Whether you use my service or not, there are many things you need to know about booking a wedding photographer.

•   How long will the photographer be there?Depending on your budget, you might want the photographer to be there to only shoot the family/wedding party shots. Or you might want him there from "getting ready" til you drive away from the reception. Make sure everyone agrees how long the photographer will be there.

•   What style of photos do you want? Some couples want the photojournalistic style, while others might want the more conservative traditional style. Or maybe even someone who shoots in a more creative way. What does the photographer excel in? Can he do a mixture of styles? Is he only showing one type of pictures? This might be an indication that this photographer only shoots that way. If you want something else, he might not be the ideal person for the job. Pick someone that already has pictures that match your style.

•   In what format do you need the final pictures?Do you want big wall-sized pictures? Do you want the whole portfolio thing? Do you want digital images to email the family? Do they shoot in color and black and white? Ask what equipment the photographer uses. For giant prints, nothing beats medium format cameras on sharpness and detail. If you don't need anything big, then 35mm film will do just fine. In fact, you are likely to get more pictures if they are using 35mm. Maybe they use both cameras. OR maybe they shoot digital. More photographers have gone digital which makes the turn-around time much shorter. If they shoot digital, do they still provide prints or your photos on CD?

•   How do you get your final product? Some photographers give you a set of proof prints from the entire wedding. From there, you pick the ones you want and pay the photographer for the pictures you keep. Some photographers give you the negatives. Some will give you CD's of the shoot. There are hundreds of variations on how this works, but don't book a photographer until you know for sure what is included in their price.

•   How long til you get your images?Once again this varies.

•   Does the photographer have a personality that matches yours?Some people might choose the easy-going person, others might need someone more professional. Either way, this person must have the skills to take charge and control large groups of people as well as being comfortable around unruly children and a whole bunch of unfamiliar people.

•   How many weddings has the photographer shot?This one is hit or miss. Obviously, an experienced wedding photographer has "worked out all the kinks" and could be considered to be more reliable. However, this could also mean they shot a hundred (or a thousand) weddings exactly the same, or even worse, badly. Ask to see as many past photos as you can especially if the ones you are seeing are just OK or predictable. A photographer will only try to show their very best and if that's only about 10 pictures, beware: even people with no skills get lucky every once in awhile! Conversely, if you have a photographer with great pictures that aren't wedding related, they might fold under pressure, or they might make some of the best images you have ever seen. What it really comes down to is trust: you only get one shot at this. If the person you just gave a bunch of money going to come through or (as horror stories go) shoot the whole wedding using the wrong settings on the camera under or over-exposing the whole thing.

•   This is a big deal for both of you. Don't just pick the first photographer you meet and especially don't pick your uncle with all the camera gear UNLESS he has actually shot a wedding before. There are some good photographers out there and there are some outstanding photographers out there and maybe their prices aren't that far apart.

OK, OK, now we come to my prices. I'm kinda still working on this. It will be posted soon. Or if you need to know right away, please email for prices: info@everyoneelse.com