Picture perfect

There used to be one style of wedding photography, and for decades nearly every wedding album looked the same. But with the surge in popularity of destination weddings, theme weddings, and a more personal approach, the style of documenting this rite of passage has evolved.

When selecting a photographer for your own wedding, be sure to view their previous work and discuss the different costs. Some photographers charge for their time and then charge a minimum for ordering prints. Ask if they offer videography, assembly of wedding albums, or any other special services that can enhance the recollection of the day.

It is worth bearing in mind that in today's digital age, many photographers don't offer a traditional album service. Today, many couples have specific ideas about how they want to use their photos in digital albums, traditional prints, large-format photo canvases and on websites. Photographers should provide a general edit of the photos and offer digital colour-correction of all images, and make professional decisions about presenting images in black and white or colour.

For easy selection, ask that the images be presented in sets of DVDs with both high resolution and e-mail-friendly files. Or you can request a set of 4R prints.

Hong Kong-based photographer Chris Lusher says: 'There are so many logistics and rituals involved in weddings that it is easy to become obsessed with structure and checklists.'

He believes that the most important images to capture are 'the personal, absorbed, tender moments in the day ... the free-falling, magical moments, insofar as they are inherently natural, honest, and we don't have control over them'. He says that there is more power and value in three or four candid images, such as these, than there are in the hundreds of repetitive group photos.