Wedding photographers are miracle workers

Do you ever watch America's Next Top Model?  This is a good example of how, even in a controlled environment - amazing sets, lighting, make up and hair artists, clothing stylists, time and top photographers- it's hard to get a great photo of someone! Like most of you,  a lot those girls have never modeled. Most people are not celebrities, actors or models who are used to constantly being in front of the camera, are comfortable with strangers snapping pictures of them all day long and are posing even when they are not posing. Try this with a multitude of uncontrolled and different backdrops, lighting challenges, heat, humidity, stress, a big white dress and only one chance to get the shot and the task is daunting!   Sometimes I get to a wedding and have never met the bride face to face, especially if it's a destination wedding.  But experienced wedding photographers have mastered these exact situations,  and this is why you need to get an experienced professional photographer!  When I started in this business in 2003, there were a handful of amazing photographers in town, most still shooting film.  Now with cheap digital SLR cameras available, it's become a lucrative weekend job for a lot of soccer moms and amateur photographers.  For a few hundred dollars, you can get a website.  You can even buy stock photography wedding pictures for your site!  Chances are if you find someone charging a whole lot less than normal, they are not an experienced professional.  Just because the pictures are on someone's site doesn't mean they took them.  Get professional references in addition to bridal references, from wedding planners & venues.  Ask to see several entire real weddings (should be at least 300-800 pictures). A good photographer won't hesitate to show you complete weddings.  Do an internet search of your wedding photographers, this will help you determine if they have experience, have been published, and are legitimate. If you can, meet with your wedding photographer, and look at their work.  They should have an extensive display collection to show you.  You may see these pictures that I've posted on another photographers website - Last year I was considering going into business with some people and I had given them some pictures to use for the website (they were not photographers).  IF you want to know who it is, feel free to contact me and I'll tell you. The partnership did not work out, but now they have a website in which 90% of the pictures are my pictures from weddings they weren't even at!  So please be careful and hire an established experienced photographer!