Maui Wedding Photographer? Making the Selection!

Once your wedding day has passed and after you have made the significant investment of time and resources into your wedding, doesn’t it make sense to possess more than fading memories of the day? How long will it be before you forget details such as your awesome bouquet, the dress, or the images of the smiles of your family and friends or those moments which you never even witnessed… the expressions of each other as you first saw each other on that day. And your kiss as you first held each other as a married couple.

Some couples decide to hold back on the expense of photography and live only to regret the decision. As a photographer at Hughes Photographics, I may be biased, but I am also a family member and friend. I’ve been ‘saving moments’ for most of my life and can’t imagine not having my photos to which I can go back to and enjoy. These photos are of my life. These images are treasures to me, my family and friends. Bringing a qualified photographer into your wedding to make great images is an excellent investment and one that will bring you great returns and warm hearts to many forever.

I suggest the following when you are selecting the person(s) who will make the images of your Maui wedding.

The ideal photographer for your event should show images on their website that just ‘WOW’ you! Interview a number of photographers that appear awesome online. Get on the phone and talk with the individual, not the office manager. Ask the photographer about their experience in this type of event coverage, are they truly interested and focused on your wedding? Do they know where your wedding will occur and it’s policies and procedures? Do they carry the appropriate permits and insurance coverage? Do you get the impression that they are flexible and able to adapt to last minute changes as needed? Overall, are they a pleasant individual to spend time with?

Your photographer needs to be 100% focused on your wedding photography and not someone who is also responsible for any other aspect of the event. This likely excludes friends and relatives. Because and besides the relationship aspect, they will be challenged to give undivided attention to the photography and provide balanced coveage of the event.

We all have heard the horror stories about equipment malfunction. The photographer’s camera broke and they did not have a back-up camera (or lens, or flash, or battery, or card, etc). A few images and much heartbreak were the results. Your photographer must have back up equipment of everything and easily accessible. Things do go wrong and break. Even new gear can be a problem. Inquire as to their equipment situation.

It would be best if your photographer is familiar with the faster flow of a destination wedding. I have photographed hundreds of weddings while living on the mainland and well over a thousand weddings in the islands. A mainland wedding is like a slow moving freight train while covering a destination wedding can be more like piloting a bullet train. It is not always easy for even the most experienced mainland based photographer to adapt to the quicker pace and your wedding is not the time to discover this. Your photographer needs to understand that the light ‘out here’ is different. Yes, it is different.

The best candidate is a resident and experienced, working photographer of the area who possesses an impressive portfolio of quick paced event photography.  Email the author and see our Webpage for more content.