“Don’t hire a professional wedding photographer,” says Facebook. Are they right?
“Don’t hire a professional wedding photographer,” says Facebook. Are they right?
I was asked recently what my response is to Facebook suggesting that brides do not hire a professional photographer for their wedding. I totally understand where they are coming from. I mean everyone has a camera these days, whether on their phone or even nicer so why not just ask your guests to take a bunch of photos so you can remember your day? First of all, there is nothing wrong with this, in fact I encourage brides to have their guests take photos, but there should also be a professional photographer there too and here’s why…
- Your guests are there to see you get married and when they take photos, they are taking them for themselves and usually of themselves, not you. A professional is there to give 100% of their focus to you so they can capture the entire story of your day.
- Photography is an art and requires skill. While it is possible to capture a few great images on your phone, a professional will provide amazing images from start to finish and your images will all have a consistent style and feel.
- Professionals know how to make you look your very best. They know what lenses, angles and camera settings will work best to capture the moment. Plus, if you want any formal images the professional will know how to direct you and pose you to get great portraits.
- Camera phones are great for capturing FB sized images, but what if you want to print out the images? Usually you can only print a 4×6 or smaller from a camera phone. What if the one perfect shot of you and your fiancé can only be printed small and you want a big canvas print? A pro will be able to provide you with beautifully retouched prints any size you want.
- What happens if you stumble into difficult lighting? Most people greatly rely on their camera to choose the best camera settings. If you are in a dark reception hall will your guests know how to get good images? Will they rely on their cameras to do the work resulting in bright flash where your dress is ultra blown out and you have red eye or will they turn off the flash and be okay with a slow shutter and a lot of motion blur? A professional will know how to make you look great in any lighting condition.
While there is nothing wrong with having your guests take photos throughout your day, keep in mind that you will probably not get the images that you really want. And even if you do get a few good ones, will you actually get the files from your friends? Will they be big enough file sizes to print from? Do you really want your guests focused on taking photos of you rather than celebrating with you?
Your photos are the number one way that you will remember your wedding day for the rest of your life. After investing time, energy and a lot of money into this one special day, why wouldn’t you invest in a professional photographer to capture every moment of it?
