Module 20 : Photography/Videography

How to find a great wedding
photographer

About consulting
with the photographer before the big day

How to encourage the couple to get more from their photography experience
How to find the right videographer

By the end of this chapter, you will know :

How to find a great wedding
photographer

About consulting
with the photographer before the big day

How to encourage the couple to get more from their photography experience

How to find the right videographer

20.1  : Introduction

What's the point of organising
a special day when you don't have someone to capture all those memories?

This is precisely what photographer and videographers exist to do.

While some are worth their weight in gold, others aren't worth bothering with in the first place.
As a wedding planner, one of your jobs is to find the best one for the budget.

20.2  : Finding a Great Wedding Photographer

When choosing
a great wedding photographer, you should always look at

their portfolio.

In order to make looking at their portfolio worthwhile, you need to discuss what the bride and groom want.

Do they need a straightforward documentation of the day? Or are they looking for casual 'in the moment'
shots only?

Whatever it is the bride and groom want, make sure the photographer's portfolio
has plenty of it before
putting him or her forward to them.

20.3  : Consulting with the Photographer Before the Big Day

If photographs are important, the bride and groom need to spend a little time consulting
with the photographer before the big day.

You
need to establish:

When the photographer will arrive

How much time they're
going to spend taking photographs

How much time the bride and groom are going to set aside to have photographs taken

In many cases, you'll find that photographers offer very specific
packages on their site. A lot of this pertains
to times as opposed to the number of photographs available.

Make sure you discuss whether the couple would like someone for part of the day, half of the day, or even all of the day.

20.4  : Encouraging the Couple to Get More from their
Photography Experience

Many couples go for budget options when it comes to photography, without realising that this is just a sure-fire way to ensure the emotion of the day isn't
properly captured.

If you want to avoid this, encourage
them to consider photographers who have reasonable prices, but great kit.

In addition, the couple should make the
most of daylight available. Ask any photographer and they will tell you that all the beautiful
backgrounds in the world can't overcome the natural beauty that comes with using sunlight.

Finally, make sure the couple spends some time with the photographer before the big day. Even if you arrange a meeting for the day before, it's better than nothing. This is their opportunity to discuss their wants and needs.

Unit 20.5: Finding
the Right Videographer

 Videographers that are good can really capture the spirit of the big day.

While some may offer basic 'point and shoot' packages that don't cost much, they rarely come with enough guest interaction to make the video extra special.

One of the simplest ways to avoid choosing a bad videographer is to check their website. If the website is poor, take it as a sign that they haven't invested
in their business
properly, or that they're lacking
the technological know-how
to produce good videos properly.
If the website is good, check for show reels. If they don't have any, ask for some.

If you're looking for a videographer who's going to offer a fly on the wall style documentary, then you may want to
check their qualifications. Those who have a degree in broadcast journalism or
a related technology may be able to
do just that. They're often a lot more expensive, but couples are usually happy to cover these costs if videography matters a lot to them.