In the world of weddings, you hear the conundrum time and time again – ‘should I book a professional wedding photographer or ask a friend to do it for free as a favour’? This immediately sets alarm bells ringing for anybody who has dealt with wedding couples over time and for many other brides and grooms who thought they could save some money on their wedding pictures – the most important memories of their big day!
Picture this: It’s two weeks after the wedding, your dress is packed, families have gone home and the beautiful first dance to Whitney Houston I Will Always Love You is but a distant memory. When the honeymoon tan has faded and all the talk of weddings has waned, you have something so special to look forward to – your wedding photos.
We’ve all heard the nightmares – your uncle’s camera looked so expensive and professional, yet all the photos came out underexposed or overexposed, and without any focus. Your head has been cut out of one picture, your husband of another and there’s none at all of you walking up the aisle or of your vows.
Amateur
The most common mistake a couple can make is booking a family friend or a weekend amateur to take the images of their big day. Friends and family have the best intentions in the world but are not professional photographers! Vincent O’Byrne, of Irish Professional Photographers Association (IPPA), says: "They [amateur photographers] are not equipped to deal with the many different issues that can arise on a wedding day i.e. light changes, bad weather, or a spare camera if one fails. Wedding couples sometimes fail to realise that after the wedding the photographs are all that there is. The meal and cake is eaten, the flowers have died, and dresses are packed away. A professional photographer is trained to capture all the special moments of the day. Form last moment preparations in the house, to the nervous groom outside the church, to the intimacy of the vows."
When the dust has settled and the tears have been shed, what’s left is very little to hold in your hands or to show the children and grandchildren. It’s sad to see so many couples unhappy with their wedding photos after putting so much time and effort into their big day, and what’s more, who is accountable for the chaos? This is why people look to professional wedding photographers.
Insurance
By ensuring that you are dealing with a professional photographer, you are giving yourself the peace of mind and added security of a professional service provided by a qualified photographer, who has insurance.
Another error is not budgeting properly for a photographer. Some couples see the price and not the images. Good wedding photography is not expensive it’s priceless. If you find that you do not have the budget for a photographer speak to them and they may be able to come to an arrangement, like giving you your images on a disc only or by capturing just half of the wedding day.
Things to look out for when booking a photographer:
Do you like the photographer’s style and previous work?
Make sure the photographer is a professional – look over their portfolio and have a look at their website, you can tell so much from other weddings they have captured.
Have they a good reputation? Check their testimonials and speak to other couples who have used them.
What equipment does the photographer have? Make sure they can deal with all of the elements, whether it’s an indoor or outdoor wedding, it’s on during the day or in the evening, it rains, pours or shines.
Ensure they are properly insured, so you will have something to fall back on if if anything goes wrong.
Find out what exactly is in your package.
Ask them for a total, final cost.
Anyone can own a high-end, digital camera, but not everyone can use them as intended. There’s also the horror stories of so-called photographers not turning up on the day, or not acting in a courteous and reasonable manner to you or your guests. Don’t be the devastated couple with albums that you have no images for or images that are of such poor quality you are ashamed to show them to anyone. Don’t live out your days in regret instead of wedded bliss. Book a professional wedding photographer.
Compiled by Amy Croffey
Main image by Lauren Brown Photography
