This Magic Moment

By Katie Pollard

It’s the man or woman of your dreams, the person you want to capture every romantic moment of your wedding day with. It’s the person who holds all your dearest memories in their hands. It’s your future husband or bride-to-be.

No, actually it’s your photographer!

Some of Cary Magazine’s Elegant Weddings Gala photography sponsors offer several tips for brides to consider when choosing a photographer. Plus they share new trendy ideas for planning your big day!

How far in advance should brides start looking for a photographer?

Azul Photography: As soon as possible! Oftentimes it’s 12 or more months prior to the date during the peak wedding season.

Neil Boyd Photography: For popular dates we get booked 18 months in advance. I can only shoot one wedding a day, so as soon as you’ve set a date and made your decision on a photographer you should book them.

Heather Swanner Photography: Brides should start booking 6 to 12 months in advance to assure that they will get the photographer of their choice.

Brian Mullins Photography: My average client books between 12–16 months away from their wedding date, but occasionally I’ve had people book as far as 2 1/2 years in advance.

What are some of the most important things a bride should consider before selecting the photographer?

Azul Photography: Brides should ask tough questions and trust their instincts. Ask questions about their weaknesses because this will force them off their script and allow brides to see them under pressure.

Neil Boyd Photography: It’s important for brides to ask how much experience the photographer has, for example number of weddings shot, qualifications and awards. Also, look at multiple wedding albums and not just snapshots.

Heather Swanner Photography: Personality is very important. Keep in mind you will be with this photographer for the entire wedding, so make sure you like who they are as a person first.

Brian Mullins Photography: Remember weddings are a onetime affair, and your photographer must be prepared to handle all possible situations. Batteries, flashes, additional camera bodies, lenses, memory and so on can all fail, so every bride should make sure the photographer she chooses has backup gear and insurance.

What advice do you have for brides who are on a tight budget but still want top quality photos?

Azul Photography: Find a business with multiple photographers on their team because they often have availability for brides on a tighter budget.

Neil Boyd Photography: You get what you pay for, and there is a good reason why photographers’ prices vary greatly. Go with the best you can afford, but cut things that aren’t as necessary such as extended coverage of the reception.

Heather Swanner Photography: Ask the photographer to set up a payment plan instead of either one or three big payments. Also, ask and see if the photographer offers gift registry for the bride and groom. This way guests can help pay for the photographer as a gift.

Brian Mullins Photography: Having a wedding on an “off” day can often help with the price of the photographer. Also, see if the photographer is willing to work with you on the pricing and/or packaging.

What are some of the most popular photography trends you’ve seen recently?

Azul Photography: Wedding photojournalism is still cutting edge. Brides want real emotion and real moments, which will stand the test of time.

Neil Boyd Photography: Brides want a blend of photojournalistic and created images. Some clients are also asking for a more stylized finish to their images, and HDR (High Dynamic Range) images are becoming more popular.

Heather Swanner Photography: There is definitely a photographer out there for every style you can imagine.

Brian Mullins Photography: A big trend I am seeing is photographers moving away from the oversaturated color and contrast and going back to more muted coloring as well as beautiful black and white conversions.

Do you find the concept “trash the dress” has become more popular?

Azul Photography: Yes, the concept has evolved. Many photographers are offering an after session, which may include the trashing of the dress. The possibilities are endless, and it’s a great opportunity to make powerful images without the worry of getting dirty on the wedding day.

Neil Boyd Photography: Yes, the trend has migrated from the West Coast. We’ve done quite a few of these shoots taking place in lakes, abandoned buildings, farms and stables.

Heather Swanner Photography: I do not do these types of shoots. I find that is has become popular to some brides, but I feel most brides still want to preserve their dress.

Brian Mullins Photography: Trashing the dress (TTD) has become very popular over the past two years or so. I find the popularity really depends on the client, and if they do choose to trash the dress it’s a concept we develop together.

Are there any unique photo requests you’ve received from a bride or groom?

Azul Photography: Instead of a unity candle, try a unity log. I had a couple who wanted to make sure we documented cutting their unity log. The groom is in the forestry service and competed in the ESPN lumberjack games. They wanted something different, and they definitely got it.

Neil Boyd Photography: Boudoir photography has become quite popular, which in itself isn’t that unusual, but we’ve had requests from grooms asking us to shoot their brides scantily cad or even nude.

Heather Swanner Photography: Nothing too unusual. I think all photo requests from the bride and groom are done for a purpose and are meaningful to them.

Brian Mullins Photography: The one that stands out the most is once I had a client who wanted to go skydiving and wanted me to capture it. After a few minutes of thinking about it I was up for it as long as I could find a system that allowed me to safely photograph them with dropping my camera. We ended up not doing it, but it was a cool idea.