OK, this is the last in the mini series about lessons I learned and things I'd do differently. Let's talk about photography
A lot of people have asked me what I thought about the photographer we used at our wedding particularly since we paid so little ($300) and I found him on Craigslist. I know I've said this before, but I'll just say it again for the record, we're not picture people. We LOVE photography and love looking at other people's pictures, but our own? Not so much. I think neither of us are really photogenic. He gets this uncomfortable smile and I just feel uncomfortable. I think we have 2 pictures of us up in our entire 3 bedroom apartment and both taken while we were on vacation. The idea of spending money on pictures of us we wouldn't have displayed in our home seemed silly to us.
So the thing about our line of thinking we didn't consider were A) that our parents and relatives would want a billion pictures of us, B) we did want pictures of the wedding for a small coffee table book and C) we really wanted pictures of everyone else and everything else. Would these considerations change our mind about a finding a photographer on Craigslist for $300? Not really. I think if anything, I would have made us spend more time thinking about what shots we really wanted and really emphasizing that to Jess (our photographer) early on -- maybe even mentioning those edited shots in the contract. For what he was given to work with (us) and the time he spent there for very little, Jess did an amazing job. We do wish we had fewer traditionally posed photos together and more that were impromptu and fun. We do wish there were more of our guests and that there were more of us walking down the aisle as husband and wife, but those aren't huge deal because I know he was by himself and there was a lot going on.
Which brings me to a little bit advice about using Craigslist or other free vendors. If your vendor isn't a friend or have some sort of personal relationship to prior to the wedding, I'd consider offering to pay a little something for the free service and get a contract put together. If sounds silly, I know, but it will keep you from scrambling at the last minute. We had a talented photographer offer to 2nd shoot our wedding which we were really excited about. Over a hundred people, 2 locations and lots of anticipated wedding day madness made this seem like a good idea. We met with both photographers (paid and unpaid) a week before the wedding to go over schedules and shots we'd like. Everything seemed OK and then a few days before the wedding, we got a note from our 2nd shooter saying she wouldn't be shooting for us after all. I realize she was volunteering to help, so skipping the wedding for a paying job wouldn't have been a huge deal. The skipping it a few days before the wedding made things a little harder. I would have tried to do a contract where it said something like, if the photographer has to bail at the last minute, that they would help find someone to second shoot at no charge or something to that affect. It would have been one less thing to think about.
I think the last thing I wish I did or recommend that couples do are engagement photos, particularly if you aren't comfortable in front of a camera and preferably with your wedding photographer. I didn't realize how hard Jess had to work until he sent us all the raw images he had taken. You name it, we did it. Eyes closed, looking in the wrong direction, hands in funny places, no smiles, odd looks, slouching -- we got it all on film. Doing an engagement shoot with him and then going over the pictures would have helped some of that out. I could have told him to remind me to not slouch in pictures. Or we (Mr. Joey and I) could have reminded each other to focus only on the camera and not the other things going on. Also, I wished I had told Jess to be upfront with us when it comes to styling. Tell me to adjust my dress, add more lip gloss or adjust Mr. Joey's tie. There are some great pictures where my dress has gone a little crazy.
In the end, I'd stick with the photographer I used but I might have sprung for a 2nd photographer. He gave us some great shots and now I'd consider (in the future) hiring someone to really edit/enhance our favorites.
Oh, and never fear, we weren't 2nd shooterless. We had an AMAZING photographer shoot our rehearsal dinner, the after party and 2nd shoot the wedding. If we had the money early in the planning, I probably could have been convinced to splurge (in terms of our budget) on her services.
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