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Why book a professional photographer?
Wedding budgets are often stretched and maybe cutting back on your photographer is a cost saving you have considered. Maybe you could ask a friend to take your wedding photographs for you? We can only advise that this solution carries significant risk. Just consider how much have you already spent on the dress, the suit hire, the service, the reception etc etc etc – so isn’t it worth a reasonable investment to record all of that in a professional and competent manner? If the pictures are poor, do you really want to (or be able to afford to) re-run the day again?
Putting your wedding photography in the hands of someone who is inexperienced can have a great impact on the enjoyment of your wedding day – and the memories to be shared later. You may have heard of the couple who took their wedding photographer to court due to the poor standard of images he produced. Yes – they won – but where are their treasured wedding pictures?
Today, affordable digital cameras and software make it easy for anyone to set themselves up as a wedding photographer. You may get “wedding photographers” offering really cheap packages – but are they going to be around in 6 or 12 months time? – and what standard can you really expect from their work? It takes years of experience to be a good wedding photographer. It’s not just about taking pictures; it’s a combination of experience, good people management (social) skills, a good personality, a lot of patience - and a good eye for a picture.
And what about equipment? Any wedding photographer worth his salt will carry a certain amount of back-up equipment. Things can – and do – go wrong. We always carry back up cameras and other equipment, ensuring that even if the worst should happen to our kit, we can carry on capturing those special moments of your day.
And last, but by no means least; insurance. What happens when things do go seriously wrong? We are all human and accidents can happen. We are therefore covered not only by equipment insurance – but we also have Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance. This ensures that whatever happens, there is an assured recovery plan. Please check that other photographers have the necessary professional level insurance cover before you book them.
There are several ways you can avoid future disappointment when choosing your wedding photographer,
- Ensure you see more than one album from just one wedding and that they are complete weddings. It is too easy to create a great looking album from a collection of various weddings.
- Check your photographer is a qualified member of a photographic society such as the SWPP, RPS etc. Just being a member isn’t enough – anyone can join these Societies, so ask if they have any form of qualification – that can help you to judge if they can produce good pictures.
- Chose an experienced photographer who is able to provide several references – and is only too happy to have them checked!
- Ask if your photographer carries adequate back-up equipment
- Ensure your photographer has Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance and Public Liability (PL) insurance
- Finally, if the price seems too good to be true, it generally is.
By following the points above you may be able to avoid a very disappointing – and costly experience.
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