..Friend Photographer vs Professional for Wedding..?

Question

Has anyone used a friend and regretted it. We have a friend w/a 35mm cam that is nice but I'm worried that i won't be able to use the pics she is going to put on CD to manipulate. She is going to give us all the pics, is this ok or should i go with a pro for a mint?

Answer 1

A good wedding photographer needs a lot more than a good camera to get great wedding photos. Sure a great equipment helps, but that's not all it takes.

Even experienced photographers often don't have the experience to do a good job at weddings. I personally wouldn't touch a wedding unless I was the assistant to another photographer who knew what they were doing.

On the equipment side-does she have backup equipment? What's going to happen if her camera craps out right as you're about to walk down the aisle? Will she just miss the shot, or can she grab another camera in two seconds and be going again?

Please also consider for a moment how you'll feel if the photos turn out badly. Is saving money on a wedding photographer worth losing a good friend?

Finally, wedding photography really is hard work. If your friend does do a good job, there won't be any being a guest for her. Do you really want her to have to work at your wedding rather than enjoying it being a guest?

I would very strongly urge you to not hire your friend as your photographer.

Answer 2

Here's the thing:

You have to rank the importance of things at your wedding. If photos are extremely important to you, then you need to pony up for the professional. For some people, photos are the most important thing, others really don't much care and snapshots would be fine. Your friend may be an experienced and accomplished photographer and able to deliver at least a few great shots. She could borrow (or may already have) a backup camera. If she and you are comfortable with her expertise and want to go that route, fine.

Be aware, shooting a wedding is not like shooting other types of portraits or events. Weddings happen fast, and there are no second chances. Also, your friend will be working, so she won't be able to socialize and party.

If you two decide to have her shoot it, she will need to do some homework. A good place to start is www.photo.net. Go to the wedding and social event forum and search the archives for beginner and first timers threads. Go to the venue at the same time of day and practice with a model. She needs to do everything possible to prepare and practice for the big day.

Again, if you are at all uncertain, I would go with a professional. Maybe you could hire the pro for a couple of hours, for the ceremony and formals. Then your friend could capture the getting ready and reception candids. Almost anyone can shoot a cake cutting, it's a staged shot and you can shoot it a half dozen times if necessary.

Your photos are what is left after the flowers wilt and the food is all gone. (Well, hopefully the groom is still around, too!) Think long and hard about how you will feel if you have sub-standard pictures, and think about how that will effect your friendship if the pictures aren't as good as you had hoped. Best wishes to you in your wedding planning.

Answer 3

Has the friend done this before? Can they handle posed shots?
Does (s)he have adequate lighting equipment? One very strong flash as a minimum, but see how they use it. If they just aim the flash at you, you won't get the best results. Pros (most often) use thing such as bounce flash (bouncing off the ceiling, sometimes with a card or something behind the flash), a lightsphere (looks like tupperware on the flash, seriously).

The last thing you want is your wedding photos looking like they came from a disposable camera. In the wrong hands, even a great camera produces bad results.

Look at his/her previous work. Find images that were taken in these two specific situations:
Bright outdoors, can you see the people clearly, or do they look dim? Auto settings cause the background to be bright, and your subjects and dim.
Dark indoors, how is the background? Is it just a well-lit subject with a black background? Inadequate or improperly used flash causes this.

As for the negatives, as long as you either get the negatives or have them scanned at high resolution, you're fine. Cheap photo places scan them in low res, ask them before you pay for anything because there will be some that you will want to blow up quite large.

Answer 4

I worked for a wedding coordinator. DON'T DO THIS!

You will regret it. This is one of the most important days of your life. A Professional Photographer knows what to take, when and how to take it. Once the wedding is over with, you can't go back and take more pictures. I have known people who have ruined long-term friendships, from disappointment in their photos etc. You can have your Friend supplement your photos with the ones the professional has taken.

This is not the way to save money at you event. Your photographer will preserve this day for you.

Answer 5

personally I've done a wedding for a friend as a favor and would not recommend because the amount of work that needed to be done before, during, and after the wedding. suggest to go with a professional partly because they know what to look for and create that perfect photo's

Answer 6

if your friend does great work and has a good camera like a really good digital or a digital SLR, then id say just use them and hope that everything works out. they should have experience with weather, indoor, and camera difficulties so they know what to do when something doesnt go as planned with the camera. if your really not too sure....get a professional.

Answer 7

- could or not it's greater to head for a person with extra enjoy Probably - if he does the marriage ceremony then he cant benefit from the marriage ceremony as our visitor - no alcohol, traditionally no dancing as he will be operating, no socialising on

Answer 8

If you use a professional for your big day, you won't regret it.