The decision to hire, or not to hire, a professional wedding photographer can be a tricky call for a destination wedding. If you’re having a large affair then you may decide to splash out and take a professional with you. (Photograph above by Huffaker Photography). If you do, there’s plenty of places you can search for a good one. Here is a good place to start. If you do go down this route, you’ll get the best advice and some truly amazing shots. Just keep in mind that you’ll pay fees for travel, accommodation, food and photography.
Another idea is to hunt down a photographer currently travelling in your destination wedding country and see if they’re willing to spend a day with you in exchange for a small sum, a night of accommodation and everything that comes with it. You’d be surprised how easy this is to do if you get active on Twitter!
These days, if you gather a group of 15 or 20 of your friends and family together, at least one of them will have a pretty snazzy camera and actually be able to use it! So, you could easily make the decision to ask friends and family to take as many good snaps on your special day as they can and upload them to digital storage. You may even decide to scatter a few disposable cameras around the venue for people to capture a precious moment as it happens. Just make sure that there’s someone sober at the end of the party to collect those pics!
The downside of taking the friends and family approach is that you may not get the dedicated hour of ‘bride and groom one-on-two time’ that you would with a professional photographer. What’s more, if we spot someone with a camera we often have a strange desire to stop being natural and pose like a statue! Not always the best representation of the fun time we had 🙂 What’s more, if one member of your wedding party is the designated photographer, he or she may feel huge pressure to get it right, rather than enjoy your special day.
The other option is to hire a local professional recommended by your wedding venue or other people where you’ve seen the photos. Remember, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with the person behind the shutter otherwise the disconnection will show in your photos. So, you might want to speak with the photographer before you book so that you can ensure that there is no language barrier and you can understand one another. A quick skype or telephone conversation will also allow you to know whether you feel comfortable with the photographer or not.
If you’re getting married in Sri Lanka, you can hire a professional photographer for quite reasonable rates. Please keep in mind that a traditional Sri Lankan wedding is very different from a Western one – check out the picture on the right – Sri Lanka holds the world record for the largest ever wedding! Firstly, a Sri Lankan wedding is a 2-day long affair, with the church ceremony on the first day with and evening event and the homecoming party on the second day. So, if you engage a wedding photographer it’s important to know that their basic packages will start from about 55-60,000 LKR (about £250-£300) and include 2-days photography and a the publication of both digital and hard copy albums. The cost for videography will be additional, and and all singing all dancing photography and wedding video package could cost you around 100,000 LKR (about £500). Now, it’s unlikely that you’ll want such a long time with the photographer, and you might find it easier just to get a copy of the edited digital photo files rather than go through the process of creating an album.
What can you expect to pay and get? Well, for a professional photographer (or even 2 or 3) to spend about 12 hours with you on your special day and capture all those special moments with your loved ones for just over 20,000-25,000 LKR (about £100-£125). The photographer will spend an hour and half just with the bride and groom and then spend the rest of the day and evening capturing the fun you and your loved ones are having. You’ll then get a set of edited digital files to take home and keep forever. How about that for good value? And when you know your photos are taken care of you can relax and enjoy your day with everyone who’s flown out to spend this special time with you.
Here are a few good tips when you’re arranging your photography:
1) Allow time for a formal photo shoot for the bride and groom – you’ll want some nice photos for your home and to share with those who couldn’t make it.
2) Make sure your wedding venue has some nice backdrops for your photos – gardens, beach, water features, ponds, or swimming pool.
3) Don’t just settle for the photographer in the package. Ask your wedding venue or planner to put you in touch with a few different photographers to speak with so you can check you feel comfortable and get the best price. Speak to the photographer in advance and make sure that he or she can deliver what you want, how you want. Always get confirmation in writing.
4) Make sure you brief your photographer on the time of day he’ll be taking photos. You will look very different in morning and evening light and he/she will want to prepare for that. Also note that SPF make up can make your face look a lot lighter than your body.
5) Give clear direction as to how you want your photographs taken. Also remember to ask the photographer to photograph people when they’re not looking – natural is best! If you want shots that are slightly different or unusual then make sure you ask in advance.
6) Don’t try to do the photographer’s job! Be natural and let him or her work with you. He or she will know how to get the best out of you and the surroundings.
Most of us look back at our wedding day and think ‘wow that went quick!’ So, to make the most of what will be a whirlwind experience, get your ducks in a row and let those around you support you in getting the most out of your day.
However you choose to manage your wedding photography, the most important thing to remember is to have fun!
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