Groom speaking. FW and I have our wedding later this year, and the biggest thing we have yet to book is the photographer. FW wants an emphasis on traditional photography, portraiture, posed shots, etc. However, this has been much harder to find than we expected. Every photographer seems to tout how non-traditional they are, and then go on to imply that posed shots are only for Grandma and that you won't get any of that with THEIR hip, contemporary service.
Now I understand that every wedding will need a ton of candid shots, as the formal party shots and all that only take up a small percentage of the total wedding time. But I'm looking for recommendations for a photographer who actually prides him/herself on nice posed shots. An emphasis on photojournalism and "capturing the moment" is NOT what my FW is looking for (but it's what everyone seems to offer, wherein lies the problem). And I wouldn't want to book a photographer who defines their style as something else, then tell them to make it "more traditional" and just hope for the best.
$3500 - $6000 is a reasonable range for us. Ideally we will have the rights to the photos once they are done as well, but maybe that's less common with the traditional photographers? In any case, advice and recommendations for good candidates in the Long Island area are appreciated, thanks!
EDIT: I'd just like to point out that if you look through the The Knot's "Local Vendors" for Photographers and choose "Traditional" as the specialty, there are zero results. Literally zero! Jeeze.