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Wedding photography prices vary widely, and couples can be forgiven for being confused and bamboozled by the offerings.  If you are on a budget, be realistic about what you expect.   Rather than going for an inexperienced photographer, or getting a friend to shoot your wedding, perhaps you might be better off still booking that professional, but taking fewer options, booking for less time, or investing in the entry level album.

When trying to decide on your wedding photographer, ask yourself the following:

What do you want for your wedding coverage?  Do you require the photographer to be there for the bridal preparations?  Do you want the first dance captured?  Speeches?  Family groupings?  If so, you are probably looking at at least 7 hours commitment from your photographer.
What do you want to do with your photographs?  If you simply want some nice enlargements for the wall, it seems silly to book a photographer who will capture your mother putting on your veil.  It is unlikely that you will select this image as a lasting reminder of your day.
Would you like a wedding album?  An album is a particularly special reminder of your day.  Many brides remark to me that they think it will be just left in a drawer.  Well, yes, that’s likely the case.  Left in a drawer, and pulled out on those special times you want to sit back and remember your day.  Or when your children want to learn about their parents and their life before they were born.  Or, when you are gone, when THEIR children are making sense of their family history, where they come from, where they fit in.   The album is a lasting reminder of your family ties and bonds.  And when it begins with preparation images, and ends with the bride and groom exiting, it beautifully conveys the day in a story fashion, with style.  If you are considering an album, never skimp on your photographer’s time.   An album that only contains a handful of images does not reflect your wedding day as it was.
Do you require digital negatives?   Please bear in mind that when you are granted the rights to print the digital files, you are granted a limited personal license, and it is unlawful to modify or alter these images in any way.  Many photographers will offer discount services which include a couple of hours coverage and the files on disk.  You need to be very clear what you are getting with this service. Will the files be corrected for colour?  Will there be full photoshop edits done on them to remove distracting backgrounds and enhance the images or are they straight out of the camera?Some photographers will charge higher for the digital files and will take the time to fully edit the images to a print ready stage.  This is a time consuming task, and they will be priced accordingly, but will be much better value than straight out of the camera images that you are prevented from altering.
How will your images be archived and protected?  It’s a known fact that images on disk have a very limited life span compared to print items, and most couples simply don’t have the backup systems on their personal computers to ensure that the images will be protected long term.  As your photographers what sort of archival processes they offer.  Will your images be available for some time?  Are they removed from the system after a certain date?
How experienced is your photographer?  In this digital era there are many people who own an SLR camera, and many of them who also go into business.  But just as owning an oven does not make you a chef, simply having a camera does not make them a photographer.  By the same token, there are many people with talent who have no formal training and do a wonderful job.   Don’t select someone who will simply record your day if you value beautiful, well-composed portraits.
Does their style suit you?  Photography is an art form, and like all artists, a good photographer will have developed a strong personal style.  Does this style suit you?  Des their work speak to you on a personal and emotional level?
Finally, how do they present.  The photographer’s job on your wedding day is much more important than you may think.   The photographer is responsible for making sure everyone is on time, and for making snap judgements to alter the plans if that timing is thrown out.  A good photographer will know exactly what you require, and will work out a schedule of shooting to ensure it can all be achieved.  Photographers also need to make you feel relaxed, and to ensure that the time you spend away from your guests for your wedding photos is enjoyable, and a special part of your day.  You need to gell with them, and feel you can put your trust in them.

As with everything to do with wedding planning, there is a lot to consider.  You will need to weigh up your preferences against your budget and decide what you are prepared to compromise on, if anything.   A bad wedding photographer is a waste of money, no matter how inexpensive they are, so make sure you are really getting what you want; this day can’t be redone.

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A fast enough shutter speed is essential to avoid a picture becoming blurred through camera shake, or because the subject itself was moving during exposure.

As well as helping to control overall exposure, shutter speed has an important role in portraying movement within a picture. The first thing that shutter speed can eliminate is the movement of the camera itself. However steadily you try to hold the camera with your hands, involuntary movements from your muscles mean that it is impossible to keep the image in the viewfinder completely still.

As a general rule, no camera set-up can be handheld without the risk of a blurred picture unless a shutter speed of faster than 1/30sec is used. But the problem with camera shake becomes more acute the longer the lens that you use – or the more you zoom into the subject. At higher magnifications, the slight movement of your body becomes more noticeable. The simple rule therefore is always to use the shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the focal length that you are using (or faster). For a 28mm lens setting you should use 1/30sec (the closest available speed to 1/28sec). For a 100mm you would use 1/125sec, for a 200mm 1/250sec, and for 300mm lens setting a minimum of 1/500sec.

Slower speeds can be used without the risk of camera shake, of course, if the camera is supported. A tripod should allow you the greatest range of shutter speeds – but slower speeds can be used by balancing the camera on a solid surface (such as a wall or car roof), or wedging your body tightly into a doorway. Some digital cameras and SLR lenses have image stabilisation systems that help reduce the effect of camera shake.

The movement of the subject itself should also be considered, as a faster than usual speed will generally be needed to capture the action crisply. The exact shutter speed needed will depend not only on the speed of the subject, but its distance from the camera, the focal length of the lens, and its direction of movement. The bigger the subject is in the frame, the more marked its movement will appear. Similarly, you will need a faster shutter speed if the subject is moving across the frame than if it is moving towards the camera.

Take it slowly after dark

When the light is low, there may be no alternative to using a much slower shutter speed than you could possibly use with a handheld camera. If a tripod is not available, you can stand a camera on a flat surface, such as the window ledge, and fire the camera using its self-timer to minimise vibration.

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There are various types of digital cameras made by different manufacturers with different features. Among all, selecting the right digital camera which is suitable for you is not a typical task if you follow these techniques.

1. Resolution

2. Optical zoom

3. Digital zoom

4. memory

5. Usability

6. Investigate

These techniques are explained as follows:

Resolution

Each and every digital camera has certain resolution factor. Most advanced cameras will have high resolution where as the normal digital cameras will have low resolution.

Basically the picture resolution will be dependent on pixel rating. The resolution of the camera will vary for different cameras with different pixel count.

The cameras which have high resolution power produce larger images and the rate of these cameras will also be high. Normal and average photographer need not require these cameras with high resolution.

Most probably these high resolution cameras are preferred by professional or expert photographers. They also don’t use these cameras all the times (except for taking special pictures).

Optical zoom

Optical zoom is necessary to view the object in large size. Almost all digital cameras will have this optical zoom facility. Before buying the camera, you must check the optical zoom present in it and you must not afford it if it has the optical zoom less than 2.

Digital zoom

Digital zoom is used to increase the size of the picture. Most of the digital cameras offer this digital zoom facility. Check out the clarity levels of the picture clearly when you increase the size of it because some of the pictures will loose their clarity if you apply digital zoom to them.

Memory

Before getting the new digital camera know how much memory is present in it. Most of the digital cameras will have less memory to store more number of snaps in it. So, better along with your digital camera get the extra memory card which has enough space to store more snaps in it.

Usability

You have to select the camera depending on your usability. If you have high usage of it, go for advanced cameras which provide more techniques and high resolution or else if you have less usage of it better get the digital cameras which don’t have high resolution and more advanced techniques. So, depending upon the usage you have to select the right camera suitable for you.

Investigate

After getting your new digital camera, investigate it on various aspects by knowing what are the different modes and new techniques present in it. Try to learn all the techniques regarding how to handle it properly without causing any damage to it before using your new digital camera for the first time.

Do you like to know the reason behind this? Some cameras will be damaged easily if you don’t handle them in the right way. So, to avoid this situation try to know how to handle it in the right way.

Other than these things, you should also get all the necessary accessories required for your camera when you get the new digital camera. These accessories will be helpful to you in more number of ways and they also prevent the damage of your digital camera. Visit Digital Picture Zone

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