Why hiring a professional wedding photographer is worth it

Hi guys, 

Today I want to talk to you about the importance of hiring a professional wedding photographer and why it’s so worth it! Of course I am a professional wedding photographer so I have an automatic bias. I promise it’s for good reason. I’m going to explain why making room in your wedding budget for a professional photographer is so important and why you won’t regret it. 

To start, I want to acknowledge that I understand great wedding photography is not “cheap” or can be viewed as a higher expense. I wrote an entire blog post detailing why wedding photography costs what it does that you can check out. I’m not here to make anyone feel bad about not being able to afford an expensive photographer. Rather, I want to explain why it is worth it to make a photographer a top priority. Every couple who is getting married has different priorities. For some couples, they may want the bulk of their budget to go to the venue or the food. However for many couples, hiring a professional wedding photographer is at the top of their priorities. The reason for that is because photographs stand the test of time and are one of the only tangible items you’ll be able to keep and showcase daily for generations after your wedding day has passed! 

First off, hiring any photographer is very different from hiring a professional wedding photographer.

Oftentimes I hear couples explain that their mom has a coworker who does photography as a hobby or that their cousin is getting into taking photos. Which is great! However, I strongly encourage not going with the most affordable or even free option when looking at hiring a photographer. Although your mom’s coworker may be awesome and you want to support your cousin, your wedding day isn’t the day to leave it up to chance. Your wedding day is a once in a lifetime event. It’s well worth hiring a professional to capture your day.

A professional photographer has made it their career to understand and execute the best photography possible! Professional photographers have equipment that is meant to work through full wedding days! Professional photographers also have back up equipment in case anything were to go wrong. For example, if something were to happen to a wedding professional’s main camera, it would not be a cause for emergency. A professional wedding photographer almost always carries a backup camera body that they would be able to switch over to which means nothing on your wedding day would be missed because of faulty equipment. 

Professional wedding photographers have almost certainly invested in education as well. There are online education platforms and in person workshops that professional photographers often invest in to further their education and skills! This could be anything from understanding their camera equipment better, understanding all types of lighting, to capturing photos that are natural and not posed. The education that professional photographers invest in is invaluable. 

A huge reason I encourage hiring a professional wedding photographer is because of just that. They are a professional!

Professional photographers are able to handle any situation that is thrown at them. It could rain on your wedding day. The best man could be running late to photos. Uncle Bob could be drinking too much before family photos begin. There may only be 15 minutes to get all of your bridal photos done. You could have no clouds or shade and all photos would need to be taken in harsh afternoon lighting. These are all very real situations that could happen on a wedding day and have happened to many couples! But guess what? A professional photographer knows how to handle these situations. They know how to wrangle family photos, work in short amounts of time, and move things around on the schedule if a best man is missing for photos. The expertise that comes with hiring a professional photographer is worth its weight in gold. 

Professional photographers are able to work with what they’re given!

You may not know this, but some of the best photos I’ve taken have been in a parking lot. And you’d never know it! That’s because hiring a professional photographer means you’re hiring someone with expertise! Instagram and Pinterest make things look so effortless and easy. However it’s not real life for every wedding to take place on a Swiss mountain top. Sometimes family photos are in the church parking lot, and a professional wedding photographer knows how to make that look Pinterest-worthy. 

Finally, one of the most important reasons I believe you should hire a professional wedding photographer, is for their experience in keeping your photos safe. Like I’ve mentioned, your wedding day is a once in a lifetime event! The last thing you’d want to have happen is for those photos to be missing or lost. Memory cards can be corrupted, camera equipment can malfunction, and the list can go on and on. Professional wedding photographers have practices and routines in place to keep your images as safe as possible, including professional backup of your photos. Keeping your images safe is not something you’d ever want to leave to chance! 

So there are some of my top reasons why I believe hiring a professional wedding photographer is worth the investment! Ultimately you are investing in having your memories captured and preserved forever!

-Liz