To want a professional wedding photographer?

[Paintinmyhair]

We have a family friend (hi dp if you are reading this!). The family friend has insisted that her dp does the wedding photography. He is an amateur photographer, and likes to play with his camera. He does some good shots. However, there are a lot of things he isn't comfortable with doing, eg. wedding prep photo's, photo's of dp before the ceremony and photo's of us alone. Dp agrees with him and doesn't want these, but I do. Dp will never look at the photo's again, I will, so think my feelings should rule on this (especially as I look shocking in all photo's, so need to feel "safe" in my photographers' hands).

Said friend is v clingy, and dp, her dp and I are the only guests she knows, so she will be there. All the time. She is very clingy day to day anyway, so will monopolise everything if the three of us are together.

I feel stupid, as the "real" photographer is £600 more, and dp thinks it is a waste. Why am I being so pathetic about this?

I have a couple of good friends who are decent amateurs. One had done one friend's wedding before. We told both of them that we really liked their photographs and could they take some photos at the wedding and give them to us as a wedding gift. Both did. One took it really seriously and bought all his kit, one took a few photos on her iphone (although to be fair, some of these were good shots). We had a professional photographer too, as we told both friends that we wanted them to be able to enjoy the day and e.g. not spend the entire dinner running around taking pictures of others.

This worked really well. The pro photographer's pics are by far the best. However, some of the amateur ones are really good too. And it took a couple of months for the pro to get us the photos as he needed to edit them/select the best ones. We asked the other two (and anyone else who took a lot of photos) to upload them all into a dropbox account online straight after the wedding. This meant we could pick a couple of them to go on our thank you cards and didn't have to wait ages to get them out.

Maybe you could try the "but we want you to enjoy the day" line with your friends? For us, it we said it simply because we wanted them to enjoy the day (if you are spending a few thousand on a party that's a good thing!) but it might work here too!

OP - really bad idea not to choose a photographer whose work you've assessed and trust.

Photographing a wedding well is a really skilled job - I have a friend who's a professional photographer (not specialising in weddings) and he sometimes does them as favours for friends but actually hates being asked because it's so difficult - he's up to it skill wise, but there's a lot of pressure to get it right.

Dh and I have been married many years, have a wedding photo on the wall and have fairly often pulled out the photos to show family and friends over the years. If you're not happy with yours, you'll always regret it - stand firm and make your own decision. Show your fiance this thread too!

DP is a photographer but isn't most comfortable doing weddings. If he does any of our friends as a favour he always insists that they get a wedding photographer as well.

What DP likes is not necessarily 'classic' wedding photos so I think it's the best of both worlds!

Also, THINK OF THE MOTHERS!

All the parents wanted some of our pictures. They will be so disappointed if you are blinking in all of them....

My friend relied on the promises of certain mates to take photos - mates then got pissed v early on and she has virtually no wedding photos and those that she does have are pretty poor. Not saying you will be similarly let down but I would definitely get a back-up of some sort.

I worked as a wedding photographer for a while. It can be pretty stressful.

Choose someone who is registered with a professional body eg BIPP and INSURED!

I always used to say, the wedding is a day, the photographs are for a lifetime...invest wisely.

Remind your husband to be that the dress, cake, venue etc costs a huge amount of money, you need your photographs to bring out the very best of the day.

A friend who got married 2 weeks ago had disposable cameras, they aren't as ubiquitous as they used to be, but people still do it, and it can be quite fun.

If your dh is quibbling about the cost of a photographer I would definitely not bother with the cost of disposables and printing, it soon mounts up and is very hit and miss

But as so many people have digital cameras or camera phones put something in the order of service to say that you'd love to see as many photos as possible and set up a dropbox facility with all the details in it. Also refer to it again in the speeches and have slips of paper with the details on for people to take away with them. If you have someone really handy with tech stuff who wouldn't mind you could even have a laptop there so people could download photos before you go.

I'd also recommend letting a snap happy 5yr old loose with a digital camera - ds1 snaffled my camera several times at the last wedding we went to. And whilst I am sure the bride and groom probably weren't that interested in the 100+ shots of different bits of carpet, rugs, stairs and pictures on the wall there were also some very funny and quirky ones too that gave a different perspective from the usual wedding shots (not least as lots of them are at bum height) :o

YANBU.

Just book it.

You also need a very detailed list eg us and parents us and aunty, us and friends etc.

Make a checklist to tick off you will not remember on the day, i promise you that.

Tidy DH to be cuticles, for the ring shots. Make sure photoshopping is free and stand in front of all group shots to make sure your happy with them.

You cant be to organised here, you will be annoyed if you miss something and you cant go back to do it again!.

Just. Say. No.

They're not offering a freebie then? "the "real" photographer is £600 more"
He's obviously got some confidence in his skill.
But to not want to take pictures of you and your DH alone? eh? You want pictures of you both together. If he's going to charge (even if it's cheap) he's got to be doing what you, his client, wants.

I actually didn't want a professional photographer at my wedding. But each to their own. If you do and have the budget, you should book someone you're happy with.

thats only regret i have about my wedding day, that was last month.

friends and family did a pretty good job at the photos, don't get me wrong but there isn't a nice one of me, dh and dc.

It's not just about the photos, it's about making you feel comfortable, listening to what you want, corralling relatives, keeping an eye on the clock, liaising with the venue etc. Also a good professional will make you look stunning!

No, no, no - the photos are how you remember your day, it's so important. And it is NOT an easy job - just because your friend has taken some good pictures in the past in no way qualifies him for a big job like this. You have to have pro kit (which costs thousands upon thousands of pounds), a backup camera, basic stuff like tons of CFs and spare batteries, insurance for your kit and the job, public liability insurance, additional lighting and the knowledge of how to use it subtly, or for dramatic effect, the ability and equipment to work in the most challenging of lighting situations. You have to be good with people, work with the couple, scope out the venue, have a shot list for groups and the ability to arrange them well. The couple have to have a rappore (sorry, spelling!) with their photographer. A pro simulaneously works out the lighting, composition, posing, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed they need for the shot they want to get. Hundreds of times throughout the day, with very little thinking time. You need to be on the ball, these moments simply do not reoccur. And then there's the editing, which takes longer than the job itself.... It is NOT just point and shoot. Are you really putting yourself forward to be his experiment in "can I do weddings?" Because to be honest, if he's "uncomfortable" with half the shots one can reasonably expect from a wedding photog he sounds like he has NO IDEA about modern wedding photography, and couldn't care less.

Sorry to be harsh but there it is! If he wants portfolio experience I'd suggest he is more than welcome to take his camera along, but decline the offer to be primary shooter. And fyi, if he's trying to charge you with zippo wedding experience it's a bit cheeky imho! Aspiring photographers generally second shoot until they're sufficently experienced, skilled and equipped.

If it's a money issue though I totally understand your dp's reluctance. There are ways and means though of getting better photos on a budget than I suspect you'll end up with here (sorry, I sound a bit harsh here but his lack of confidence really is ringing warning bells...) but yeah. Rambling now. Bed! Lol.

There are only two things worth really investing in for a wedding (IMO): the music - because it determines so much of the atmosphere - and the pictures, because they are the only part of the wedding that you will still be looking at years later. Listen to all the posters and go for the professional. You will never be able to fix it if your amateur messes up - and c'mon, it sounds like he's going to mess up, doesn't it?

The other thing is that as well as your list of shots you want you need to detail two ushers to be helping round people ip, preferably one from each side.

One needs to be looking after the people needed for the next shot, so they are ready to walk straight in when they finish the previous one. Nothing more frustrating than wasting time waiting around while one person has wandered off. The other usher (or trusted friend etc) needs to be herding the people needed for the next shot after that. If you have one from each side then they can swap over half way through so that they can do it more efficiently as they know who great aunt hetty or old uncle bill are.

You also need to get the vicar/registrar and the photographer to say that this is what you are doing otherwise you can find that you end up spending much to long taking all the photos that you want. And remember to watch out for aunty Edith getting the photographer to take 'a few nice shots of our family' as some photographers say they will show you the best 200 photos for £xx or best 400 for £xxxxx. Plus it means that they might be missing out on nice wedding moments you might want photos of. It sounds a bit mean and not too bad if one person does it but invariably then others do too and off it spirals and suddenly s/he's done it for 15 families or groups and a big chunk of time has gone.

Re the group shots, zipzap is absolutely right. Also, from a guest's pov there is nothing more dull than jumping in and out for a gazillion different groups and then hanging around for an hour or two with nothing to do while the bride and groom disappear for their photoshoot. By which I mean, I am an advocate of restricting shot lists to no more than about half a dozen groups, and parking everyone with a nice cuppa, bikkie and somewhere to sit if you're dissappearing for pix. Or even doing them after dinner (in the summer, light's usually better later in the day anyway.)

if you want a professional, get a professional

you wont get another chance to take the pics (until your next wedding anyway ;) )

Get the professional for all the formal wedding shots, and ask the friend's partner to run around snapping at the reception, particularly the evening do as most profs charge extra for that. Everybodys happy!

If my fiancé even suggested this I'd laugh in his FACE.

This is going to be a long ramble BUT -

A wedding goes by SO fast for the couple, you want something lovely to remember it by so the photos are very important (or they are to me).

You want nicely lit/flattering photos of you and your bridesmaids getting ready (this was my friend's fave part of the day bar the actual ceremony at her wedding), you want nice photos of flowers/decor to show the vibe of the place, you want nicely lit photos of all your friends and family and most of all, you want lovely photos of you as a couple together which you will display/treasure forever. This isn't always easy for an amateur to pull off.

You want the post production to be good on them too (ie to improve the colours/lighting/remove blemishes if needed). Can he do all that to a professional standard?

Imagine taking photos at a friend's wedding and being the only "official" photographer.. imagine the pressure and the worry that you would fuck it up.. I know I'd be a nervous wreck.. NO NO NO. If he's already saying he won't do some of the things you want, I guarantee you won't get what you want out of the photos!

A photographer at a wedding not only needs to be wonderful at photography but also at making a couple feel relaxed and happy in the photos (takes some practice and natural charm!) as lots of people feel uncomfortable in such a posey situation and this can lead to awful photos.. and they need to also be good with the guests at large.

Get the professional for god's sake!! Get this friend to take "extra" shots if they're so keen to be involved.

Get the professional. (But check his portfolio first!) I love our professional photos, whether they are formal group shots or the informal shots, they are all lovely, the people in them are happy and it gives me wonderful memories. Looking at them makes me feel happy and nostalgic.

We also has a friend who fancied himself as a photographer - he showed up with his camera, took a lot of photos and gave us an album of them as a wedding present. They are awful. Many are "artistically" blurry, they are mostly of the people he knows, and all the photos of me and my family look horrible. Looking at them depresses me.

A good photographer is absolutely worth getting.

Perhaps show your DP this thread?