When others look at your finished photographs you want to see their eyes open wide, their jaws hit the floor, and hear them gasp in delight.

You also hope that the investment you make in your photographer is worth every penny. Quality, craftsmanship and value are important in a purchase this expensive.

To hire the best photographer you can, at the best value for your money, you first need to learn a few things about selecting a photographer.

Buying Photography: What makes a photograph a piece of art?

You make a piece of photography art!

For me personally, I don't consider my photographs elevated to the level of art until my customers declare them as such. I really feel that the word "art" has become a buzzword used by artists to describe their work in an attempt to increase perceived value.

XYZ Photography. Where photography is art!
(sigh)

Ultimately, it becomes an honest gut decesion as to whether or not an artist's work excites you and speaks to you on a deeper level.

That all being said, here are some real practical things you can do in your selection process.

Nothing beats the power of a referral!

If you are getting married then you might want to consider joining a web forum for brides to be. The Knot is a great resource. The discussions taking place there are authentic and the members will happily and proudly share their opinions and experiences with the resource needed for planning a wedding.

Most banquet halls and wedding facilities have a Preferred Vendors List. This is a good place to start as well, but mostly you should consider this option only a starting point, as there is so much more to chose from.

Ask others about their photographer. How was their service and were they happy with the final product their photographer delivered?

Check Out Their Site!

Any legitimate photographer should have a professional website to display his or her portfolio online. Check for a blog so that you can see recent work from the artist and not just his or her best work on their site.

Make sure that you are happy with all of the photographer's disciplines. He/she may be good at photographing weddings, but how are they at photographing Bridal or Engagement Portraits? How good are they at maternity portraits?

Check a photographer's website to see if the images are all dated by clothing or other aspects. This may be a tell that this professional does not put continuing education high on their list.

Ask The Not So Obvious Questions!

Every wedding magazine you read will give you the basic questions you should ask your photographer. Such as.....

Does your photographer have back up equipment? At Solaris, we keep all of our equipment in a safe to further guarantee that we can hold up our end of any contract that we sign.

To get to the heart of the matter though, ask some not so obvious questions...

Does your photographer consider continuing education to be important, or have they been doing the same thing year in and year out with little to no change in the quality of their work?

Does the photographer in question belong to any professional organizations and do they adhere to their code of ethics?

Have they won any awards for their work? Do they submit their work to professional print competitions on a regular basis?

These are just a few things you can think about and add to your list of questions when calling and inquiring about photographic services.

Advertising.

The final way to locate a photographer is through advertising.  I have listed this form of research last in my list because it can really be so hard to tell what you are getting yourself into simply by calling a number you have found in an advertisement. 

There are two places that you can begin your search.  The first, in my humble opinion, is the web adds you can find on The Knot.  On The Knot Site you can find the opinions of others about the photographer’s ads that you are interested in.

Another place I would look would be either the magazine or the web ads located at Premier Bride.

And for those that want to meet as many photographers in person as possible in the shortest amount of time, there is the ever infamous bridal show!  Without a doubt the biggest in Houston is The Bridal Extravaganza!