A wedding is no small feat to organise and there are plenty of expenses that come with it. Most couples have a budget of some sort (though some budgets are larger than others!), so you’ll probably end up asking questions like ‘Can we cut this out?’ and ‘Do we really need this?”
There are lots of ways to save money on a wedding. (You can read my 10 tips for saving money on a wedding here!) But cutting out certain vendors or getting jobs done cheaply never works – you always get what you pay for. Getting value for money is essential.
Wedding photography is not something to scrimp on. In this article, I’ll give you 5 reasons to hire a professional wedding photographer rather than a friend or relative with a DSLR.
1. An expensive camera doesn’t make someone a good photographer
Photography isn’t about the camera – it’s about the person behind the camera. Someone may have the best camera in the world, but the photos will still be low quality if they don’t know how to take a great shot. Wedding photography is definitely not just point-and-shoot.
You want someone who knows how to get the best out of their camera. Someone who has experience shooting in different lighting conditions, composing different shots and producing different styles. A photographer with this skill and experience will give you consistently great photos throughout the day rather than one or two decent ones.
A mobile phone does a lot of computational and computer trickery once the photo is taken (i.e. it edits the photo for you once you press the shutter button). So the photo is decent enough for most people as a snapshot.
In contrast, proper cameras (e.g. DSLRs, mirrorless) only capture what they see, and it’s the photographer’s job to turn the photo into something you can display on your wall. This is a skill in itself, and takes years of practice, courses, and trial and error to learn.
2. You can leave a professional photographer to just get on with it
A professional photographer knows what they’re doing throughout the entire process. They know what they need to do before the wedding, including planning, meetings and discussions with your other wedding vendors.
They also know where to be and what to do during the wedding, and then how to edit and deliver the images after the wedding. So you can leave them to it and trust that you’ll end up with amazing photos.
3. You will feel at ease with a professional photographer
Not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera, and no couple wants to ruin their gorgeous shots by looking awkward or even unhappy! A professional photographer photographs and interacts with people for a living, so they have many tips and tricks to help you feel at ease during group and individual posed shots.
This ensures that your photos will look natural and joyous, rather than stiff and awkward with fake smiles. This professional skill could be worth its weight in gold.
4. A professional photographer has contingencies in place
Risk management is another benefit of hiring a professional photographer. They won’t rely on just one piece of equipment to work perfectly on the day. A full-time photographer won’t let you down and always has a plan B.
They always have back-up equipment, such as a second camera, lots of memory cards, and many, many lenses. They also back up all their images (and have back-ups of back-ups!). A professional leaves nothing to chance.
5. One day, one chance
This is your only wedding day; you won’t get another chance to get it right. And, as the years go by, your wedding photos will be the best way to remember the little details of the day.
Just flipping through them will let you relive your special day over and over again. So the photos must reflect how amazing your wedding day was.
Wedding photography isn’t an expense – it’s an investment. When you look at it that way, it’s actually a very good deal! Contact me to find out more or discuss your own wedding.
Thank you for reading my 5 reasons to hire a professional wedding photographer, All photos taken at Hillstone St Lucia.
