What Happens When You Hire a Photographer For Wedding Photography Under £500?
Planning a wedding is a stressful thing. Especially when you are having to keep to a budget yet still wanting everything you have ever dreamed of. You find yourself late at night trying to cut corners and budget for elements of expense that you didn’t know existed. Suddenly you have spent more than £5,000 on a reception, £1,500 on a dress and your funds slowly slip away. No wonder so many people start searching for cheap wedding photography for under £500. Why wouldn’t you? It’s just taking pictures, right?
The first step to having your dream wedding is to understand that weddings are expensive. There is no way around it. You are essentially creating the biggest celebration for all of your friends and family in a very lavish way. There is no denying that you can create a wedding on a budget, I have seen evidence of couples planning weddings for under £3000. See here in an article from Rock’n’Roll Bride.
When planning your wedding and deciding where to save your pennies – listen to the industry professionals. There have been many examples in the news recently of couples suing wedding photographers for blurry images and faulty practise. The moral of my story is do not scrimp on your wedding photography. Below are my reasons why.
YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IS NOT JUST ANOTHER SUPPLIER
Your wedding photographer offers you a completely personal approach. They are there with you from the beginning of your wedding until the end. As a photographer I will meet with my couples before the wedding day, possibly multiple times. We have discussions, planning meetings and I am in constant contact with my couples before the actual wedding day. This relationship is what makes hiring a wedding photographer so special. I make time to build a relationship with my couples, and I think that this is invaluable. Your trust has to be earned.
Trusting your photographer is one of the best things that you can achieve. In trusting them you will be able to have a calm and complete day with the knowledge that your wedding is being captured effortlessly. So trust them. Trust in your photographers capability and in their practise and experience. When you pay for wedding photography under £500 there is every chance that that photographer has little training. Therefore the trust will be broken. Have you heard of the saying ‘buy cheap, buy twice’? Except there is no do-over for your wedding day, it is a once in a lifetime kind of experience.
The value of your wedding photographs lasts longer than just your wedding day. A spur of the moment search online for cheap wedding photography can ultimately leave you in the dark. Wedding photographs, are in fact the only thing that you will buy that you will be able to use after your big day. You wear your dress once, the cake gets eaten and flowers die. This of course does not diminish the importance of these elements, but it puts into perspective how important your wedding photographs are.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT LETTING A FRIEND PHOTOGRAPH YOUR WEDDING
It sounds like a lovely idea? Have a friend photographing your wedding would be perfect. It is someone that you know and they can do your wedding for free. No longer do you have to trawl the internet in search of wedding photography under £500 because you have found the solution! As you know them personally they must be able to get amazing and intimate photographs of the to of you together. Right?
However, it is your wedding day. You deserve an experienced professional to take your photographs during your wedding. You deserve the right to have fabulous portraits and amazing candid images of your loved ones. If you hire a good wedding photographer they will take the time to get to know you. It will feel like you have a friend with you taking you photographs. Ultimately you are entitled to the security and knowledge that your wedding photographs are supported by a professional who has insurance, back up equipment and an extensive understanding of a full frame DSLR.
REMEMBER THAT PHOTOGRAPHY IS A PROFESSIONAL SKILL
Wedding photography is a completely unique experience. It is not like photographing models in a studio where all the elements controllable. It is a skill that many well prepared amateur photographers might not be prepared for. Changing light, unpredictable weather, organising inebriated guests are to name but a couple of incidents that your friends might not be equipped for. If you are willing to search for cheap wedding photography, then ideally that is what you shall get. Your money covers so much more than just photographs when you hire a professional to shoot your wedding. That package you pay for covers insurance, equipment, travel expenses, back up kit, editing time, packaging, gifts and admin to name a few.
Someone likened the experience to this question – would you trust you sister to perform an operation even if she was not a surgeon? It would not be likely. So the next time you exercise the right to google search ‘wedding photography under £500’ take a few moments to remember that paying for your memories to be captured in photographs forever is priceless.
If you found this blog piece useful then why not check out my Three Reasons Why You Need Confetti at your wedding or my blog piece on Creative Wedding Photography.