Are you making a big mistake by hiring an amateur Photographer for your wedding?

I had a friend email me about this topic and I have to say I could not stop writing about it.

Before I became a professional wedding photographer I was a bride myself and like everyone out there I had a budget. I wish someone had talk to me about the importance of hiring professional photographer. Don't get me wrong my cousin ( who is a journalist ) did an excellent job with the candid photojournalist moments,  but I wish I had ONE ! portrait of me and my husband that I really loved. 

So if you are thinking of saving some money by hiring an amateur photographer please read this and then make your decision.

#1 You get what you pay for.

In photography this is specially true. Photographers who charge very low prices or nonprofessionals (friend with a nice expensive camera) invest less into their equipment, in their education, which means the quality of their work and service will be a less than ideal. 

They don’t need to charge more, because :

•  they don’t have the expenses of a legitimate business.
•  they are not insured or have back up equipment in case their camera breaks
•  they do not have the means to pay another photographer to cover for them, if for some reason they get sick or can’t show up to your wedding.

#2 You become their guinea pig

They are looking for couples that don’t mind the results, because they are getting paid so little. 

The truth is a lot of amateurs market themselves at very low prices to practice their craft. Is not that they are lazy or they don’t want to work hard but they can’t guarantee results because they don’t have the expertise. 

Do you really want someone to practice their photography in one of the most important days of your live?

#3 They can’t be a trusted advisers, because they are not experts.

Weddings are notorious events that never go exactly as planned, I would say you are more likely to win the lottery than have everything go with out any problems, so is okey to expect and plan for a few hassles along the way.

Photographers need to follow the timeline you have with the venue and even help you plan one long before the wedding day. This way you can have enough time for formal portraits with your bridal party, family and all the other important moments you request.

 If you hire someone who just is showing up and snapping nice pictures, they will not be able to prepare ahead of time and help you plan.

#4  Unique special moments come and go in a seconds.

 Photographers have to be very familiar with every important part of your wedding event and be prepared to take the photograph at the right time and right camera settings, because you can’t replicate those moments. 

Do you really want to replicate your fist kiss? All because the photographer’s flash did not go off or his memory card was full. Replicating it would be more like your second kiss right?

Bride and her father having a special moment is priceless

#5 They will be with you at all times during the wedding

 The photographer is the only vendor that will be with you that day more than your future husband.
 Photographers also will have to interact with your closest family and friend, be there at the most intimate moments and if he or she looks like they don’t know what they are doing, looks stressed or is being obnoxious to guest with cameras, this will make you and your guest very uncomfortable and it will show in your photographs recorded forever!

#6 Special moments are capture in mundane way

A professional photographer can transform the most mundane and challenging of conditions in to amazing photographs.  

A great photographer can make a budget wedding look elegant and charming.

We know how to work in all kinds of conditions. Just to name a few common ones:

• Bride is getting ready, is usually in a room full of chaos and in small hotel room. 
• A very dark church were no flash photography is allowed
• After the ceremony you come out to contrast sunlight at noon, causing everyone to squint. 
• You did not have a huge budget to get amazing decor but you want it to look nice never the less. 

These are very common situations in which experience professionals are prepared and know how to handle to capture amazing photographs. 
  

This wedding was not in a big venue, it was in the brides mother's home you could not capture a first dance so intimate and beautiful without knowing how to work the room to make the moment look amazing. 

The best advice I can give you, is that when it comes to budgets, you put priority on the things that are really important to you. And hopefully now you know how important photography can be on your wedding day.

Hope this helps :)

-Mariana

To see more of my work visit my website www.marianafeely.com 
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