What to look for in a wedding photographer?

I don't know if I posted this in the right section...so move if needed.
So I'm getting married in a year, and was wondering what I should be looking for in a photographer for the wedding and for engagement photos?
I have no real clues as to how I should be approaching this.

What questions should I be asking, what should I be paying, what should I be expecting?
Any hidden expenses that people forget (taxes, negatives, cds, books etc.)

Also, please don't post just to solicit your services here.

...And they need a Canon of course

I would say that finding someone who's work you like, is the logical first step.
Make sure that the photographer offer the services that you want. I for one would wan't some of the more intimate photos shot on medium format film, which limits the choices of photographers. But that's just me.

You also need to make sure that you feel perfectly comfortable with the photographer. You may need to meet with a few different ones, but a good working relationship and mutual trust/understanding will pay of.

As for pricing, that is a difficult question. I'm not familiar with the average prices in your area, but you should be able to find that information quite easily.
Price should not be your primary concern unless you are on a tight budget. remember that if the price seems to good to be true, it most likely is.
The easiest way to go about it, is to look at their complete packages. These will most often contain most of the things that you might want. Make sure to ask if taxes are included in the list price, and that the contract/invoice reflects this.
If you know in advance that you want more than is included in the package, discuss this with the photographer, to make sure that you don't run into any nasty surprises afterwards.

Remember that the best photographer for the job, is not necessarily the one that agrees with you on everything. As a professional with no emotional involvement, the photographer will often be able to give you advise that you might not have thought about yourself.
I firmly believe that a true professional will always seek to give you the best result and not just go along with whatever you want (or think you want). keep an open mind and benefit from their knowledge.

2 things (from my own recent choosing experience)...

When assessing a prospective photographer, make sure you assess examples of an entire wedding (preferably more than one!) - not just a select sample of their work. Most people can take 1000 frames in an afternoon and come up with a winner or two...

Ask them about backup - not just equipment but back-up for them. What happens if they fall critically ill/get hit by a bus/get abducted by aliens the night before your big day?

As Above a body of work gives you some reflection of their work, and how this might effect of your wedding day.Prices are a general bearing but not rock solid.You may find a suitable tog but the price is steep.Ask why whats justifiable about he/hers price. If hes/shes a pro he/she wont be offended and will gladly show you why.usually its a double team effort and the tog has there assistants to capture almost everything.Once this is sorted out you will be free to enjoy the whole experience knowing there will be a record of your day
cheers

SOK wrote in post #12914914
Most people can take 1000 frames in an afternoon and come up with a winner or two...

Good point. I'd also ask for the phone numbers of the brides from about a dozen of his weddings & talk to them.

Other things to look for...
1) Have they shot weddings in a wide range of venues? This will help give you an idea of their overall skill set and ability to adapt and change to different shooting conditions.

2) Have they shot weddings at the venue you will be using? You don't necessarily want a one trick pony that can only shoot in a single venue but venue familiarity can be a big help. It will let them have more familiarity with how to work with the lighting conditions on hand for instance. It may also mean they are more aware of all the different shooting opportunities angles and staging of photos as well.

My daughter is getting married next Spring and she has gone through this. Here's what I told her:
Look at a bunch of local wedding photographer's sites.
Make appointments with 3 that she liked. Talk with them and review their work.
Ask for references and follow up on them.

She did this and made some phone calls. She found out that one of the photographers she was considering was rude and very bossy to several of the brides/families. My daughter was considering hiring her based on her work, (very nice stuff too).

My daughter met with one photographer that I had helped in the past. We went in and she gave my daughter a HUGE discount, (60% off) because of my help. I told the photographer she didn't have to do that. She insisted on the discount. The photographer also said I needed to bring my equipment out and help her photograph the wedding day. I was floored at that.

In the end:
Select 3-6 photographers based on their websites.
Meet with each.
Get references.
Call the references and their family members, (mother of the bride and bride's maids-don't bother with the men).

Looking at entire weddings is too tedious for someone who doesn't have an emotional attachment to them. A photographer should show and be expected to show his best and only his best.

What to actually look for and expect from a photographer will depend greatly on what price bracket you're looking at and what the average price is in your area. You can't expect the same from a low end guy as you would from a high end guy.

I hope you're not serious about the "they need a Canon" part. This may be a Canon forum but there are tons of great photographers using other brands.

Check their portfolio. If they have a blog, maybe check out posts with entire weddings. This will give you an idea of their consistency level and will also give you an idea of whether they are actively shooting or not and perhaps also give you a feel for the type of person the photographer is.

Pricing of course. Find out exactly what is included in any package you pick. This might include hours, inclusion of e-session, prints, if album is included, what type, high resolution digital files with print credit, proofs, processing of images, etc, etc.

Check their contract terms. This may include payment plan, what happens if the photographer becomes sick, any specifics with regards to touch-up allowance, allowance on album design changes, etc, etc.

Ask about what type of equipment they use, including redundancy/backup, etc.

Insurance and business license.

Attire.

Experience.

Etc, etc...

Thank you so much everyone. I love this forum sooo much. You have given me some really good ideas I never would have thought of.

cdifoto wrote in post #12916276
Looking at entire weddings is too tedious for someone who doesn't have an emotional attachment to them. A photographer should show and be expected to show his best and only his best.

What to actually look for and expect from a photographer will depend greatly on what price bracket you're looking at and what the average price is in your area. You can't expect the same from a low end guy as you would from a high end guy.

I hope you're not serious about the "they need a Canon" part. This may be a Canon forum but there are tons of great photographers using other brands.

No I was not serious at all on the Canon part. I really don't care. Price is pretty irrelevant as well. I am seeing around $3000 starting. I just didn't want to get sucked into all of these unforseen costs beforehand and not know about them. This is really something I know nothing about.

SOK wrote in post #12914914
What happens if they fall critically ill/get hit by a bus/get abducted by aliens the night before your big day?

What's the satisfactory answer on this? I would think you're screwed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SOK

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thenextguy wrote in post #12919174
What's the satisfactory answer on this? I would think you're screwed.

This is why photographers will often partner with each other and help out. I'm doing this right now: a friend of mine, FT pro, had chest surgery not too long ago and finds it painful to be lifting her gear. She can still direct, plan and coordinate so I've been her "arms and legs" on some recent shoots.

Positive relationships with other fotogs in the area are always helpful if not vital. Sure we compete in a locale, but there are also times when the unforeseen happens and we need help. I've been in both situations myself - giving and receiving.

sapearl wrote in post #12919308
This is why photographers will often partner with each other and help out. I'm doing this right now: a friend of mine, FT pro, had chest surgery not too long ago and finds it painful to be lifting her gear. She can still direct, plan and coordinate so I've been her "arms and legs" on some recent shoots.

Positive relationships with other fotogs in the area are always helpful if not vital. Sure we compete in a locale, but there are also times when the unforeseen happens and we need help. I've been in both situations myself - giving and receiving.

Sure, but at best you can only promise you might be able to find someone to fill in. I guess that's better than nothing though. At the last minute, I would think finding a replacement is going to be difficult.

thenextguy wrote in post #12919174
What's the satisfactory answer on this? I would think you're screwed.

Well, there's a huge range of what any one individual would call satisfactory.

For me, I hired a high-end studio who have a team of photographers...so their back-up was 'in house'. This is probably the best scenario, but you pay a premium for that.

Having a formal cooperation agreement with other (competing) photography businesses is a good compromise.

Having a loose arrangement with other photographers would be acceptable but not ideal.

Having a list of photographers you might cold-call in the event of an emergency is not really acceptable.

Shifting nervously, 'umm'-ing and 'ahhh'-ing, and not having any response is a big fat fail.