Why Hire a Pro

Why should you hire a Professional Photographer for your

Wedding or Family Portrait

Because you get what you pay for!

In two decades of photographing over 450 Weddings and as many Portraits. I am struck by how many people I have met that have made bad decisions regarding their wedding /portrait photography. Thinking they were being wise by saving money, they discovered too late that, "you get what you pay for" and mention "I wish I would have hired a professional photographer, my pictures were horrible!"

Trusting important moments of your life to a friend, relative or inexperienced photographer is definitely something that should be thought though. I understand that clients don't always have "sky's the limit" budgets for their weddings or portraits but any photographer should be able to change and adjust to fit your budget. The photographs are the only tangible thing you have to remember those special periods of life with your family.

Do you really want to trust these memories to uncle BOB?

Just because someone has a nice camera doesn't make them a good photographer!

I own a hammer and nails, but you wouldn't want me to repair your roof! Most non-professionals do not understand how their camera's internal light meter determines exposure for instance. They don't understand that what may look good when they are taking the picture translates very differently to the final image. The way our eyes see light is very different from the camera's ability to see light. Have you ever taken a picture of a subject with the sun behind them? When you're taking the picture your eyes can see both the subject and the beautiful sun in perfect balance. So you are disappointed and confused when your pictures have a blown out sky and your subject is completely dark. It's situations like this and others that make it hard for people with good cameras to necessarily get good pictures.

There are other technical considerations as well. Does this person with a good camera understand: lighting, posing, composition, exposure, depth of field, subject matter, white balance, or how to choose the best lens or camera angle for a given subject or situation make these decisions in seconds as weddings always have tight time lines.

Experience

When you hire a professional, you are getting years of experience & expertise. Because it takes time to build the necessary skills to really master the art of documenting a wedding to ensure that your wedding memories are preserved in beauty & perfection. There are many that call themselves professionals, but truly are not. There are some beginners which lack experience and therefore are quite a bit cheaper. Just know that you will receive an inferior product. If you are okay with that, that's fine, because it is your choice. As long as you know the risks and are willing to take them, hopefully you won't be disappointed. Your disappointment is what I am trying to help you avoid. Your memories are a one-time shot, NO DO-OVER"S!

Last thoughts

You will spend more time with your photographer than any other vendor. Make sure you not only like their images and trust them, make sure you like them as well. Avoid arrogant, cocky, "I'm all that" photographers or your wedding day will be all about them and what they want. You deserve to have the day be about you & what you want! You are the star of the day!

Carefully consider the information above, before you decide to trust the most important day of your life to a well meaning, yet very unqualified "picture taker". Even the most well meaning people are not qualified to handle all that it takes to make your wedding day a smooth running, photographic success.