Preserving the day
From candid shots and documentary to elegant portraiture, the sky's the limit on making the memories

Arguably, the most important part of the most important day of your life is capturing and preserving your nuptials so that, years from now, you will have more than memories to help you recount your first day as husband and wife.

Your big day will no doubt be a blur and, in the blink of an eye, will all be over. Though memories may fade away, your wedding album and video will last a lifetime. A lot of careful planning goes into the details of wedding videography and photography and, with so many details to consider, the first should be budget. This will drive your decisions on every other detail, so budget wisely.

But before that first check is cut, make sure you have a written agreement signed by all parties. The most critical elements of the contract should include: date, start/end time, type of photography/videography, how much film will be shot, how equipment failures will be handled, how and when you will receive the unedited work, how and when you will receive the final product(s), and a cancellation and refund policy. You should also have a complete list of expected shots and poses included in the contract.

Another essential consideration is how well you know the professionals you are looking to hire. A lot of trust goes into a hiring relationship whose goal is to preserve "forever." According to shutterbug Rob Clement of rashneon.com, "A photographer should really understand who the bride and groom are." This is particularly key in Clement's line of work because of the way wedding photography has evolved over the years.

"Over the last five years in particular, a more journalistic style of photography has really taken hold." It's not that tradition is being altogether abandoned, but, as Clement says, "What the day is really about is capturing the emotion."

A traditional photographer is typically concerned with posed portraits and grouped family shots. A journalistic photographer, however, will take a more novel approach by capturing, for example, close-ups of the bride and groom holding hands, a candid shot of a tearful father, or a sneak peak of a bridesmaid putting on her lipstick. A good photographer can combine both elements if asked. But what's most important is yielding to the stars of the show, the bride and groom. "They're famous for that one day and should be treated as such," says Clement.

Still,

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