Some quick tips to help make your wedding day perfect.

A few tips for great wedding photography.....

1. The world is currently experiencing a "global economic downturn" instigated by a "credit crisis" and you may be considering downsizing your wedding, limiting guests and reducing costs. The one service you should not cut corners on is your wedding photography, after all, when your wonderful wedding day is over, the guests have left,  and your flowers wilted you will no doubt turn to your photographs to rekindle your treasured memories. Not only immediately after your wedding but in 5, 10, 20 years time and beyond. Wedding photography is not a skill you should entrust to a friend or part time wedding photographer looking to supplement their weekly wage.
2. Timing, timing, timing.... You will be amazed at how fast your wedding day goes! Talk to your photographer before you book a ceremony time with your celebrant, minister or priest. If you are getting married at a winery you may not have too much choice in terms of your ceremony time so it is even more important to talk with your photographer and plan how to make the most of the time available.
3. Ask your photographer if copyright is issued to you with your photographs. If it is not you could be paying a considerable sum of money to get hard copies of your photographs. All of my packages include copyright transfer to you.
4. Book early. Good photographers are often booked 9 to 12 months in advance. Some wedding dates are much more popular than others so your choices can be limited if you leave it too late.
   
5. Who will be shooting your wedding? Larger studios may send a photographer you have have never heard of and probably never met.
6. Do you want a candid, journalistic style of photography or posed and semi-posed shots? I shoot a combination of all three because I think this gives you better coverage of your day.
7. Choose someone local, who knows the area and has a good rapport with your celebrant and venue operators. Local photographers should have better knowledge of the intricacies and features of the area. 
   
8. Check out sunset times. The absolute best time for wedding photography is about an hour before sunset and 15 - 30 minutes after. This link will help you with sunset times : http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=1500
   
9. Get to know your photographer. If funds allow, book a pre-shoot in the days before. If not, try to meet your photographer before booking him or her, and be mindful of some that tell you what you want to hear, "all style but no substance". After all, you want a photographer that takes great photographs, not a fantastic salesman.
   
10. Take some time off during the week to prepare for your "down south" wedding. Make it a relaxing short break. Most wedding service providers are quite busy on the weekends with weddings, and love to meet with clients during the week.