One of the best ways to gauge a photographer’s capabilities is to check their work portfolio online. It’s important to focus on the quality of the photographs on display rather than the web design.

Once you’ve created a short list of photographers that meet your expectations in terms of quality contact them directly through the website or by telephone.

 

Prepare a set of questions to ask prior to the event. This will ensure that there aren’t any unfortunate surprises later on. It’s important for you and the photographer to be on the same page with your expectations, so create a list of exactly what you need in terms of availability, time commitment, duplicate prints, number of assistants (depending on the size of the job) and when the work will be ready.

 

Make sure that you’re getting everything you need in the agreed price.  For example, “Do packages include a set of prints?  A picture disk?  Mounted photographs?” and so on. You also need to know what charges would apply in the event of a cancellation or postponement. Should the photographer have difficulties on the day itself, you may want to know what his backup plan is in advance.

 

If you go to the photographer’s studio, you may want to take a look at albums of single weddings, rather than the best photographs from multiple weddings. This will help you to get a feel for the photographer’s style and talent at taking natural-looking photographs.