Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Could marrying your special someone be that reason? Regardless, your wedding is one of the greatest milestones in your life. Don’t leave those memories and images to anyone other than a professional.
Here are ten reasons why hiring a professional is the best thing you can do to insure lasting happy memories. It’s not all about price and equipment, it’s really about you.
- 1 – A Professional Is Much More Than Just a Photographer
On your wedding day, there is no person who will be spending more time with you than your photographer. From getting ready to your last dance, your photographer will be with you, observing you, directing you and collaborating with you. An experienced photographer will notice the details that will help make your day perfect. He or she will be able to guide you through your day based on their experiences. They are a stylist, a psychologist, and a confidant.
A good photographer is patient and can anticipate what will happen next. He or she can keep you calm and be flexible when things don’t go as planned. Yes they are masters of photography, but that should be almost secondary to being with you, being in the moment, and taking you through this special day.
- 2 – A Professional Will Help You Plan Your Day
Regardless of whether or not you have a wedding planner. Your photographer is the one person who is with you and can help you get through your day smoothly and joyfully. Your photographer will have ideas on where to go for photos and the time frame needed to create those images. By knowing things like how long your ceremony will take, how long it will take to receive guests, travel time to photo locations, dinner service plans, the band or DJ’s schedule, and if or when a first look is appropriate, your photographer will set a plan for your wedding that will help you enjoy it and get a set of beautiful images from which to remember your day.
- 3 – A Professional Photographer has Training and Experience
Great photography is more than just clicking the shutter button. It’s about how to see and capture light, how to pose people, and how to bring everything from the background to each detail together for that great shot. All of this also needs to be second nature so your photographer can be flexible and spontaneous to adapt to new lighting situations, new locations, and the many impromptu requests that arise during a wedding.
Great wedding photography comes not only from being a master of the craft of photography but being able to deal with all of the emotions and stress of a wedding. You don’t throw a party for a couple hundred or even a couple dozen people every day. There are emotions, schedules, personalities and a variety of unforeseen events that change the mood of your event. An experienced wedding photographer has been there and can guide you through your day and ensure you’re as relaxed as possible and looking your best for your photos.
- 4 – A Good Professional Looks Out for Your Best Interests
In many ways, a good wedding photographer is very much a wedding coordinator, and his or her opinion does matter. Why? Because the most important aspect of his or her job is to look out for your best interests. This is how they make their living. So when they tell you, “lift your chin,” or “bring your right shoulder forward, please,” it’s because they’ve honed their eye and don’t have to think twice about the minuscule adjustments that will make you look amazing.
- 5 – A Professional has Backups and Insurance
Having a plan B is not what most couples want to talk about. But a professional photographer has one. What if your photographer falls ill, their computer hard drive fails or their camera malfunctions? A professional will have a plan B. They will have associates to call upon, they will have backups of backups, and they will do whatever possible to serve you. A professional photographer will also not only carry an insurance policy, they will be your insurance for the wedding you planned.
- 6 – Your Professional Photographer Serves You and Your Guests
We’ve all heard the stories of an uncle or cousin, who promised to take wedding photos for you, missing or botching shots because they were too busy trying to enjoy themselves. Instead, give your family and friends the freedom to enjoy themselves and celebrate with you without being obligated to try and take photos. Your photographer is not only there to make your life easier but let everyone enjoy the party and capture them celebrating right along with you.
- 7 – A Professional Does Their Work So You Don’t Have To
Too many times we’ve heard how couples hire an amateur because that person takes a certain number of photos or gives you ALL of the photos. Part of a professional photographer’s work is to edit their images to best tell your wedding story. They have a vision and style, something you’ll see as you preview their portfolio. To get to those great shots they edit out the duplicates, misfires and unnecessary images to give you only the best. Do you really want to spend hours going through thousands of images to find the best ones? This is what a professional does. They also color balance, exposure balance and enhance each image so it is its best. They then present you with the best images that tell the story of your wedding and all you have to do is enjoy.
- 8 – A Professional Uses Professional Equipment – And More
Sure, anyone can purchase a nice or expensive camera. Only an experienced professional knows how to unlock its full potential and go beyond automatic settings. More importantly, they know how to compose and light the image in front of the camera. In the same way an artist uses a brush, a carpenter uses a hammer and a writer uses a pen, these are just tools, it’s how the person uses it that produces amazing creations.
You want someone who knows how to use the camera, who has the experience of taking photos in different light, different conditions, composing different shots and executing it perfectly. The camera doesn’t do this, the photographer does this and has developed their skill and knowledge through years of experience.
- 9 – A Professional Pays Attention to the Little Things
Professional photographers are attuned to every detail. Not only will they be there for every shot, but they’ll always make sure everything looks its best. It’s like having a personal assistant. Because they want to make sure every photo looks amazing, they’ll fix your hair, your dress, and tuxedo, decorations, etc. to make sure every frame is flawless.
- 10 – Why a Professional? In the End, It’s All You Have
When your wedding is over, all you’ll have left, besides each other, are your memories. The best cues for those memories are professional photographs. These photographs can be shared on social media, printed, placed in frames, or bound into a beautiful album to share with children and grandchildren for years to come. Make sure these are positive memories not only of the day, but of the images your photographer created for you. Spend some time up front finding a studio that creates the types of images you like and that has the experience to help make your day memorable. Then, spend the money to ensure his or her photos will preserve your memories forever.
Bonus Point
A Professional Photography Can Design a Beautiful Heirloom Album
All too often, couples just click save their images. They lose their wedding photos to a hard drive or some inert form of digital storage. While your digital photo files should be saved, your wedding photos should be savored. The best way to do this is still an artistically designed wedding album. A storybook album is something you can have that will showcase and preserve the best of your wedding memories. A true professional wedding photographer knows this and will spend the time with you to create a beautiful album. These albums are something people can touch and hold, and with you, relive your wedding day from beginning to end in all of its splendor. No special hardware is needed. An investment well worth the money.