will capture some of the most romantic, intimate moments to cherish for a lifetime. A beautiful frame of the two of you in your wedding attire is something you don’t want to miss! Just give your photographer the time and space to create that magic.

Photo by: Rohan Mishra Photography (www.rohanmishraphotography.com)

Post processing & album delivery ‘takes time’

There is a lot of effort involved in creating the final art piece! Your photographer must select the best images from thousands, color correct them, use signature edits and set them up chronologically to create a meaningful, stunning, wedding story and album. Mark my words- it’s worth waiting for!

Photo by: Rohan Mishra Photography (www.rohanmishraphotography.com)

Better cooked than ‘raw’

Many clients use the terms ‘high resolution’ and ‘RAW’ interchangeably to refer to large digital images. They are not the same.

A RAW file is an unfinished project: not an image or photo. It is a camera sensor reading that can be interpreted in many different ways. The data in the RAW file is a key to generate the actual photo, along with the photographer’s knowledge, skill and post-processing methods, carefully combined to create the final work of art. To make it simple, RAW in digital is analogous to Negative in films. For the same reason they are also called – Digital Negative.

Conclusion: Post processed full resolution Jpegs should be expected as the final deliverable and not the RAW files.

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Print it!

Photographs are meant to be experienced! You can’t compare an image on screen to the feel of a professionally printed image. There’s something about holding the physicality of it in your hands. That finished product is MAGIC! It is going to be treasured and brought out at family gatherings. Wedding albums are a way to tell ‘YOUR STORY’.  Each image is carefully selected, edited, and arranged in a manner that compliments the flow of the day while telling the beautiful story of the start of your family.

Wedding Photographer

Get your album printed by the professionals

You hired a professional to take the photos so why not hire a professional to print the photos? Digital technology offers today’s bride and groom a variety of new options for preserving wedding memories, from no-print digital images stored in the cloud to do-it-yourself (typically online) photo books. However, in our opinion your photographer will be able to print out the images into a book at a high quality that will do the original photo justice. He will be the right person to narrate your visual wedding story, as he is the one who shot it.

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Don’t wait till it’s too late

Good wedding photographers with the best rates book up fast so make sure to start your search at least six months or more in advance.

Rohan Mishra
W: www.rohanmishraphotography.com
Canvera Profile- photographers.canvera.com/south/tamil-nadu/chennai/rohan-mishra-photography

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