Today I’m introducing a new blog series all about weddings! My hope is that these posts will answer some of your most asked wedding questions and be a great resource for my brides. Today I’m starting with a pretty basic, but very important question.
“Everyone has a nice camera nowadays… Why should I invest in a professional wedding photographer?”
While it is true that your iPhone camera is probably better than my first digital camera was, there are so many reasons why professional photography is irreplaceable!
A professional photographer knows how to handle a wedding day.
Weddings are unique in that there are so many different aspects to the day. In fact that’s one of the main reasons I love weddings so much. I get to shoot details, candid portraits, posed portraits, and take a documentary style during the ceremony and reception events. It allows me to use so many different skill sets and keeps me on my toes. For that exact reason, weddings can be very difficult to capture! A wedding photographer is really a portrait photographer and photojournalist rolled into one, and has to be great at filling both roles!
With the different elements of the wedding day, there are also very different lighting situations. Outdoor, or natural light, is very different to photograph than indoor light. On most wedding days, you’ll be faced with both. A professional photographer knows when and how to use flash, and also knows how to maximize natural light to create beautiful and flattering images.
Wedding days can be very stressful. Whether hair and makeup ran late, the groom lost his tie, or the flowers got delivered to the wrong location, there are so many ways that a wedding day timeline can fall behind. As the photographer, it is my job to figure out where to make up any time that we lose. I have the experience and knowledge to be able to rearrange the schedule if I need to, while still making sure that you’ll get the best light for portraits. This brings me to my next point…
A professional photographer is prepared for everything.
You probably don’t realize it, but when you hire a wedding photographer, you’re also hiring a timeline manager, boutonniere pinner, hair/makeup retoucher, and more! Your wedding photographer will spend more time with you on your wedding day than even your future spouse! So when you need an extra hand to carry the bouquets, we’re here to help. When you can’t remember how to pin up the bustle of your dress, we’ve got you covered. When you’re not sure how many buttons should be done on your jackets, we know the answer.
A professional photographer is also prepared for any technical glitches that could happen throughout the day. I always have at least one backup camera with me, just in case something goes wrong with my main camera on a wedding day. I also record multiple copies of each image as I’m shooting so that if one of my memory cards malfunctions I won’t loose the images. You only get one shot at wedding images, and as a professional, I do everything in my power to make sure I don’t miss a thing!
Now for the most important reason why you should invest in a professional wedding photographer…
Your wedding photos are the only thing you’ll have left of your wedding day after it’s over.
When you all is said and done and you come home from your honeymoon, you’ll be left with two things: the vows that you made to each other, and your wedding photos. Your dress will get packed away; your cake and the delicious food will have been eaten; the flowers will have wilted; your friends and family will have gone home. You’ll start to settle into your new life as a married couple (which will be better than you even imagined it would be), and time will start to move faster and faster. You’ll get busy learning how to live as husband and wife and will spend your time dreaming of your future together (a house, children, maybe a dog). Then one day, a year later or maybe more, you’ll want to pause and remember the day it all began. You’ll pull out your wedding album or point to a frame on the wall and will be transported back to the moment you said “I do.” You’ll be reminded of the small details (the perfume you wore and the feel of the fabric of your dress) and the big moments (your first kiss as husband and wife, how your brother’s toast made everyone cry). You’ll remember the care and attention you put into every detail of your wedding day and will be reminded to put the same care and attention into the marriage you have built.
That is the power of a photograph.
It’s not just the capturing of images, it’s the capturing of emotions. It’s the preservation of moments. It’s the creation of memories to be shared with generations to come.
And that is always worth investing in.
