To 10 things brides look for in a Photographer

After a lot of research and speaking to different couples we came up with a top 10 list of what most common brides look for when looking for a wedding photographer. With so many professionals and amateur out there what should brides look for to help them select a good company. These are also the top ten points we focus on when covering a wedding!!!

10. Negatives/Digital Files One thing that couples want these days is the opportunity to purchase or have included in their package the negatives or digital files. Many couples feel that they should be able to make as many re-prints as they would like, whenever they want. If this is an option you want make sure your package includes the negatives un-marked.

9. Black and White Everything old is new again. Almost all couples want a mixture of color and black and white. Black and white gives that photojournalistic look to a photograph as well as a fine art look. If your photographer is shooting digital, any photograph can be converted to black and white. Make sure your package includes a file with edited photos (Black & White, Sepia, and special affects).

8. Unlimited Time When hiring a photographer couples like to have the security of someone who will be with them to capture all of the wedding moments. Having unlimited time can give you the peace of mind to know that those moments will be captured.

7. Experience Does your photographer have the necessary experience to handle the stresses of wedding photography? There are many things going on at once during a wedding. The experienced photographer knows how to bring everything together and in an orderly fashion.

6. Price This can vary a lot and price was not the main criteria in choosing a photographer. If you have a budget specified let the company know and see if they can create you a package based on your budget needs. Remember to get a professional you will pay a bit more than an amateur but it will pay off in the long run.

5. Professional Being a professional means many different things to different people. Those photographers who didn't respond in a timely manner and/or who were rude (and amazingly, some are) were axed off the potential list immediately. Being professional also meant that couples wanted to know the photographers "style and philosophy". Things that also bothered couple: rudeness, disorganization, insulting comments about other brides or photographers and other unprofessional comments.

4. Flexibility Brides put flexibility high on their list, to many flexibility is key. They said, packages are nice, but a photographer that refuses to be flexible, is not going to get very far with brides. Brides also commented that photographers get caught up in the OLD way of doing things, and never change with the times. Again, this relates to being flexible.

3. Style/Approach Today couples are looking for something different - artsy photojournalism, not the same cheesy photos. Brides are drawn to photographers who have developed their own unique (but consistent) artistic style/approach. Details are very important to brides. They appreciate a photographer who focuses on details.

2. Personality What can you really say about this. It is obvious. When you spend upwards of 10 hours with someone on an important day like your wedding you had better clique. Brides often said that they "just knew" when they met their photographer that they were right for each other.

1. Listen And the number thing that kept on coming up was that brides wanted from their photographer was that they "LISTEN". This means that a photographer really heard what a bride said before they stated speaking about the next topic. This is really important because it is the ability to understand what a client wants that will make a photographer really deliver what a bride was expecting.