Friends do not let your friends cut corners with their wedding photographer. In this digital photography era, despite all the horror stories that have piled up over the years, engaged couples are falling into the trap of having a friend or family member photograph their big day, more than ever. That may work out, if the friend or family member is an experienced wedding photographer, but if he or she has no wedding photography experience, the newlyweds have a good chance of becoming greatly disappointed, forever.
Wedding photography is a specialized field. What makes weddings more difficult to photograph than almost anything else is the frenetic pace of a wedding day and fact that it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. There is no trial and error with photographing weddings. There are no do-overs. That’s why many professional photographers choose not to photograph weddings. If many professional photograhers don’t feel up to the task of photographing a wedding, how can anyone feel comfortable with someone with no professional experience at all? Even if he or she does have some pro experience, you should still think twice, before using them. You wouldn’t hire a brain surgeon to operate on your foot would you?
I once had a friend, who was a portrait photographer. One day she was all excited and could not wait to tell me, that a customer of hers asked her to photograph her daughter’s wedding. My friend had never even assisted on wedding, let alone photograph one, entirely on her own. While I admired her spirit, as a friend, I felt compelled to express my misgivings. She decided to book the job anyway. She told me not to worry, that she knew what she was getting into and that she was one-hundred percent confident and up for the challenge. When I saw her later that evening, her face was beet red and her tongue was tied. When she stopped staring into the outer limits and finally came to speak, she said, “I should have listened to you. I tried to bite off way more than I could chew.” Then, she turned and asked, “How in the world do you do that?”
Sadly, if I had a dime for every time I heard similar sad stories of someone that tried to cut corners with their wedding photographer, I could probably buy a new piece of photo equipment. From the stories I have heard, many couples drift astray, with their fingers crossed and the hope of saving a few bucks. Other couples, who have the means, take this wrong turn, because they do not fully appreciate how specialized wedding photography truly is.
I have people in my own family that made this mistake. The first wedding I ever photographed was for someone in my immediate family. Mind you, I did not serve in the capacity of being the designated wedding photographer, but, as a novice getting his feet wet, snapping a few candid photos here and there. The designated photographer was actually a friend of theirs, whom they were certain would come through with the goods. Was he a wedding photographer? No. Did it end well? No. They rarely, if *ever, do. (*At first, I was going to use the word ‘never’, as I have actually never heard of one that did. However, the law of averages suggest that maybe, somewhere, at some point, in this vast world of ours, one did. If anyone can claim to have heard of such a story, every attempt should be made to verify it first. If the story indeed turns out to be the whole truth, it would be tantamount to winning the lottery, in which case the lucky couple should schedule a press conference.)
After seeing the results of the images, or the lack there of, the disappointed newlyweds told me, they were much happier with the stuff I took, which came as a surprise, because what I did was not very substantial, at all. That experience influenced my desire to become a wedding photographer. It occurred during the time of film, when photography was perceived to be more difficult, which it was. Today, no doubt, digital photography has made photography easier for amateurs and professionals, alike, which, unfortunately, has had the undesirable effect of only adding to the problem.
Sure, digital photography has made photography easier, that cannot be denied, but photographing a wedding is still not for amateurs nor anyone other than a professional wedding photographer. It is true that anyone can take picture, just like anyone can swing a baseball bat. “So and so takes great pictures. Let’s have him photograph the wedding.” Wrong! Standing in a batting cage for twenty minutes, hitting slow pitches, is much different than trying to hit a major league fastball at ninety-five miles per hour, during an actual major game, when the crowd is screaming and the pressure is on. In this game you cannot get them next time. You cannot strike out.
So please, be a friend to your friends. If you are an aspiring wedding photographer, pay your dues first. At the very least, you need to be an assistant to a wedding photographer, for a year, before attempting to photograph anyone’s dream day. Do not lull your friends or let them be lulled by other friends to cut corners with their wedding photographer. I understand that money can be an issue for some couples. If that is the case, I am not advocating that anyone should put themselves in financial difficulty. However, before they roll the dice, you should have them check out my prices first. I’m not the only reasonably priced photographer in town, but if you begin to seek early enough, you will find.
Since I wrote this peice, I have cut back on my wedding photography services. I am no longer available to photograph weddings beyond two to two and a half hours. The reason for that is to concentrate more on my services as a portrait and headshot photographer.
Have a blessed wedding and come to me if you need updated headshots for your professional profile.
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