The number one regret of couples after the wedding is not investing more money in photography.
Planning a wedding is a daunting task that often comes with a shockingly high price tag. Of course, our natural reaction as humans is to start looking for places to cut costs and bring the overall number down, but here are some tips to consider before cutting your photography budget in favor of hiring an amateur photographer to capture your wedding day memories.
Legitimate Business
A professional photographer has invested thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, in quality equipment, software, training, and continuing education. They should also have a legal business entity (most likely an LLC) to protect their personal property, insurance to cover their equipment in the case of an accident, and contracts in place that outline what you can expect from them, what you’re paying for and what will happen in the event that they have to cancel a week before the wedding because of some unforeseen event.
Experience
An amateur photographer won’t necessarily know the timing of events during your wedding, what shots to take, or what moments are most important which puts more pressure and work on the couple to ensure they get the shots they want. An experienced wedding photographer will have a standard shot list and work with you to go over the day of timeline to determine every moment you and your fiance would like captured.
Professionals also have experience in how to use poses, angles, and lighting to enhance their bride’s best features and hide the imperfections. Wedding photographers also have to learn how to capture great shots quickly, sometimes with fast changing light and with your guests moving in an out of their shot line randomly.
When going through photos after the wedding, couples are often surprised at the many funny and moving moments the photographer captured that they never witnessed. An amateur isn’t going to know how to capture them, or if they do, they may struggle with the changing light conditions or movement of your guest. Those are some of the best photos that come out of shooting a wedding, but you’ll never know what you’ve missed if you don’t have someone who knows how to shoot them.
Professionalism
It may take a special mixture of tact, assertiveness and humor to wrangle any grumpy family members into spot for that family photo you’ve been dreaming of. A professional photographer will even have other tricks up their sleeve that may even get them to smile!
A professional photographer won’t show up to your wedding in inappropriate attire or get in the way of the other professionals who are trying to do their job.
Another thing to consider is that a wedding photographer is only as good as their last wedding, and their reputation is on the line with every shoot they do. They tend to be one of the most visible vendors during your wedding since they are present and moving around a lot. A professional is very aware of their surroundings, how they’re interacting with the couple and their guests, and most importantly when they need to ask someone to move so they can get that shot that is so important to the couple.
Unfortunately, it’s not until AFTER the wedding that most couples truly realize that when the wedding is over, all you have left are your photographs. Your wedding day only happens once- make sure you hire a wedding photographer who gets it right.
We just happen to have a list of some of our favorite professional wedding photographers in our vendor directory! Be sure to check them out.
Recommended Posts
One thought on “3 Reasons Why Hiring an Amateur Photographer Is a Huge Mistake”
3 Reasons Why Hiring an Amateur Photographer Is a Huge Mistake – Texoma Bride Guide
[…] Continue reading on Texoma Bride Guide > […]
Comments are closed.