How to choose the right photographer for your event.

Wedding/Event Photographer planning... It doesn't need to be a chore.

The very first thing you should do when you start out to find the right photographer / photographer group is to sit down with your "decision making group" in a nice relaxing atmosphere and talk about what you’d like to be presented with by your photographer after your event. Think in very general terms at this stage.
* When the final package is delivered, what do want to see?
* Do you want an album? If so, do you already have something in mind... something you've seen before?
* Do you want large prints suitable for framing, or just small prints for your own book?
* Of these large prints, are they close-ups of you, are you placed in a particular scene? Is it the entire family? Is it family groups?
All the sudden it may seem like a daunting task, but it really isn't. When you decide on the "package" you want to be presented with from your photographer you will have assembled your "menu". You will want to write down as much of your "menu" as possible for two reasons. One, so you can refer back to it and add either add items to it or decide that a particular item isn't going to work for the day you have planned.
Look at different magazines, everything from Wedding to Home and Garden magazines. They all have pictures of homes, surroundings and "atmospheres" that can spark your imagination when it comes to how you want your wedding day to be. Don't worry that things may be "too extravagant" or "too plain". The best photographers listen to you and what you want your final product to be and will shoot the day to achieve those ends.

Continue taking your time assembling your "menu".
More things to consider...
* Do you think your parents will want a copy of your album?
* Some of the details of the day, will they be documented? i.e. What about the etching on the cake knife? Place settings? Grounds? Entrance? Limo? the list goes on...
The best and hardest thing for you and your "decision crew" to do is keep yourselves open to all sorts of input and to keep that "menu" current.
Once you are comfortable with your "menu" you need to find a photographer / photography group that can supply what you've listed. There are a few ways this can be done. One of the most popular is "word of mouth". Word of mouth is wonderful with regards to how well a photographer got along with and met expectations of a clients needs. The biggest thing to be cautious of with regards to "word of mouth" is that you may not know all the details of what the agreement was and how that agreement satisfied so be certain you get the word from the client. Another method is through advertising. If a photographer has money to advertise, just remember, someone has to pay for it, it doesn't mean they are good or great, but someone has to pay for it. A Bridal or Wedding show, not much different from Advertising, big huge display boards, maybe a movie going in the background, lots of stuff. They have to pay for that floor space and you usually have to pay to enter and walk around to talk to all the venders. Then there is the internet. You found us. Does that mean we are best suited to photograph your event? Hardly... The list continues with the "friend of a friend" method and so on. So there really aren't a whole lot of methods which means that the burden really comes down to you, the client to do research.

So here you are with your menu and a few methods of finding a photographer. How do you decide which one to go with?
Will the display at the wedding show sway you?
Will the Yellow Pages ad teach you about the photographer? Will budget be your guide?
Will the "packages" offered be the determining factor?
Or will it be how comfortable you are around the person that will be next to you nearly every moment of your special day and doesn't even have an invitation?
You are right, you need to meet the photographer and the people behind the scene. Once you find the ones who you are comfortable with, you have found your photographer. That means they have heard you and you know it, and once you believe that your event will be "Shot" the way you want, you are that much freer to enjoy yourself. That's all we at TCStills want. You to enjoy your event.

In Summary

Does any of this mean that we are the right photography group for you and your event? Not by any means. The only thing we want you to get out of this is that you need to meet with the group that you will trust to provide you with the results you want. That is all.

While this was written with weddings in mind, everything here applies to anyone that needs to hire a photographer.
You have every right to feel comfortable with the person and the group that will assemble your final product.
We encourage you to contact us and others so when you decide, you have decided with confidence.