Choosing your perfect wedding photographer

Finding the perfect wedding photographer should be one of your highest priorities in planning your wedding day.
Once the dress is worn, the cake is eaten and you have said good-bye to that fantastic reception venue all you have left are your images.
Here are some easy steps in finding the perfect photographer:
1) Experience: Make sure your photographer is an experienced professional. Ask whether they have a bachelor's degree in the field and if they do any annual continuing education for their craft.
Camera's today are sophisticated enough that many people are able to make relatively okay images without training. An experienced/educated professional understands lighting and composition and knows how to make the camera do exactly what they want. An old saying still rings true today:
"First we do the rest, and then we push the button" is the motto of the true professional image maker."
Look at it this way, would you hire a non-certified beautician to cut and color your hair before the wedding? If it's wrong, you can't undo the damage. The same principle rings true with wedding photography.
I myself have a bachelor's degree in photojournalism, 15 years of both editorial and wedding experience, and I attend many workshops throughout the year to keep my style fresh.
2)Full-time vs. Hobby: Ask your photographer if they do this full-time or on the side. You will run much more of a risk of your photographer leaving you high and dry if they are just doing weddings for additional mad money.
Mari's Paradise Images is my full-time business.
3)Professional Affiliations: A photographer with accredited professional affiliations such as Professional Photographers of America, Wedding Professional Photographers International or special qualified memberships with groups such as Wedding Photojournalist Association are more likely to keep much higher standards than non-affiliated photographers.
I was selected as one of only 35 photographers in the state to be a member of WPJA this year and am also a member of both PPA and WPPI.
4)Ask to see a full wedding: Anyone can make one good image from a wedding. There is so much happening with emotion and moments, the odds are that it can happen. This is why you should ask to view a recent full wedding from any photographer you are wanting to hire. This will also give you an idea of their style and technique for an entire wedding.
Please feel free to view mine at:
http://www.paradise.eventphotoline.com/mp_client/portfolio.asp
5)If it's too cheap to believe, it's too cheap: A Wedding photographers job does not end after she/he leaves the wedding. A reputable photographer will spend tens of hours going through your images one-by-one to present you with a beautiful edit. After you have chosen your images, the photographer will also spend many hours designing an album or adding enhancements or corrections to your images to make them perfect.
If you find a photographer with an unbelievable deal, then it probably is unbelievable. Check for the small print on whether they edited, cropped or color correct images, if you have black and white or any variety or if they are just raw out of the camera and they will charge you many dollars extra just for a somewhat presentable print.
6)Personality: Know that you are comfortable with this person. You are trusting them with your most cherished and intimate moments. If you are not compatible, your day will not go well.
At Mari's Paradise Images, we have a 48 hour turn around on uploading your images and they are all done correctly at no extra charge.
Many companies also offer a disc. Make sure it is an edited, color corrected, copyright released printable disc. All of our discs are this way.

I hope this helped all of you! Please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions about this post!!