Photographer or No?

Question

I'm considering not hiring a photographer for my wedding, simply because it's a beach wedding and I don't know if there are many photographers. I would rather invest in a nice digital SLR camera that takes hundreds of pics. Plus camera is about $800, whereas photographer about $2000-3000. Do you think I should do this instead of a photographer?

My other idea is that I probably won't want to develop my pictures anyways (only a few for decorations). I would rather have digital pics since that's the way our world is heading (digital frames, etc.)

Just to ease some nerves, I have a family member (sister) who will be at the wedding (15 guests) and who is pretty good at photography and will have a year to practice. I'm getting married next summer in the Gulf of Mexico, North Florida (not 100% sure yet, either Destin or St. George Island).

Answer 1

Although I can totally understand why you'd want to do this, i'd have to say I wouldn't. I learned that the two things you want to spend all your money on for your wedding are your honeymoon and your pictures. Unless you really want to spend all day thinking about the best shots to take, lighting issues, getting people together for photos, having a good photographer takes away all the uneeded stress. Plus once you get all those photos developed anyway, it still adds up $$ wise. You can find a decent photographer for around $1200 dollars. Have a great wedding!

Answer 2

No, for the same reason I don't think Uncle Freddy should be the one videotaping your wedding. Remember those awful wedding videos that you've seen growing up? The whole time the movie shakes because your uncle was unsteady, people walking in front of the camera, the audio is crappy so you can't hear anything, and it's about two hours too long? That's how wedding videos get a bad name, because we usually let amateurs do it (thinking it's cheap and easy) and you end up with an inferior product you never want to watch again.

That's the way with photography. Do you want a bunch of pictures that make your wedding look like just another day at a tourist spot? Or have to go through and delete and edit a bunch of pictures because of bad angles and lighting? That's what will happen if you don't use a professional; you'll spend more time working on getting mediocre or "ok" pictures when it's supposed to the one time in your life you are expected to have some WOW photography.

If you are having a destination wedding, yes - I would skip on the photographers the resorts give you because they will most likely be no better than what you can do yourself. But try to get a real professional with a nice portfolio to do your work. If you are on a budget, a good idea would be to approach a good local photographer and ask if they would consider shooting your wedding for free (and you pay for their airfare and room for a couple days). If it's an exotic location, they may do it because it will look good in their portfolio (and they can brag that they were flown to do a wedding). And if you can get a good deal on airfare and get a cheap hotel on Priceline, you may score by paying much less for their services overall!

I've attached a link for a destination beach wedding where they flew the photographer down - you can see the difference in what you would be able to shoot and what this pro was able to do!

Answer 3

Definitely get a photographer. My fiance and I are also getting married on the beach and will be hiring a photographer. Many people have suggested to me to find just a regular photographer NOT a wedding photographer. When you add the word wedding to anythng the prices go up dramatically. Look in the phone book or online for a landscape photographer or something of that sort. Taking wedding photos would be a great thing for a non-traditional photographer to add to their portfolio. Also, you can often find photographers that are new to the business that will do your photos for a very low price or often even free. All they require is your consent to use the photos in their portfolio. As long as you can see some of the previous work they have done and possibly have a photo shoot way in advance to see how the pics turn out, this would be a great opportunity! Goodluck! P.S. where are you getting married?

Answer 4

This is a very common thing to do now with a lot of people opting out of hiring a wedding photographer. The important thing to consider is that you do not want to worry about having the pictures taken on the day as you are supposed to enjoy yourself but if your sister is a fairly good photographer and is happy to take the pictures then you have nothing to worry about.

Another idea could be to give single use cameras to your guests as wedding favours and ask them to give some of the photos to you or to even ask the guests to send you a copy of any photographs that they take on their digital cameras. At least that way you can save them on your computer.

The most important thing is that you enjoy your wedding and that you do what is best for you and your partner. Best of luck.

Answer 5

While I appreciate your dilemma regarding a DIY job vs. a professional, I urge you to remember that the day is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and that it will be much less complicated to have a private photographer do the work and let your sister enjoy the event. I am a wedding photographer in North Georgia, and would be happy to talk with you about the possibility of shooting your event. You can view my website at http://www.celebrations-photography.com. Many photographers are willing to travel to accomodate destination weddings, and offer flexible options on pricing that are well below the range you mentioned (myself included!).

I agree with you about the digital photography, and have just updated my equipment to a totally digital process. Let me know if I can help you in any way! You may reach me at [e-mail]. Good luck with all your plans!

Answer 6

You can absolutely find a photgrapher for less money than that. In fact, there are some who offer strictly digital packages where you get the digital negatives on CD or DVD and can make your own prints or albums. You can probably get something like that between $500 and $1000. Maybe less, depending on how long you need the photographer to be there. Then, you will have a wonderful way to remember your day. I am SOOO glad we decided to hire a good photograher for our wedding and not trust the day to an amateur.

Answer 7

Many pro photographers these days are going digital so that shouldn't be an issue. There are many photogs out there who will give you the images on cd and won't expect you to buy prints from them. You could also find a student at a local college who is studying photography who will work on the cheap. The bottom line is, on your wedding day you are not going to want to be responsible for taking all the pics.

Answer 8

You should hire a photographer, because if you have someone from your family take the pictures their not gonna take pictures of the special moments, or what if they take pictures of something you don't wanna see. Some photographers offer the photo album and a CD with all your pictures in there, so all you have to do it print them, and it wont cost you that much money.

Or you can always buy the camera and have the person that is going to be taking the pictures practice, you guys can go out and practice different settings, and posses.

Answer 9

No I honestly dont. Your wedding is ONE day and you can never recreate the day again, from the special glances that you two will share to the smaered cake on your face a professional knows how to capture all of that and the pictures will be keepers. Spend the money to have someone who knows what they are doing capture this important day. Its worth the money. And then afterwards with your wedding gift money yo can then invest in the Digital SLR that you want.

Answer 10

Do you have any friends or family that are good with cameras? You don't want to be responsible for taking all the photos at your own wedding because then you won't be in any. Plus you want to be able to enjoy the day. If you buy the camera have someone take pics for you.