When it comes to your wedding photographs you really should use a professional wedding photographer. You may feel that asking a friend or family member to photograph your wedding could save you lots of money, but it could be the worst decision you make.
I could argue that your wedding photographer is the most important of all your wedding vendors. You only get one shot at capturing those timeless moments, and your photographs are the one single material thing that will remain with you in years to come. Cutting corners and opting to try and save time and money could well be disastrous.
Experience is Key
It doesn’t matter how well planned your wedding day is, things don’t always go as you want. That’s not to say that it will all go wrong — far from it, but timings can quickly change. All that time you have put aside for your photographs can suddenly turn into a little 10 minute slot because you hit traffic on the way to the reception venue. Then what?
A photographer without the necessary experience might crumble under the pressure and your once in a lifetime opportunity to record those beautiful memories is gone. It’s a big ask putting all that responsibility on the shoulders of a friend or family member and, heaven forbid, what would you do if they got it totally wrong? How would that affect your relationship?
Just because someone knows how to take great photographs does not mean they know how to run a wedding and work under pressure with challenging lighting conditions and the occasional bit of equipment failure. Not to mention how to sweet talk a vicar or registrar into not confining you to the back of the church or ceremony room!
The experience of a professional wedding photographer should also allow them to work easily with a variety of people, coaxing the best out of you and your guests.
One Sided?
You may find that a family member or friend will know more people on one side of the family than the other. The natural tendency for an inexperienced photographer is to take more pictures of the people they know, rather than having an unbiased approach. You may then find that there are far more photographs of the bride’s family than of the groom’s, and not that many photographs of the friends either.
Equipment and Insurance
Professional wedding photographers also invest in high quality cameras and lenses. This equipment can handle low lighting conditions and more likely withstand knocks and temperature variations.
They will (or should) also have full professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and give you a contract. Without these, there’s not much of a comeback.
It may seem like there are several good reasons for taking shortcuts with your wedding photography. Hopefully this article has helped identify exactly why using a professional wedding photographer makes so much sense.
Guest post by Matt Pereira
Image from Matt Pereira
