The pro’s and con’s of using a friend or family member to shoot your wedding.
Being an experienced Birmingham wedding photographer it hasn’t escaped my notice that the average cost of a UK wedding last year was over £27,000. That’s a rise from the previous year of a whopping 9.6%. In this climate it is not surprising that couples are looking to make savings when arranging their wedding. It may be tempting to ask a friend or family member to take your wedding photographs. If you are thinking of doing this, here are few things you will need to consider first.
How skilled is your friend/family member with their camera?
There’s more to photography than having a nice camera. A professional photographer has experience of taking photos in different light, different conditions, composing different shots and executing it perfectly. The camera doesn’t do this, the photographer does and this results in consistency meaning that you get not one or two stunning photos, but a whole albums worth.
Wedding venues like churches, barns and castles can have poor light. Professional photographers know how to get the best shots even in the trickiest of lighting. They know how to work with the sunshine to grab the best opportunities for outside shots. A professional has doubtlessly shot weddings at your venue before, they will have an established working relationship with your venue and will know the best backdrops, positions and light when photographing you and your wedding guests.
If your friend is a professional photographer then you’ve really lucked out but if they’re an enthusiastic amateur with a new toy that they’re keen to try out on your wedding day then you may want to reconsider.
Does your friend/family member have the right equipment?
On the day your friend or family member will, as an absolute minimum, need:
- Two Camera Bodies (one to shoot on, one as a backup)
- A fast wide angle lens
- A fast telephoto lens
- A spare lens
- Two speed lights (flashes) and batteries
- Around 100gb of memory cards
What is you and your friend or family member’s backup plan if something goes wrong? …Read more