Sometimes I hear about someone hiring their friend to shoot their wedding. You know, someone who has a good camera and will do it on the cheap. And when I hear this, I certainly wish them the best. But the fact is, I know that they don’t have much of a chance of being happy with their final wedding photos.
At first it might seem that maybe I’m being a bit harsh. After all, everyone has taken good pictures in their lives, and if someone has a nice camera then they’re sure to get good pictures…right? But the fact is, like every career out there, it’s a lot tougher than it looks. I should know, because I do it all the time!
Let’s take a look at the many reasons why it’s important to hire a professional photographer for your wedding photos instead of grabbing a friend with a camera. Feel free to check out my portfolio as well!
EXPERIENCE WITH LOCATIONS
The more experienced a photographer, the more familiar with the locations around the area. And once a photographer uses a location, they know the best way to use it again, rain or shine, sunny or shade. I know the landscapes around here and what makes the best pictures.
EXPERIENCE WITH POSES
Have you ever wondered why the family portrait you have on your wall looks so much better than that photo you took at the family reunion from last year? A lot of it is posing. The way an individual holds him or herself, and they way that they’re interacting with other people, can make the situation look entirely natural, or, with a photographer who doesn’t know what he’s doing, completely staged.
There are entire books on the subject of posing people, but it’s also important for a wedding photographer to be able to read each individual and find out how they might react to being asked to pose in certain ways. And that leads to…
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE GENERATIONS… ALL AT ONCE!
In individual portraits, you’re working with a single person, and thus a single generation. With family portraits, it’s usually parents and kids: two generations. But when it comes to weddings, everyone is there, up to five generations of people! Newborns, great-great grandmothers, kids, parents, and, of course, the bride and groom. It takes talent and experience to know how to work with someone who’s 90 years old and had their first picture taken with a view camera nine decades ago.
EQUIPMENT
Any camera can take a good picture. But it can’t take a good picture consistently…plus, you don’t want just “good” pictures.
The fact is, professional wedding photographers use professional camera equipment because it allows them to get consistently great pictures.
Also, simply asking a friend to shoot a wedding can get you into trouble, because that camera probably isn’t as nice as you think it is. Used DSLRs are a dime a dozen (well, $200-400 dollars on craigslist), and it’s not a camera that you want to trust your wedding photos with. Again, while they sometimes get good pictures, most consumer DSLRs of today can’t get as wide a shot as professional full-frame cameras can.
That doesn’t even include the difference between consumer camera lenses and professional ones. Wedding photographers will use “fast glass,” allowing them to take pictures in lower light conditions without the shutter dragging and creating motion blue. Fast lenses are also better at subject isolation, allowing the photographer to blur the background and take wall-worthy photos (even if there’s a bright green dumpster in the background!).
POST PROCESSING
Taking pictures is really only half the job of a professional photographer. The other half is post-processing. Post-processing involves moving the images to a computer and making them look their absolute best. Lighting can be adjusted, colors can be corrected, and blemishes can be removed so that each picture looks as good as the actual scene itself…and usually better!
When it comes to your wedding, you’ll probably be spending a fair amount of money. But your wedding pictures are one area in which you definitely shouldn’t skip. After all, it’s not the flowers or the meal or the dress that hangs on your wall for decades to come; it’s the pictures. Contact me today and to secure your wedding date! For more information on pricing and packages check out my investment page.
About Kerry Paradis Photography
I was born and raised in Perry hall (Baltimore area) and have been living in Harford County, Maryland for close to 15 years. I have two daughters that keep me very busy and a very understanding husband that helps keep me sane J I love all kinds of photography including Newborns, Weddings and Family. For the past several years I performed shoots out of my house, but recently opened a photography studio in Joppa, Maryland next to the “The Great Hall” Wedding Venue at the Millstad. My studio allows the perfect lighting to capture the best pictures and it is surrounded by 40 acres of property that is used by a ballet studio and gymnastics facility. There are plenty of places to photograph! I also have some favorite beautiful spots in the area that I like to photograph at as well. Whether you are looking to capture the first days of your baby’s life, the important times with your family, Senior Portraits for your High School Graduation, or walking down the aisle on your special wedding day, I would love for you to consider me! I do not take any of my business for granted and feel blessed to do what I love for my career. I invite you to check out my website and subscribe to my email list for exclusive discounts and updates. I try and write these blogs in a way that might answer some questions you may have. If you ever have any ideas for my blog, shoot me an email and I will be happy to see what I can do.
