Olivia Rebecca photography our perfect professional

The month of December is upon us, our last Perfect Professional for 2020 is Olivia Rebecca.  We asked this talented Durban based photographer, to answer some wedding-related questions. She mainly specializes in weddings and lifestyle shoots. “Here to capture your love connections.”

How do couples go about choosing a wedding photographer?

This is such a great question and one I love answering. There are quite a few things I would suggest a couple has in mind when choosing their photographer, number one would be budget- it’s always worthwhile contacting more than one photographer to get an idea of the packages that they offer and what suits your budget best, the second note would be to have an idea of what kind of style you like, with the photography industry being a creative one there are so many different photography and editing styles out there, maybe you want very candid moments captured or you want to be directed and have quite posed images, maybe you prefer a more moody style of editing, a more natural style or a more vibrant style. Have a look at the photographers’ portfolios (social media and website) and see what you prefer. Have a look at recommendations and references, and definitely try to meet or have a video call with your potential photographer as you need to know that you feel comfortable having the said photographer following you around for what will be one of the best days of your life.

Does the personality of the photographer matter?

I would definitely say yes. Different personalities work well together and sometimes they don’t. I would highly suggest meeting up with your potential photographer or at least having a video chat with them as mentioned above as this is the person who will be in pretty close proximity to you for most of your wedding day. Your photographer will likely direct you at times in order to get certain shots that you will love so you need to know that you will enjoy these moments with your loved ones and also feel comfortable being directed or having that someone behind a camera snapping away at your candid moments. You may feel as though you mesh well with a bigger bubblier personality who has no fear directing you into position or you may feel more comfortable with a photographer who has incredible “fly on the wall” skills. It’s your day and you get to choose.

Is it necessary to have a photographer as well as a second shooter?

Let’s clarify what a second shooter is: it is somebody whom the main photographer has personally chosen to work with and trusts to capture images (mostly from different angles) on the wedding day, it is someone who also has experience with photography. Whether a photographer has a second shooter or not is dependent on the main photographer and what they offer, some photographers work well on their own and feel very comfortable capturing the full day without a second shooter, whilst other photographers prefer having a second shooter as it offers different perspectives of the same moments, it also allows for a wider reach of moments captured if the wedding party number is larger. Have a look at what the photographer’s packages offer and ask your photographer their opinion as well.

How long is a photographer required for on the wedding day?

This is an interesting question because photographers offer different hourly packages and a wedding day can look different for different couples, some weddings last 3 or more days, some are small elopements that may only last a few hours, it all just depends on the couple. It’s good to have an idea of what’s important to you and what you want to be captured, however, generally speaking, most couples book a photographer from the ‘getting ready time’ all the way to the reception dance party. It’s the one day (possibly of your life) that you both have your nearest and dearest with you, whom you have specifically chosen to share this incredible occasion with, at the same time in the same place. You’ve also invested in beautiful decor and wedding attire, delicious food, and a venue of your dreams, you’ve essentially created a dream day with the one

you will call your own, to celebrate with the ones you love, you want to remember this forever. If it’s in your budget I would highly recommend having the full day captured because your wedding day goes really quickly so you want to be reminded of all the special moments that happened throughout the day, not just portions of it. Most photographers have set hour packages and will help you in figuring out how those hours will cover your day.

Is it necessary to provide the client with the RAW photos from their wedding day?

With photography being a creative industry as mentioned above, for most photographers editing/post-production is a huge part of the creative process to getting your final gorgeous images to you and also probably one of the main reasons why you chose the photographer in the first place – you have seen their previous work and loved it. Therefore, the RAW images are mostly not a true reflection of your day as your final edited images have been specifically chosen as the best moments captured and enhanced to bring them beautifully to life.

Photographs of Annabel & Cameron’s wedding. 

To read last month’s, Perfect professional, click here.

XOXO