Fritz Liedtke, photographer

I remember how overwhelming it was at times to plan our wedding: with every decision I made, I found five new ones had cropped up. While some couples want to keep things simple, others (as I did) want to put all their creative energies into planning this special occasion. Most important, we all want to remember it for the rest of our lives as a joyous celebration of our love and vows, in the company of our friends and family.

That’s where photography comes in: it helps us remember. But, you might ask, what kind of photography--and what kind of photographer--will I enjoy most? What package will best suit me, and what are my options?

To help you sort through the myriad of options, we've put together a primer on the basics of wedding photography. There are many things to sort through in wedding photography. But once you've found the right photographer, you’ll enjoy sorting through your wedding photographs for the rest of your life.

What styles of wedding photography are there?

There used to be 2 types of wedding photography styles: traditional, and photojournalistic. Today, styles vary widely, from straightforward traditional coverage, to documentary style coverage, to fashion-focused portraiture. In the end, you have to find a photographer whose work you like, and whose experience as a professional you trust.

What options and products are available?

Proofs/Prints: Once the wedding is over, how do you get to see your photographs? Photography packages can include proof prints, a CD of low-resolution scans, or a web gallery from which you may view your photos. At FritzPhoto, we include a hardcover proofbook, containing all the final images from your wedding, for you to keep.

Reprints: Always check a photographer's reprint policies. Some will offer you a bargain price to shoot your wedding, but you may be required to place a minimum print order of several hundred dollars. Other questions to ask: How do you order the reprints: online at your convenience? Or in a high-pressure sales meeting? Is there a deadline for placing orders?

Albums: Large, small, elaborate, simple, digital or traditional--there are about as many options as photographers. Check with the studios you’re considering to see if their album offerings suit your style. See if they give everyone the same type of album, or if you can choose what you want. Ask: is your book custom made, or a stock design? What custom options do you get to choose (cover materials and colors, paper type, images that go in the book, etc.)? At FritzPhoto, we love books. Every one is custom made, and you have many options to choose from at no additional cost.

Websites: Wedding photography websites can be a fun and valuable option. These web galleries allow your friends and family to view and order your wedding photos online from anywhere in the world, directly from the photographer -- a nice option if you have friends and family from out of state or out of the country. Websites can also save you money and hassle, since you don’t have to ship your proofs off to your families, and people can purchase their own prints. One question to ask your photographers: how long are my images online? One week? A year?

Digital Files or Negatives: Some photographers include digital files or negatives in their packages, some will sell them for a fee, some won't sell them at all. While acquiring the digital files may save you a little money in reprint costs, you also have to ask yourself: How will I organize and store hundreds or thousands of digital files, sort out my own orders, and deal with labs? More importantly, the quality of prints you end up with at Snapfish won’t be as good as what your photographer gets from his professional lab. Keep in mind, also, that a low-price photographer who is giving away the unedited digital files is also giving away his motivation to take exceptional, reprint-worthy images.

Engagement Portraits: An engagement portrait session can be a fun way to remember those beautiful months prior to your wedding. Some photographers will take the portraits in a studio, and others will travel with you to a favorite park or locale for even more beautiful and personal images. From your engagement portrait session, you can include a print with your invitations, give one as a gift to your parents, include some in your wedding album. Some photographers, as we do, even create custom guestbooks filled with your engagement portraits, for your guests to sign in.

Signature Mats or Books: Instead of having your guests sign a guestbook, have them sign the matboard surrounding one of your engagement photos. Once framed, it can be a beautiful reminder of your wedding day and those who attended.

Wall Prints: You go to a lot of work to look your best on your wedding day! The gown, the hair and makeup, the shoes and flowers...you look stunning. With all the effort you put into looking your best, and all the work your photographer puts into creating stunning portraits of you, you'll want to put a wall print or two up in your home. Whether it's a large framed print, a canvas print, or another type of mounted photography, this is artwork for your walls that you'll want to have for the rest of your life. Be sure to look at a potential photographer's wall prints, and evaluate them for clarity and quality.

What’s Really Important?

After your head has spun a bit from all the different options, remember this:

Who you hire as a wedding photographer is really more important than all the products they sell you.

You’re going to spend most of your day with your photographer. Many brides forget this fact, and they find out too late that they’ve hired a Photo Nazi or an amateur, who makes the wedding day extra stressful. So ask yourself: