Making the best choice for your wedding photography by knowing what to Expect from Your Cancun Photographer on your Wedding Day
Planning a destination wedding is not an easy task. And narrowing down your wedding vendors can be even more challenging. As you begin searching, knowing what to expect from your Cancun photographer should weigh strong when making a decision. There are certain expectations you should have and it should go beyond the website, portfolios and style of photography.
For most people, their wedding day is the first time they’ve ever hired or been in front of a professional photographer’s camera. Being a newbie to the wedding market can sometimes leave you with your guard down. This can lead to accepting what is given or offered to you without having expectations. This is most commonly seen when using a resort photographer. You are trusting the judgement of your hotel coordinator when the coordinator does not have your best interest in mind. They have to follow rules and offer the hotel services to maximize hotel profit. So what does this mean for you? You are forced to pay outside vendor fees to bring in your own photographer. However, hiring an outside photographer may be the best decision and here’s why.
Why it is risky to hire a resort photographer
There are many amazing, independent photographers in Cancun and the Riviera Maya as well as many large photography companies with hotel concessions that cater to hotel chains. These large companies usually work with unexperienced or first time photographers. Their photographers are usually overloaded with monkey and iguana photos during the day then given a wedding later in the afternoon to shoot. Unless the resort has a dedicated wedding photographer, your photos may turn out less than average.
And it’s understandable, a photographer that takes mass photos daily may not be fit or prepared for an event as important as a wedding. Independent photographers that cater to a certain amount of weddings per year will offer a more personable service. Here are some points to consider on what to expect from your Cancun wedding photographer.
List of what to expect from your professional wedding photographer
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Timeliness:
It’s important to arrive at least 45-60 minutes before the scheduled start time. Anticipating traffic, delays with hotel access, etc…is the responsibility of the professional you hire.
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Professionally prepared:
It’s important to have back up equipment. Camera malfunctions can happen and not being prepared with backup cameras, flashes, triggers, lenses, etc. can lead to a disastrous outcome. A professional photographer needs to be equipped with 2-3 cameras on the day of the wedding. The photographer should also be prepared for any contingency including rain, which is very common in the Caribbean.
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Professional presentation:
Your wedding day is a formal event and it’s important for your photographer to fit into the occasion in a presentable manner. Living in the Caribbean can be a challenge with the heat and humidity but there are plenty of options for sweat absorbing fabrics that a photographer can work in while still looking professional.
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Capable of working with the timeline and hotel staff:
About a week to 2 weeks before the wedding day, a final timeline should be available for your photographer. Our company prepares a timeline for you so we can guarantee we have plenty of time during every wedding highlight to be able to capture the necessary photos and stay on time with the day’s events. We also work hand in hand with the coordinators and hotel staff so we are up to schedule with any last minute changes or delays.
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Covering the “must-have” photos without a list:
You have hired a professional to take away the worries. Thinking of the photos you should have on your wedding day should not be your burden. A professional photographer will know the photos required and will take them automatically along with any special requests you may have. Family photos are the exception and should be discussed ahead of time so your photographer has a list you have prepared. This is especially necessary with divorced parents so there are no uncomfortable situations.
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Taking care of the details:
Details are so important and to make sure you look your best, it’s important to have a set of eyes on you as well as behind the camera. Our team consists of a photographer and an assistant who takes care of fixing details like the dress, hair, sweat, etc…
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Good communication skills:
You need your photographer to be able to interact with you and your guests easily plus be able to direct and guide while maintaining a constant flow of photography so everyone feels at ease with having a camera pointing at them all day! Fluent English is extremely important.
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Storage and handling of the wedding images:
After the wedding day is done making sure your wedding images are stored and handled with care during the post production period is crucial. This is a fragile time when images can become corrupted, accidentally erased, or just lost. It’s important to make sure your photographer takes the utmost care with multiple backup systems to store the downloaded images so there is always a backup version of your wedding photos. Any backup strategy should include multiple copies of data, as well as storing a version of the data offsite (in the event a disaster occurs where your files are stored locally).