This is a good question that is on the minds of many soon-to-be couples, and deserves an honest answer. There are several reasons why I would never
recommend having a friend shoot your wedding:
#1 It's your special day! Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime special day that is irreplaceable. You will never have this opportunity again
to capture such precious memories.
#2 Professional equipment! A qualified professional will use pro-grade equipment when shooting your wedding. When you see their cameras and
equipment, you know they are professionals. Most amateurs do not have the lenses, flashes and equipment capable of providing you with the higher
quality photos under many circumstances. It would take thousands of dollars to get the minimum setup that I use at each wedding, not considering backup
equipment.
#3 Experience and skill! A skilled photographer will have many weddings worth of experience, while a friend may only have one or two... or no
experience with weddings at all. One of the things with wedding photography is that you must be prepared to adapt to almost anything, and I can tell
you from experience, sometimes you are thrown odd ball circumstances that would literally cripple an amateur photographer and completely ruin your
precious photos. He or she may take good pictures around the house, but what if they were put in a difficult lighting situation that would require
skills and knowledge to work around? Would they be prepared to adapt and make the best out of the situation, or would they be caught in an unfortunate
scenario that could ruin your photos?
#4 Backup equipment! What would happen if your photographer tripped and his camera fell 4 feet down on a hardwood floor... completely
destroying the camera, lens, flash and possibly the photos? Most amateurs do not have two high quality SLR cameras and an array of lenses to fall back
on, should anything happen. A good professional photographer will always be equipped with a complete backup set of equipment
#5 Quality photographs! Having experience, skill and the right equipment, a professional photographer is in a much better position to capture
your memories with high quality photographs. Your precious memories can last a lifetime, so why settle for less than the best in preserving those
memories?
#6 Let your friend or family member socialize! While it is awfully nice of a friend to shoot your wedding, it will tie their hands from
freely socializing at your event. They will be busy working, when your other friends and family will be enjoying the special day.
#7 Who will do the post-processing? I'm not talking about developing or printing the photos, I'm talking about sitting down and going through
each picture to make sure it is up to quality standards before sending them to print. This can take hours, especially if the photographer is
inexperienced and is not used to turning out perfect pictures the first time. Will you do this? Will your friend do this? A professional photographer
will naturally go through your photos before handing them over to you.
#8 Procedures and regulations: I am amazed at how many people aren't aware of the common rules that are in place for a professional wedding
photographer at many churches. For example, many times you will get in trouble with the priest or minister if you use a flash, come down the isle to
get closer for ring shots, or even go along side the church to get various angles. A professional is aware of details of this nature and will help you
ensure that everything goes smoothly.
#9 A trained assistant: Many professional wedding photographers have an assistant. An assistant relieves the photographer
from having to set up all the portraits. My assistant does an outstanding job at arranging everything, which allows me to focus on taking the best
pictures. Furthermore, everything goes much smoother when a knowledgeable assistant is available to help out with all the details.
#10 Professional and discreet: A good wedding photographer will usually position himself in areas that are not highly noticeable and yet can
capture great shots. There are times when even some photographers will literally make themselves the center of attention while trying to get in on the
action. This is not professional nor curious. A photographer should be as unseen as possible, yet be capable of capturing great shots at the same time.
This is one of my standard goals at any wedding!
You can never re-shoot your wedding pictures... once they are taken, they are final! If you can afford a photographer, then I would never recommend
taking chances with your priceless wedding photos. My assistant and I would be honored to help capture your precious memories in a professional and
curious fashion! Boldt Photography serves Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Mackinaw City, Leelanau, Mackinac Island, and the entire Northern Lower
Michigan area.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!
Wedding Photographer?
