those getting hitched understand what they
are to receive out of the transaction. Asking
questions and putting expectations in a
written contract is the best way to ensure
that you get what you want. “We haven’t
gotten questions about gear in a long time.
I think they just assume we are getting
really high quality photographs at this time
in our career,” Breiner says. “I know, from
experience, that our photography greatly
improved once we added more lenses.” A
friend of Breiner’s complained to her that it
had been months since her wedding and she
still hadn’t seen any photos. “A lot of time,
photographers are weekend warriors and
they have weekday jobs, so it takes them
a lot longer to get to it. Ask a photographer
how long and what their turnaround time
is,” she says.
Knowing what kind of rights you are
buying with your photography package
can save after-wedding headaches. Emrich
offers “unlimited print rights for life,”
according to his contract. This allows
brides and grooms to print their photos as
they would like without going through the
studio. Couples should expect to pay more
for a photographer who offers these rights.
Also, consider whether you prefer your
images stored on a DVD or fl ash drive.
Johnson
believes
that
every
photographer has a style that sets him or
her apart from every other photographer.
“There is a bride for every photographer
out there. It is very much matching the
right photographer to the right bride,” he
says.
Matt Emrich, 541.556.8924, www.mattemrichphoto.
com | Josh Finsel and Amber Breiner Photography,
541.285.0551, www.jfabphotography.com | Glen Johnson,
541.729.9256, www.aperturephotographics.com
wary of Web sites with small portfolios
that might be a sign of inexperience. Ask
photographers to prove their consistency
by sending you more photos from their
portfolio.
Research is key in fi nding the perfect
photographer to fi t your needs. Attend
bridal shows, check the Internet and ask
friends about photographers that they have
hired. “Here’s my hot tip: Set up a new
email account specifi cally for planning
your wedding,” Breiner says. This helps to
avoid unwanted spam email cluttering up
your personal inbox.
At the end of the day, couples are
putting their faith in the photographer they
hire. “It’s all about trust. It is trusting that
this person will do the job and you can get
along with them on your wedding day,”
says Breiner.
Part of believing in the photographer is
knowing that he or she will bring the right
tools to get the job done right. Johnson
says that he would not recommend hiring a
photographer who doesn’t come to the event
with at least two cameras. Knowing whether
a photographer is shooting in RAW format
or compressed fi les such as JPEG can also
help make your decision. RAW format stores
more data about the image than a JPEG,
yielding larger corrections and the ability to
be reused, according to Johnson.
A big part of the task of hiring a
wedding photographer is making sure that
MATT EMRICH PHOTOGRAPHY
GLEN JOHNSON
ALWAYS THE
BRIDESMAID?
NEVER THE
BRIDE?
BROWSE LOCAL SINGLES
WINK-KINK.COM
www.eugeneweekly.com
Eugene Weekly’s Weddings 5