This blog aims to help you when meeting your photographer, you should first read my blog “Choosing a Wedding Photographer” whether you choose me or someone else as your photographer its important to know the right questions to ask and know what things to look for in a photographer.

1. Dont choose a photographer based solely on price, you dont always get what you pay for.

2. Watch for under or over priced photographers, ask yourself why they are so under or over priced and remember to get value for your money. You worked hard for your money, make sure you get value for it.

3. Before going to meet your photographer you should have a list of questions to ask them
     3.1 Have they got a package that suits you?
     3.2 Are their packages flexible?
     3.3 If you are getting a cd/dvd with your images, will the photographer give you copyright to these images? without copyright you cant legally print your own images!
     3.4 Do you get all images from the day, or a select few chosen by the photographer?
     3.5 Will Cd Images be processed?
     3.6 If choosing an album can you
       A. Pick the photographs that will be put in it?
       B. Choose specific pictures that you would like included in the album?
       C. See a proof of the album before its processed?
       D. Have your album within an acceptable timeline?
           Decide on this timeline when interviewing your photographers.
       E. Choose your cover? Have it personalised?

     3.7 Will the photographers prices increase next year or the year after? Most weddings are booked a year or two in advance, you dont want to get a nasty surprise later, when your budget has already been decided.

     3.8 Are there incentives for booking early? Most photographer will offer something and you can rightfully expect some sort of incentive for booking a service so far in advance.

     3.9 What deposit does the photographer expect, when is it due? When is the balance due?

     3.11 Is the photographer a member of any professional organisations? Organisations usually govern photographers, so it will be useful if they have gone to the trouble to join an organisation or two.

     3.12 Does the photographer have professional insurance? This can be useful,e.g. if the photographers equipment is stolen a day or two before your big day, insurance will allow them to rent equipment and you will not be affected. Plus, Insurance shows a level of professionalism and is only available to professionals not part-timers or amateurs.

     3.13 Will the photographer visit your venue before your big day? Preparation is key to making your life easier on the big day, if the photographer knows where is nice for pictures, less time will be wasted on the big day.

     3.14 What is the timeline for delivery of the package? You dont want to be waiting 6mths for your album and shouldnt have to.

     3.15 Can you be gauranteed of getting this photographer on the day? You do not want some sidekick who’s work you havent seen and who you dont know showing up, and this has happened to people!

4. When you meet your photographer, it should be at a location chosen by you, be that their house, studio, your wedding venue, your house or a location outside that. The photographer should be willing to travel to meet you.

5. From the first moment, they are the ones being interviewed, not you. They are in effect applying for a job from you, the job of capturing images of the most important day of your life.

6. The wedding photographers personality will pay a large part in your big day, are they organised? friendly? have they got lots of time for you? are they always in a rush? do you like this photographer as a person? this may seem unnecessary but will make your day a lot easier. You should be able to sit and chat with the photographer and not feel like an inconvenience, you should already feel like a paying customer.

7. Look at album samples, any photographer worth their salt will have at least one album sample and will have a wide range of albums available.

8. Ensure the photographer will sign contracts with you when you book and will give you a copy and a receipt, too often brides dont get a contract for the services they are employing. Contracts can also give you some peace of mind.

9. Lastly, always remember that you are paying this person very well for a service, get what you want from them.

10. Dont book the 1st photographer you meet unless you’re 100% sure of them, its always best to meet other photographers and see whats on offer.

Most people will rarely have to choose a photographer for any occasion in their lives, except their wedding. Like it or not, this is usually a task that is left to the Bride, Grooms generally taking the back seat with the wedding arrangements. So, with that in mind, here are a few useful tips that you should keep in mind when choosing a wedding photographer.

Note: this is not a guide for interviewing the photographers that you meet, that will follow later.

1. Choose what style of photography you want, do you want formal? reportage? contemporary? a mix of all styles? Then find some photographers websites that display work of this type. There really is no point in finding a photographer you like but who has no experience in the style you prefer.

2. Ask other brides what photographer they have used, there really is no advice like that of someone who has been there before you. Check wedding forums, www.weddingsonline.ie etc.. look for good reviews only, if you see a bad review steer clear, you do not want to be in the same situation as this unsatisfied bride. Look for remarks about the photographer personality, was he grumpy? contrary? cheerful? invisible? it may seem like a small thing, but the photographers personality is going to play a large part of your big day and will directly affect people’s willingness to pose and their general comfort around the photographer.

3. When you’ve done all your research draw up a list of 3 or 4 photographers that you like and have had good reviews, look through their sites, all photographers should have a comprehensive online gallery giving you access to recent photographs they have done. Check out their packages, they should have details of this online. If you want a cd only package, will the photographer give you full copyright permission for the images? Remember that without this you cant legally print the images at a later date. After you have checked out their sites and are happy with your shortlist, email or call them all looking for prices. Have a pen ready if you call them, you wont remember what prices belong to who later!

4. Be sure you get quick replies from all the photographers you emailed, if the photographer keeps you hanging at this stage, imagine how troublesome and frustrating they may be later when you have them booked and need some information! At this stage you’re a potential customer and deserve a quick response, it doesnt take an age to answer an email.

5. Number your list of photographers in the order of your favorites and contact them to arrange a meeting, again the photographers you contact should all reply quickly and eagerly, they should be accomodating with regards to setting up a meeting, but do remember most of them are going to be busy shooting someone’s wedding on a Saturday.

Now move to Meeting your Photographer for helpful info on meeting your photographer.

As a Photographer I had to start somewhere, and that somewhere was practising with my first SLR, a rather large sigma film slr, and trying to learn about it through trial and error and what I could pick up through books and magazines.
I quickly learned that practical use of the camera was a much more effective way of learning than theory from a book. Many years later, here I am, in a position to pass some of my knowledge back to people who are in the same situation I was in so long ago.
And so it is with that, that I am pleased to announce a new batch of Photgraphy Classes, from beginners right through to advanced, encompassing everything from the facts about composition to shooting and processing in raw. Also included is a Photoshop class designed for Photographers which will cover everything from Basic image tweaking to advanced Layer Masking Techniques.
If you are interested in any of the classes or know someone else who is, get in contact using the contacts page and we can discuss it further.

Until then, Happy Clicking!

As a Photographer its important to be able to display my work where people can easily access it, if this can happen in a visually pleasing way then all the better, its a lot likely to be more effective. Think of it, which would impress you most, Nice pictures placed well in a beautiful album, or a bunch of tattered copies of the same pictures in an envelope? The same difference goes for websites, if you can present your images in a website that is visually pleasing and easily navigated then you have a much better chance of attracting some real interest.

With this in mind, I’ve been working on updating my website. So, I learned some flash, although flash isnt web search friendly it is very visually appealing and easy to use, especially when you use an idiotsguidetoflash program like Swish. SwishMax2 is a wonderful program, makes flash really easy to use, drag and drop the items you like, insert or adjust effects and put it all together in a finished product.

The finished product? Take a look at www.alanmooney.com/flashindex.html hopefully you will like what you see.

People often ask me what my favorite piece of kit is, and that is always a tough question to answer, many different items are favored for many different reasons, but my favorite Wedding Photography Lens is this little beauty from Nikon. The Nikkor F/1.8 50mm prime lens, its a wonderfully fast, sharp lens, for very little money. You can easily pick this lens up for under €200. At the wide end, F1.8 this lens will work in a lot of low light church situations where a normal lens would struggle for light. It has a slightly deeper depth of field than the F1.4 equivalent and is only a fraction of the price. In my opinion the F/1.8 is a better purchase as you can find your images falling easily outside the depth of field of the F/1.4. I leave this lens on a camera body 90% of time when Im shooting weddings. If you’re considering a fixed prime lens for wedding photography or other low light situations, this is the lens for you. Enjoy..