Worth A Thousands Words

Your Dad laughs and shakes his head at my photo collection. I have taken pictures of every major event in our life together and my children's lives. I've been taking pictures since I won a camera in a contest when I was in grade school. I praise God for the photos I have, because I have a terrible memory. These photos help me remember where I've been, what I've done and when things happened. Of course, I also try to take good pictures from a artistic standpoint. I try to capture good light, interesting angles, precious moments in time and unique expressions. I remember on a trip to the Dells when I was 17, we watched as a dog jumped from a cliff to a rock tower. I was the only one of our party who caught the dog precisely between both in midair ... and that was not with a sequence camera. It was just one good shot. Photos are important to me and I have tons to prove it.

I know that you are in the middle of a hunt for a good photographer ... and on top of that, one who is affordable. There are so many to choose from, but it's the budget that narrows the field. Your Daddy and I were ever budget conscious and found our photographer in the Pennysaver, a tiny community newsprint magazine of classifieds. He was affordable, good and fun. He shot everything we asked of him and then some, caught some sweet moments and printed some beautiful portraits for us. The cost was $300. But here's the thing ... except for the main portrait of your Daddy and I and a couple of us alone before the wedding, I hardly ever look at them. Now don't get me wrong, they are great pictures and a lovely microcosm of our day, but they just sit in a leather photo album that we pull out probably once a year on our anniversary to go through. My favorite photos of our wedding are still the ones people shot with their own cameras and gave to us, because these people got everyone unposed: laughing, crying, cuddling, slipping, eating, dancing and likewise captured us that way.

So what is our advice for photographer shopping. Get the best one you can afford. Look for someone who captures unexpected moments, has perfect use of light, creates art, is flexible time wise, gives you the digital rights to it so you can make copies you want and will make affordable high quality portrait prints for the few you'll want. Ask for references from friends. Ask to see their portfolio. Be picky as these will be the only wedding photos you will have, but be smart with regards to their value. We will be praying you find the best person.

Discussion: What is important to you from a photography standpoint? What are the "must have" shots? What don't you really care about from a photography standpoint?

Prayer: Father, you have given us such beauty around us to capture! Thank you for the ability to do so. Lord, we pray Ayla and Rob find the best photographer for their needs to perfectly capture their special day. Thank you in advance for this person. In Jesus, Amen.