Why should you hire a professional wedding photographer?

Wedding photographers can cost anything from a few hundred pounds to many thousands

of pounds, with lots of differing packages and options. With the latest smartphones also

having amazing technology allowing relative amateurs to take great pictures, there has been

an increased tendency to skip the professional and opt for the friend or family member to

capture your special day.

Apart from the cost saving though, what advantage is there in using a friend or family

member?

Well, familiarity is probably the most common reason; you know them, you get on with

them, your guests probably know them too and as such everyone may be more comfortable

in front of their camera.

While this may be true, this choice comes with many more pitfalls!

I’m sure that most family members will have at least attended a wedding as a guest before,

and perhaps have some idea as to what a day looks like. Indeed, you also, as the bride or

groom, will probably have been a guest to someone else’s wedding. However, what a guest

sees during their day is probably only a small proportion of what they know, and often they

have only one perspective; that of a spectator.

The first reason you hire a professional is experience: They will typically have seen countless

weddings, in lots of locations, from the simple to the flamboyant, and from the small and

intimate to the large and extravagant. They will have seen emotion, including of course

great happiness, but also sadness, frustration and even fear.

This experience means that a professional is more likely to be able to deal with a situation.

They will have been behind the scenes, seen people at their most vulnerable, and be able to

use this to offer support, reassurance, and comfort.

A professional is more than just a photographer; they are also very often, the one person

who will share your day from beginning to end, and someone you therefore need to rely on.

Our experience has seen such things as dresses turning up late, wedding rings disappearing,

wardrobe malfunctions, members of the wedding party going missing, spillages, damages,

fainting… even groom’s going off shopping! We have experienced virtually every possible

weather condition, from extreme’s of temperature, bright sunshine, to snow, rain and even

Storm Dennis!

Because of our experience, we are very adaptable, and can cope with everything (so far)

that has been thrown at us.

Damage limitation is the next reason… so what can go wrong and how do we deal with it?

The one thing often that no one thinks of is what if a camera stops working? How many

friends and family members have a backup? What would they do?

What if weather or other events dictates that the order of the day needs to change? Are

they prepared for this.

Weddings are high pressure environments; your photographer is capturing many “once in a

lifetime” moments… there is only one “walk down the aisle”, “first sight” of your future

spouse, “first kiss”, or “first dance”. The surprise and emotion of a Father or Mother seeing

their Son or Daughter ready to get married is a moment to be cherished.

At Admiral Photography and Films, we plan, plan, plan! Having a plan means that if things go

wrong, we have something to fall back on. We only use professional grade camera gear; we

spend thousands on multiple pieces of equipment… these are the tools of our trade and get

carried with us at every wedding!

What about ill health or injury that may affect the photographer’s ability to cover your day?

What back up plan does your family member or friend have in such a circumstance?

Once more, we have a contingency plan due to there being two photographers in our

business. Even then, disasters can still occur, and because of our membership of a

professional trade body we have huge access to other professional photographer’s countrywide.

And finally, what about the photographs you will receive – Quality assurance

Many people think that a bright sunny day is a perfect condition in which to photograph,

however, bright sunshine brings harsh shadows! What if the position that a photograph

needs to be taken from means a shot straight toward the sun? Does your photographer

have the skills to deal with this?

As we have already alluded to, weather is unpredictable, and equally your photographer will

need to be adaptable and very capable to get “that shot”.

The skillset to produce high quality wedding photographs is often beyond that of most

amateurs. The problem is that a good quality set of professional images can often make it

look easier than it is and lul someone into that false sense of confidence.

Weddings are fast moving on occasions and only by knowing what happens and when, can

we anticipate the next big moment and be ready to capture it forever.

There have been many, many articles in the media about poor wedding images even to the

point of out of focus or blurred. Remember you only have one chance to get this right; why

spend thousands on a venue for the day, and skimp on the one record of the day that will

stay with you and your family forever?