Weddingbee boards

Ask for a list of previous clients that you can contact as a reference. The photographer is only going to provide you with the names of previous clients that had a good experience with him/her, but I think it's very valuable to know that there are clients that are willing to vouch for the photog's work. IMO, if a photographer won't provide you with any references, cross him/her off the list.

1)      Do not hire the photographer if he/she cannot show you a “sample contract” you can look over ahead of time while you are still deliberating whether to hire her/him.  An honest photographer is transparent in his/her contract.  That way, you know exactly what you’re getting into and you know the fees ahead of time.  There will be no surprises.

2)      Write down what you ABSOLUTELY want to have: rights to and copy of pictures in a disk, a photo album (how many?), how many hours do you want your photog?, etc.  And ask him/her straight up how much he/she charges.  That way, you don’t have surprises.  If you decide on that photographer, make sure he/she includes it in the contract along w/ the dates he/she will provide the goods and services and the prices.  (I have friends who got married 3 years ago who still don’t have their wedding album.  If you have it in your contract that example: Photographer will deliver the finished wedding album to bride & groom 12 months after the wedding date, he/she cannot claim that “he/she never said when he/she was going to deliver the goods”, etc.)

3)      If they pressure you to sign up right away WITHOUT KNOWING who your photographer is, WALK AWAY.  

4)      Make sure you see the work of the actual photographer for your wedding day.  Some businesses hire different types of photographers and you don’t know until 2 wks before the wedding who the photographer is.  I would strongly advice to hire a photographer who is in the business himself --- not through a photography company who hires different photographers.

5)      If they pressure you in any way…walk away.

@serabella - I agree that photographers shouldn't give out their clients' contact info without their clients' permission. However, I think the input of former clients is really helpful when choosing a photographer, and I would think that a photographer would have at least one former client that would be willing to speak to a potential client on their behalf. I spoke with several photographers, and all of them provided contact info for previous clients who agreed to provide a reference to potential clients. I would be more than happy to speak with a bride about my experience with my photographer. I think she did an exceptional job, and I'm happy to share my great experience with other brides. It would give me pause if a photographer couldn't provide me with a reference. I'm sure there are situations where a reference wouldn't be possible, but generally I think it's a valuable evaluation tool.

Just wanted to put my $0.02 in.  Some of the stuff was said before:

I have a handful of brides who I've cleared it will about giving their contact info out if potential clients would like contact them.  We also have a facebook fan page where most of my clients are and have had inquiring clients contact them through there, so that may be an option.  I would also search online for reviews, Weddingwire and project wedding are great review sites.

I have lots if friends who are amazing single shooter photographers so you don't always NEED to have two.  If you think you do want two there are different pairings of photographers to consider.  One, is it a single shooter that hires just anyone (most likely a newbie) or do they hire a seasoned pro to shoot with them.  Ask if you can see examples of their work if at all possible.  If they are going to hire another pro then they will most likely charge you, if they just bringing a newbie then prob not,  if having a second is important then make sure its someone good enough to make it worth having them there.  Then there are husband/wife or two team photographers who ALWAYS shoot together.  In my personal opinion this is your best option for two perspective coverage, but again it's really up to what you want and or need.

Watch out for bate a switch studios/companies.  These places are all over the place now, Bella, The Pros, etc.  They bring you in and show you all these pretty pics but what they don't tell you is these are the best pics from a pool of thousands of photogs who have worked with them at one point or another.  The person you are meeting is usually never the person who will be there to photograph your day.  Their contracts basically state they can send whomever they want in place of who you "choose".  It's really sad to hear of couples who pay all this money and think they are getting an amazing seasoned pro (and sometimes they are lucky and they do) but only to have some newbie who just got a camera and shooting their first wedding.  Because of their contract there is nothing they can do.  Know exactly who is shooting, make sure you see a full portfolio AND a full wedding from that photographer and make sure you contract states who exactly your photographer is.

Last, but most important, make sure you click with them.  Most people are not used to having some on follow them around with a professional camera all day so if you don't totally trust this person or they annoy you in any way it will show in the photos.  Same goes for the groom and second photog.  If getting good shots of the guys hanging out make sure to pick someone the groom will get along with as well.

One more thing you should look out for is consistency in their work, whether lighting, composition or how they edit.  If they are consistent then you are more likely to get what you expect.  

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

I think it's really, really helpful to ask for an entire wedding to look at - all 800+ pics. I did that for four different photogs -it's the only way to see what's beyond their website.

I totally hate the black-and-white photos where just one thing is colored too! I think the pictures that try too hard to be "artistic" can go terribly wrong... I saw one where the couple is standing in the middle of the street, and the angle is at a tilt, and my FI's first thought was, "EARTHQUAKE!" (Mine was, "And then, tragically, the happy couple was killed by a car.")

I've also seen some where the couple looks TOO intimate, and I think, "Did you later turn this into a low-budget film that you sold in some dingy, dark alleyway?" Props can go wrong as well-- there was a picture with a close-up of glasses of wine and the couple looked like they were kissing in the background. I was expecting a caption that read, "And this is the drunken night that led to the conception of our first child... the real reason we got married."

I would suggest looking at the photographers non-wedding photos if they are displayed too... There was a photographer whose portfolio I was amazed to discover had all these "artistic" pictures of young girls in sort of "sensual" positions, where they looked sort of semi-nude (like, the picture was from the collar-bone up, and there was no clothing there). His other pictures were okay, but these just creeped me out to no end, and that sealed the deal. Art does not = young girls looking sexy. Ick.