Why Should I Hire A Professional Wedding Photographer For My Wedding?

So you’re engaged to that special someone and now it’s time to start planning for the big day. One of the first things you’ll want to do after securing a venue for your wedding is to retain the services of a professional photographer. As anyone who has been married before knows, weddings can be expensive. According to a 2007 Wall Street Journal article¹,

“Americans spend $160 billion annually on their weddings, [and in 2006], the average cost was $27,852, well over half the median annual income in U.S. households.”

Wow! And, according to Martha Stuart Weddings², approximately 10 percent of your wedding budget should be allocated towards wedding photography. So why should you or any other bride/groom be spending so much money on a photographer for one day of your life?

Let’s take a look at what defines a wedding photographer…

Photographer – one who practices photography; especially: one who makes a business of taking photographs.
Photography – the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant
energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (as film or a CCD chip).³

   

Taking photos sounds pretty simple. Point the camera, say “cheese”, and press the button… So why not allow Uncle Jim and your friends to photograph your wedding? They all have cameras and surely between everyone there will be some good photos, right?! Well, the answer is yes and no; Yes they all have cameras and yes there will be some amateur photos taken at the wedding that are acceptable, but do you really want to leave capturing such an important event to chance?!

So what does a professional wedding photographer do differently or better than your guests with cameras?

Professional wedding photographers…

• Invest in expensive, high-quality camera/editing equipment (which means you get superior images);
• Carry duplicate (secondary) equipment, in case of equipment malfunction;
• Have a strong understanding of the wedding flow (knowing what happens next before it happens);
• Capture beautiful, artistic images from every segment of wedding – creating a group of images that tell a complete story, from start to finish;
• Conduct research on wedding locations;
• Undertake extensive planning/scheduling for wedding events;
• Devote extensive time to photography training & education;
• Absorb the stress of a wedding in stride;
• Maintain control of wedding events w/ a positive attitude, without influencing wedding events;
• Usually work in teams, with a 2^nd photographer and/or assistant;

All of the aforementioned actions separate a professional from the camera-toting guests at your wedding. Professional photographers depend on satisfied clients to refer future work to them for their livelihood and therefore take the wedding business very seriously. They meet with the bride/groom months in advance of the wedding for input, visit the wedding/reception locations, prep their equipment, secure assistants/2^nd shooters and more to prepare for a single wedding. All the preparation combined with industry knowledge and experience allow a professional photographer to arrive on wedding day and seamlessly execute beautiful, artistic photographs – while a chaotic wedding may be simultaneously unfolding.

If you Google: Wedding Photography Horror Stories⁴ lots of terrible tales appear about how photos were ruined, weddings were ruined, etc. But many of these “horror stories” are easily preventable. The bride is late because she was in a “fender bender”, the groom has a hangover and won’t come out of the restroom, the mother of the bride is stressed, the maid of honor is drunk, the ring bearer is a no-show, exes are not getting along, one of the bridesmaids is upset and refuses to participate, a fight just broke out, one of the tuxes for a groomsman is missing, the limo driver is lost, and the list goes on for things that can (and frequently do) go wrong at a wedding. A professional wedding photographer handles it all in stride, not getting caught up in the emotion or distracted from the task at hand, which is making beautiful memories using a camera.

So why should you pay so much to have a professional wedding photographer cover your wedding? Because for such an important event you can’t afford not to do so!

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. See regular updates on Martin’s work at http://txweddings.blogspot.com/. Additional wedding photographs and more can be viewed at http://www.mwwphoto.com/.

Sources:

1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118496836459673467.html?mod=2_1167_1

2. http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/wedding-photography-basics

3. http://www.merriam-webster.com

4. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Wedding+Photography+Horror+Stories

Wedding Photo Album by Asuka Books

I'm really proud to share my most recently designed photo album of Ashley & Adams Wedding from earlier this year! They were married in rural central Texas, in a cornfield, which turned out to be romantic and beautiful. Check out their wedding album, which was designed by my talented staff and printed by Asukabook and see for yourself. By the way, designing an album like this one is free for all my wedding clients. Enjoy!

You can view it HERE.

Photo Tip No. 3: Read this National Geographic Article

I'm a little overdue for providing my readers with the "Photo Tip of the Week", so I've decided to defer to the expertise at National Geographic Magazine this week. I found a great article (a wonderful article by Robert Caputo) on capturing portraits of people when photographing subjects in their environment, on the street or wherever (essentially anywhere outside the studio) that I think many folks can find beneficial. As many photographers know, some of the best, most dedicated and experienced photographers in the world submit work for print in National Geographic Magazine, which is on display for the world to view. Enjoy!

Link to NG Magazine article by R. Caputo: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/portrait-quick-tips.html

Austin Bridal Extravaganza - Palmer Event Center 2009

The Austin and San Antonio Wedding Guide hosted the 2009 Bridal Extravaganza held at Palmer Event Center in Austin today, September 13, 2009. I captured a few snapshots of the event as it unfolded, including a fashion show and some vendors interacting with brides and grooms. The event went off well despite the heavy rains that have been dropping monsoon like rain on Austin for days. If you missed this one you should definitely mark your calendar for next year!

Engagement Photos at Zedler's Mill, Luling, Texas

Photos from Lauren's bridal session at Zedler's Mill in Luling, Texas. We were able to squeeze her photo session in between some much-needed rain, and the photos turned out beautiful! Enjoy!

Wedding Photography Photo Tips Vol.2

Photo Tip No. 2

I’m feeling a little under the weather this week so I’m going to keep my topic short. But this week’s topic is probably one of the most important ones I’ll write about: drink lots of water before, during and after your photography sessions.
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Anyone living in Texas knows that our summers are brutally hot, and this summer has been one of the hottest and driest on record. With around 67 days of continuous 100° F weather, anyone working inside or out can easily get dehydrated. It’s not especially obvious that one can become dehydrated while taking photographs (especially indoor), so special precautions should be taken to prevent this from happening.
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Like myself, many people these days work indoors year round and are not acclimated to extreme outdoor temperatures. When the temperature is pushing 100° F you definitely don’t want anyone at an event collapsing from heat stress or exhaustion. Keep in mind that the elderly, sick and very young children are especially susceptible to extreme temperatures.
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I recommend carrying along a small or medium sized insulated cooler that contains drinks like water or Gatorade on ice. You’ll want to pack enough for yourself and your assistant/2^nd shooter. If your cooler has enough space pack some extra waters for who you’ll be shooting as well. Having extra cold water on hand for your subjects is a nice gesture and is greatly appreciated when it’s hot outside.
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Last year I photographed a Texas wedding in July that was under a covered, open-air pavilion. The ceremony lasted only about 30 minutes and afterward the wedding party was ushered to a partially shaded area for formal photos. Most people were sweating heavily and we were in a location that required a long walk back to the air-conditioned reception (where all the water was kept). Of the 20+ people that were present, I don’t recall seeing anyone with water. Luckily, I had stashed several bottles of water in my backpack and was able to share them with a couple of people who weren’t fairing very well in the heat. It would be difficult to put a value on a bottle of water that is needed by someone who may be in danger of heat exhaustion, and I promise you that you’ll have made a new friend!