It takes a special type person to be involved in wedding photography as it takes more than a good eye for composition and color to create keepsake photographs. A person involved in wedding photography must also have patience to work with a large, diverse group of people, making sure they capture all the special moments while maintaining a good rapport with all members of the wedding party and the respective families.
It does not matter how great your pictures may be, if you cannot get along with the bride and groom or other members of their family that reputation will follow you and you may find a decrease in your business. What some taking wedding photography fail to remember that they are getting paid by the wedding family to take pictures and are there for their convenience and not the other way around.
Being polite and understanding about the wants of those in the wedding, especially those who are paying for your services, is more important to them than how good the pictures turn out. With wedding photography, the best pictures taken by the best photographer will add to the memories of the day.
Remembering Who Owns The Picture Rights
One aspect of wedding photography often overlooked by the newly married couple is who owns the pictures. Some believe that since they are paying the photographer for his time and his work the pictures should be considered as work for hire. Many professional photographers however believe their pictures to be their property as part of intellectual rights and they maintain print rights to the finished pictures.
When you hire your photographer make sure you have it straight from the start who owns the rights to the wedding photography and if you are going to own the prints, you will need to get a release from the photographer or you may have trouble getting extra prints made. Most photo centers will not make reprints of professional pictures due to copyright restrictions and if they violate those restrictions could be subject to applicable fines.
While dealing with your wedding photography you must remember who is paying the bill. While the photographer should have the experience and expertise to provide the ideas for the day’s pictures, if you have any special pictures you want taken do not hesitate to ask. Try to let them know ahead of time, but do not back away from having a picture taken with Aunt Edna because the photographer says it was not on the planned list.
