Picking a wedding photographer is very much a matter of personal taste. Photography is an art, so different photographers, like different artists, have distinct styles.
One of the advantages of the National Bridal Show is that you can examine the portfolios of several photographers and see the work they do without traveling all over the city. This can help you decide which one’s style you like best.
Remember that good photographers get booked up very quickly, and often well in advance. So if you want a particular photographer at your wedding, make sure you reserve them in plenty of time.
Price isn’t necessarily an indicator of how good or bad a photographer is. According to one bride, they chose an expensive photographer because they assumed he must be the best if he could charge so much. They were terribly disappointed in the boring, unimaginative photos they received. The price was because he provided an expensively bound book. “We’d have exchanged the fancy book for some good pictures!” she said.
There are some questions you can ask and some points you can clarify with the photographers before you decide.
Many large studios have beautiful photos in their portfolios, but which photographer shot them and which one will show up on your wedding day?  Can you be assured that the style you are looking at is the one you will actually get?
You will be spending a whole day with the photographer. Is this a person you instinctively like and feel comfortable being around? Will the person spend time with you before the wedding to ensure you’re familiar with them?
Will the photographer take candid shots as well as posed pictures? Some take silly pictures for fun which may not be in the formal wedding album but which they might provide on CD for the couple to keep
Will engagement pictures be part of the package?
Do they also offer professional videography so the whole wedding is on tape? Be careful here that the ‘videography’ isn’t the photographer’s friend with a camcorder
Most photographers quote on a wedding “package” but what about extra prints? How expensive will these be?
Will they provide the negatives? Some photographers do and others won’t. This can make a huge difference to the cost of reprints to send, for example, to wedding guests with a thank you note, or to family and friends unable to attend
Ask for references, then check them out. Ask others if they were happy with the results and whether the photographer behaved in a professional manner throughout
Look carefully at the portfolio – are the shots unique; have they chosen lots of different backgrounds, tried to achieve some interesting angles with light and distance?
Are they experienced with different age groups – children and the elderly can pose special challenges but often make up significant parts of the wedding party. You want your aged grandmother and the little flower girl to be handled properly
How long will they stay at the wedding – until the end, until the cake is cut, until the dancing begins?