Why have a professional wedding photographer, when phones take great pictures? Why would anyone pay $1000s for a professional photographer? After all, anyone can take a photo, right? Just DIY. This line of thinking is completely understandable, but it does not take into consideration the value of the end product. Your wedding day is a one time shot (literally). You don’t get a redo. A professional will capture the spectacular photos of your special day. The DIY method may result in missed moments.
Imagine this (because it will happen): You ask your guests to take photos throughout your special day on their phones (or consumer cameras). You then ask them to send you the photos after the wedding. What do you get? Using the DIY method, you will be lucky to get 40-50 photos sent to you by family and friends. These photos will likely be small file sizes with limited editing ability (JPEG vs RAW). You will try to edit the photos (if you have the proper editing software), but you will notice that you don’t have the ability to raise the shadows and to reduce the highlights as much as you would like. You will have the ability to crop your photos to reduce some of the clutter in the photo; however, cropping a photo reduces the size of the file ever further and limits your ability to create a large print. Basically, the file size will limit your ability to display that special photo on your wall; it will likely be fine for sharing on social media. Be aware that family and friends may not know how to compose a photo; therefore, it might not be the type of photo you would want in your wedding album (i.e. an audience member's head takes up half of the frame during “the kiss”).
If your friends and family take your wedding photos, they will not be able to “be in the moment”. They will be distracted by trying to take the photos that they wish to take on your behalf. Some will be obsessed with trying to take photos. Envision that the couple is getting ready to kiss during the ceremony. Everyone knows a picture of the kiss is critical to capture. Under the DIY model, this special moment will include many guests holding up their phones to take pictures! The resulting photos will look like this: It will be an aisle shot with the couple kissing. The guests are inherently a part of this epic photo. Under the DIY method, the ultimate picture will include all of the guests holding up their phones to get the picture. When you hire a professional photographer, guests are asked to not take photos during the ceremony for this very reason. No one wants to look at photos with everyone holding up cell phones!
Also under the DIY model, some couples will have a different issue. It is common for guests to completely forget about taking photos, especially during some important moments. If you are okay with miscellaneous photos sent to you via text, without photographic storytelling and only a limited number of photos, then the DIY model is fine. Most of the photos will be enjoyable to view once or twice, but the end result won’t be worthy of a wedding album or wall art. Digital photos will live and die on your electronic device. Be honest with yourself…how many photos taken on your phone have been printed? Most will answer “none”. With a professional photographer, the photographer looks at each scene and envisions the printed product (i.e. album or wall art). Ultimately, you will want an album and a piece of wall art. Having the ability to revisit your special wedding day on anniversaries or with your children is priceless. A professional wedding photographer knows how to capture storytelling images. I'll discuss storytelling in a later blog.
DIY wedding photography will likely not result in the epic photos that you envision or that you see on Instagram, Facebook or other social media. These photos will live in the digital world only. Do you want classic photos to share with the future generations of your family? If yes, then you need to hire a professional photographer. Build photography into your budget. It is just as important as selecting your venue.
I hope you have a beautiful and joyous wedding day! If you have any questions, you may contact me at the following:
Kim Wood Photography
719-480-8760
kimwoodphotography.com
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