A photographer’s role extends beyond that of documenting your big day. He or she can and should become part of a team of professionals that see to it your day goes according to plan. Wedding Photographers often work alongside DJs, Caterers, and Wedding Coordinators to keep the events of the day proceeding on the right track so the bride and groom can focus on what’s important – each other.

When all is said and done, you want a Raleigh wedding photographer who will guide you through the photographs that have been taken and help you decide on what prints to purchase as well as the style and contents of your wedding album. A wedding photographer is more than just someone who takes pictures of your wedding day. They are a trusted artist and advisor.

Ultimately your decision when interviewing photographers will be based on experience and style – as well as the chemistry you find with them. When you hire a photographer that you connect with and fully trust – you can relax and enjoy one of the most important days of your life knowing that your memories are in the best hands imaginable.

As always - Best of luck in planning your big day!

Enough cannot be said about the importance of chemistry in choosing a wedding photographer in Raleigh or anywhere else. Your photographer should share your vision of how your wedding day will be documented. He or she certainly should not dictate that vision to you. It is very important when interviewing Raleigh wedding photographers that you make sure you are speaking to the photographer that will shoot your big day. Many studios employ a stable of photographers and you don’t necessarily wind up with the photographer you interview with or thought you were going to have. This can wreak havoc on an already stressed out bride.

You MUST be comfortable with your photographer, not only as a professional and person, but in the sense that he or she will take your direction and make important creative decisions with your best interest at heart. Make sure you have a list of important people and/or events that need to be captured, but remember you are hiring an artist, and you will need to trust that artist’s vision and interpretation of your wedding day. Make sure you choose a wedding photographer whose judgment you trust fully.

Next we’ll discuss the extended role of your wedding photographer.

Let’s discuss the price of a wedding photographer. It is, after all, a very important factor, but always remember – you get what you pay for. A talented, and creative wedding photographer with years of experience will definitely cost more than the photographer posting ads on Craigslist willing to shoot your wedding for a few hundred dollars, but at the end of the day you want to be confident that your memories are in the hands of a true professional.

Remember the Raleigh wedding photographer that is willing to shoot your wedding for next to nothing (and in some cases, hand all the wedding photos over at the end) is doing so for good reason. Either they lack the experience of a seasoned professional, or they put ZERO time into post-production. In either case you can be certain there is a very good chance that your wedding photos will not be of the quality you desire and deserve. Please remember when choosing a Raleigh wedding photographer that good photography is not cheap, and cheap wedding photography is not good.

But don’t fret - great wedding photographers should always have a wide variety of packages to choose from – and should ABSOLUTELY be willing to work with you to add or remove certain aspects in order to tailor a package especially for your budget. If a photographer is unwilling to work with you on price, then he or she is likely going to be unwilling to work with you on other aspects of the process as well – such as your vision and schedule.

The next important tip we’ll discuss is the experience of your Raleigh wedding photographer.

It goes without saying that your wedding day will be one of the most important, most memorable days of your life. The significance of this day is not only that of a spiritual and sentimental nature. It’s also the culmination of months – even YEARS of hard work and planning, not to mention all the money spent!

Few occasions bring our family and friends together quite like a wedding – certainly none I can think of that are such happy events. The bride and groom are undoubtedly thrilled, quite anxious, and may find themselves nervous to the point of being absentminded and forgetful, which is why so many couples, brides especially, leave the ins and outs – all the random details, to an entourage of friends, and loved ones as well as a team of experienced wedding professionals.

Many brides have mentioned that they come away from their wedding days remembering nothing but a flurry of activity – as though the entire day was dreamed. This is what makes the job of your wedding photographer – be they in Raleigh or Los Angeles – so very important. Your photographer is there to capture the beauty, joy and excitement of the day so that you will always be able to look back on your wedding day with warm memories that will make you laugh and cry – and that you will cherish always.

Following are a few tips on selecting a Raleigh wedding photographer that will help to insure that you make the right choice.

The first tip involves a subject near and dear to almost every bride and groom - the Price of the Photography.

Up until that time, photographs were not printed on paper, but on glass, copper or tin sheets - daguerreotype portraits. It wasn’t until the early 1840s that technology began to advance, allowing photography to become a more commercial art form and even then it would be another 20 years or so before the average couple would hire a photographer - most often to show up the day of the wedding and take a single photograph. Wedding albums would not come into being until the 1880s, and color photography wasn’t a possibility in the beginning of the 20th century. Even then color photography was not considered altogether reliable until the 1950s and was in large part not a part of professional photography.

Up until the end of WWII, wedding photography was a studio art form - regardless of the advances in technology. It wasn’t until soldiers began coming home that two things happened. There was a surge in weddings known as the “wedding boom” (which coincidentally occurred almost exactly a year before the “baby boom”, and many soldiers returned home in need of work.

By this time, cameras were film-based and portable - and flashbulbs were smaller and easier to transport. Suddenly photographers were showing up at weddings, unannounced and without a contract, and photographing events on spec with the goal of selling the prints to the bride and groom after the fact. This newfound competition and the potential to earn lured traditional wedding photographers out of their studios.

With all these advances in the industry, most photos were still very staged - even the “candids”. The modern approach to capturing a wedding did not fully evolve until the 1970s.