Tips for Hiring A Wedding Photographer

I recently read a newlyweds horror story about her photographer. You can read the full story on the Photo.net forums. Basically her wedding planner 'hired' a photographer for them and they were very disappointed in the 37 photos that they received in a cheap Wal-Mart album. They never met the photographer in advance and had only a vague contract through the planner

While I'm sorry to hear the bride is in this situation and certainly upset that a 'photographer' would act this way, I can't help feel the bride is partly responsible for not taking an active role in vetting her wedding vendors. A good wedding planner can be a great resource and is great for tying together all the pieces of the puzzle, but I think it is your responsibility to meet with each vendor and discuss what they will or won't do.

Here's a few things to ask when interviewing a photographer

-Will you be the actual photographer at my wedding?

Some large studios contract out to "associate photographers". I would

only speak with the actual photographer, not a salesman for the studio.

-Are the albums you're showing me the same style I can expect with my package?

-Were all the pictures in the albums shot by you?

-We want only candids, or we want only non-traditional? Can you do that?

Little changes in style are possible, but even if they promise they can, don't expect vastly different pictures from what you see in their portfolio.

-Ask to see a complete wedding or two.

Frankly, anyone can put a dozen decent photos on a website out of thousands. When you

look at a complete event you'll get a better idea of the pictures you can expect to receive.

Get it in writing!

A vendors contract should be as important to you as it is to the photographer. And here's a little secret -- the contract IS almost always negotiable. A photography contract should always include the name of the photographer expected to be at the event, the exact hours services will be performed, the exact deliverables (detailed album specs, DVD, proofs, etc), delivery deadlines, cancellation policy, and a copyright policy.

Neglected Blog

I've been neglecting my blog recently because I'm planning a redesign of my website and blog. But it's taking a bit longer than expected. In the mean time, here's some pictures of me in the Fun In A Flash photo booth at the East Valley Bridal Show!

BIG Pictures!!!

I always thought the standard blog picture size was way to small. Afterall, I have thousands of dollars in lens designed to create huge images! Well, I finally figured out how to increase the size and I have doubled the pictures on our blog! Now you can see even more of the fabulous detail from Desert Trends Photography

To celebrate this monumental acheievement, I'm going to give away two free engagement photos sessions! The first two people that leave a comment to this post will win a 1-2 hour engagement photo shoot absolutely free!

Mehndi/ Henna Body Art

We flew to Chicago for a 3-day shoot of the Wedding of Ian and Soumya. As soon as we arrived in Rockford after an overnight flight, we began documenting the Bride receiving her henna design. The henna is applied several days before the wedding to allow it to darken properly.

The groom initials are hidden in the pattern, and the groom is supposed to find them on the wedding night or he has to give a gift to the bride.



Soumya's Henna was quite elaborate and took over five hours to complete. The designs go almost to the elbow. The bride cannot move much or do any work while the henna is being applied.



The feet are also done, though not as elaborate as the hands.

After the bride, each of the bridesmaids received Henna designs on their hands and arms. While the brides took hours, each of these designs was done in 20 minutes or less.

Later that night all the ladies gathered for a traditional Sangeet, a party with lots of Indian dancing, singing, and lots of delicious Indian foods!

The bride and her mother at the Sangeet.



All the ladies wore traditional Indian sarees. They are so colorful - I love to photograph them!

Becky & Tudor Are Engaged!

Becky & Tudor were winners of a free engagement session drawing at our Bridal show both. We headed out to the Scottsdale Civic Center to take some pictures in the park. A few sprinkles of rain hit the windshield on the way there, but we managed to have a dry, but cloudy day!

Here's a few shots of the newly engaged couple. Hopefully they'll invite us to photograph their wedding this winter. Becky says they're expecting 800 people! WOW, that's going to be a big wedding.

Trash The Dress - Final Selection

I just realized that I never added any more pictures from the Trash the Dress shoot I did a while back. I created a 40 page book from the shoot. Below are some of my favorite pages. If you'd like to see the full book in person, just let me know!













Want to be our next Trash the Dress victim, I mean model? Shoot me an email and we'll set up a creative shoot for you. Grooms welcome too!

Bridal Fashion Debut

After months of planning, we headed to the Bridal Fashion Debut last weekend. So far, it has been a great success! We talked to hundreds of brides. Even some interior designers stopped by to compliment our great looking booth.

If you where one of the brides that stopped by and filled out a contact form, you qualify for our promotional 1/2 off engagement photo session through the end of this month. When you book your wedding with us, we'll apply the engagement session fee toward your full wedding backage!

Ruben and Victoria's Wedding

Congratulation to Ruben and Tory! They were married at the Old Town Wedding Center in Peoria on an overcast Friday afternoon. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. All the pictures will be available on our web gallery in a few weeks.