Finding a Wedding Photographer.

When wanting to find a shortlist of wedding photographers in your local area there are many search methods you could choose to employ.  The three main methods are:

Printed Directories.  The old favourite but still relevant even in this online revolution is to browse through the list of photographers in your local directory be it the Yellow Pages or your local equivalent.  The advantages of using this method are surely its convenience and you can guarantee the photographer is fairly local to your area.  The major disadvantages are twofold.  Firstly you won't get to see any examples of their work just from looking at an advert in a book; therefore you will not be able to get a feel for their particular style. And secondly you have no idea as to their professional quality, reliability and indeed ability.  Of course you might choose to call a small selection and ask them to show you their portfolio but any photographer worth their salt will have a website that you can easily type into your internet browser and check them out without wasting too much time.  Another overlooked disadvantage is that some of the best wedding photographers in your area may simply choose not to advertise in a printed directory, you might overlook a real winner!

Internet Based Searches.  Any photographer serious about their profession in this day and age will have a web site and will pay considerable attention to their online presence.  Therefore, just like when searching for any other local business, a quick browse on your favourite search engine will no doubt give you a massive choice of potential photographers.  Try typing "wedding photographer yourlocation" into Google or whatever engine you choose and you should be presented with a selection.  If you happen to live in a location that doesn't have a great deal of photographers, like certain rural areas, then you may need to broaden your search to a local city or large town.  Some photographers may appear in the 'sponsored listing' area but do also make sure you check out some of the 'organic' results listed underneath, as you may be overlooking a few great photographers that just don't subscribe to search engine advertising.  Wedding photography doesn't come cheap so be sure to check out as many photographers as you can be bothered with, even if that means going onto page two or three of your results.  Although by searching in this way you'll be sure to come up with a long list of potential candidates, be mindful that as with the printed adverts you will again have little way of knowing how good and ultimately reliable the actually photographer is.  However it is an excellent and quick way of drawing up a shortlist of some people you like, if only based on style.

Personal Testimonials.  The 'Word of Mouth' is a still the most powerful marketing tool for any local business and one that I would certainly employ if I was searching for any local trade.  A personal recommendation from a relative, friend, neighbour, work colleague or whomever is like gold dust.  Ask them as much as you can and most importantly try and witness the photographers imagery first hand by flipping through their wedding album.  This will give you a good idea as to whether or not you really like the style of the photographer, as you won't want to just book a photographer because their are reliable, you've got to love their work too!  Working on a personal recommendation is always a great starting point and is a good way of trying to side step as much risk as possibly when hiring in an unfamiliar trade.  Do still check out their web site and don't just simply dismiss other less known photographers in your area as you may just be missing out on the wedding album of your dreams.

All three of these search options have both there merits and there downfalls, therefore I would strongly recommend that you employ a combination of all three.  Don't do as so many people do and just book the first photographer you find, keep your eyes and your choices open.  Your wedding day is one of the most important and certainly most expensive events in your life and a great photographer will help capture this memory forever so don't rush such an important decision.