Do I need a Photographer at my wedding?

Question

They are so expensive....

Answer 1

I'm a professional event planner. Do you need a photographer? No. Will you want pictures? I would say most definitely.

You can if you're on a budget and know a friend who takes good photos, ask them to be your official photographer. But, if you do, please sit down with them before hand and discuss exactly what you want. Do you want pictures at the homes of the bride and groom as they get ready? What pictures do you want at the church? At the reception? Get a list of relatives and friends that you want in formal pictures. Your friend should know what they are getting into so that they can have plenty of film and batteries on hand. They should also get some idea of the time commitment. Also make sure you agree who will pay for the processing if these are going to be film rather than digital.

Certain headaches are solved by using a professional. First of all they should have experience at photographing weddings, which will help with what to shoot and how to shoot it. Secondly, it is their job. They are not a guest and they are expected to be "on the job."

Yes, they can be expensive. Shop around. Ask to see samples of their work. Not just the formal shots, but candids at the reception as well. Be sure that you know what you are getting as part of the package. Some photographers allow you to keep the proofs as part of your package, some don't. You may or may not get a certain number of enlargements as part of your initial package. Ask! Be sure to get references and ask around.

Also, you may want your photographer to do a test shoot of the bride in her wedding makeup. Not the hair, just the makeup. Some makeups fluoress under certain types of photographic lights, yielding some unexpected and unpleasant results. A simple test shoot before the big day can save heart ache later.

Answer 2

DO NOT try to get a friend to do the job unless they are a professional wedding photographer. Your wedding will be one of the most important days in your life, and if the images don't work out because your "friend" didn't know what to expect, or how to handle the many situations that arise during a wedding, you will regret not going with a professional.
A good wedding shooter will cost you around $2000 - $3000. If they offer it to you for less, LOOK ELSWHERE. You can make whatever deal arrangements with the shooter prior to signing your contract. As I write this, I am putting together a wedding album for a couple we shot last month. We used two shooters, and they both do nothing but weddings. As the editor of these expensive albums (I say albums but we're really publishing large professionally-published coffee table books, printed, not just photos slipped into album pages) I can tell you right now that a professional wedding photographer makes all the difference in the world.
Don't try to skimp on this, you'll only end up unhappy.

Answer 3

My parents had a very small, very inexpensive wedding, and the only thing they regret was getting better pictures taken.

You don't have to hire a professional, though, if you have a talented friend with the right cameras and such. Also you could call a local college and hire a reliable photography student or two. I agree, a lot of the professionals' costs are exorbitant.

Also, sometimes people find lower cost photographers on craigslist.

Answer 4

Be careful about this. Not everybody is reliable enough to just take wedding pictures and make sure they are done right and processed and delivered. If you hire a professional, you will probably have to pay up front to make sure you don't waste their time. If you pay a friend, I'd suggest that your deal should be "cash on delivery." If you don't get pictures, the photographer has not only wasted your time, they have deprived you of the memories you want.

I♥♫→mia☼☺†

Answer 5

We didn't have a photographer at our wedding. They are just too expensive (we paid for the wedding ourselves). Family and friends take a LOT of pictures. Get the film, negatives, or card from a digital camera and get them developed. You'll be amazed on how many GOOD pictures you actually get!!! We got a ton of them. and it's cheaper!

Answer 6

if not a professional then have a friend with a digital camera take shots for you. do you live near a university? if so check and see if they have photography classes. check with the professor and see if one of the students would want to photograph your wedding. you could pay for the processing of the prints and get the negatives back. you could give the student $100 for helping you out. another idea would be to get those disposable cameras(look on ebay) and have them setup and ask guests to take pictures.

remember this should be a once in a lifetime event so you want photos to remember them

Answer 7

Let me tell you something, you should cut down on other things to get the best photographer because DVD's, VHS's any video will get old but those photos for some reason mean more. You can put in albums for years! Like they say a picture is worth a million words.

Answer 8

I know they can be really expensive, bit it's your wedding! If you delegate someone else to take pictures, that person will not enjoy themselves and will be worried about picture taking. My suggestion is that you find a photographer who can give you all the pictures on a CD, and make him take between 300-500 pictures. The lower the picture range, the less it costs.

Answer 9

Yes. If you have to take a loan out just to get one, then do it. You don't want to look back and regret not having those memories on paper. Do you have a relative or friend that likes taking pictures? If so, ask them to do it for a low price or free. In 50 years, when your memories aren't so vivid, don't you want to be able to flip through some pictures and reminisce? What about people that can't make it to the event? At least you will be able to show them what they missed.

Answer 10

YES. You need a professional there capturing the moment forever for you! Your friends or family will NOT take the memorable nice shots you need. Pay someone, at least for a few hours to take some photos, before ceremony, after, and a little bit of the reception.