Why you Should Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer

So you’re getting married and you have done your homework. You have picked your caterer, the venue, the cake, the centerpieces, the dresses, and everything is going just as planned. Now it is time to pick your wedding photographer, the person who will capture the moments you will cherish for a lifetime in pictures. Maybe you could ask your cousin who is an amateur photographer. He will do it for free, and you could save some money.

Why is this not a good idea? Why do you want to hire a professional wedding photographer for your wedding day? There is an enormous benefit to having a professional photographer for your wedding and these benefits far outweigh what you save in your budget by having your cousin do it for free. These pictures are the memories of your wedding day that only happens once, and that will never fade away.

Benefits of Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer

After reading this article, the benefits will be clear if having lasting memories of your wedding day that you can share and cherish the rest of your lives together is important to you. This is an easy decision. Hiring a professional photographer ensures you get the best quality pictures using the best quality equipment. Cameras are only a very small part of the equation in capturing the perfect photograph.

Camera Equipment Knowledge

Sure anyone can purchase a DSLR | Nice Camera, but only those experienced professionals unlock its full potential. You want to hire a pro wedding photographer because of their skill and equally important because of the equipment they use. Your amateur cousin might have a nice SLR with a zoom lens, but usually, they will be restrained by not having a variety of lenses and not being of the professional caliber. The type of equipment is just as important as the person behind the camera. You want the top of the line equipment and the top of the line photographer who has the knowledge of how to use that equipment.

Many amateur or beginner photographers also shoot in a setting called ‘auto’. That means they let the camera decide for them how the image will look and they save in jpeg. I know…camera terms. But shooting in auto and saving in jpeg means zero editing can be done. A professional shoots in manual, controlling each aspect of the image. That’s how we get those creamy backgrounds. We also save our images in a multi-layer format that let’s us take your images into photoshop and fine tune them for the best results. 

Education and Experience

Professional wedding photographers are called professionals for a reason. There is much more to photography than just pushing a button. There is finding the best lighting, knowing your camera inside and out, and capturing the perfect tone and moment in a photograph. Most amateur photographers just don’t have the expertise to be able to find these things that many photographers have gone to school for and have years of experience with. We also invest in on-going education. Our company is enrolled in photography courses from one of the leading Photography Education Companies in L.A. and we are associated with and frequently talk with other nationally recognized photographers who are artists in the trade. 

How much will all of this gear and education cost you? Find out How Much a Wedding Photographer Costs.

The Wedding Photographers Role

Another huge reason to hire a professional wedding photographer and not let your novice photographer family member is less distraction. A family member will want to also celebrate along with everyone else. This leads to shots being missed because they are chit-chatting with other relatives they have not seen in a while, or because they are too busy eating or dancing. Another thing to think about is other guests are more likely to step out of the way for a professional photographer because they know they are getting paid and are not part of the family, so the roles are defined. If you have your cousin the amateur shooting everyone there will step in front of them and not respect the role that they are supposed to be playing in the day.

Wedding Photography Style

Hire a professional whose style matches yours and who will create the type of pictures you want. If you were to ask an amateur photographer what kind of style you wanted they are most likely not going to understand the difference between modern, fine art, traditional, photojournalist, or candid pictures. Can they deliver to you what you exactly want? Most likely not. Think this through thoroughly and make sure your wedding photographer matches your style and go with the professional who immediately understands what you are talking about when you say what you want.

Find out a little more about Wedding Photography Style.

Technology

Everyone needs to invest in their career to become successful and professional photographers are the same. Professional photographers have the best equipment in the industry and produce superior photos because of it. Even though you can easily go out and buy a good camera that can produce amazing pictures, there is often more technology that goes into it than just the camera such as lights and special lenses. Technology goes beyond just our gear, however. We also invest in state of the art editing software and specialized computer monitors that are color calibrated for our editing processes! And we maintain professional websites, client gallery systems and so much more. We’re looking to give our clients the best experience possible. 

Professional Photography Investment

A professional photographer that you hire is going to be committed to your project. If something happens on the day of your shoot, the photographer is contractually guaranteed to make sure the job is still done on time. An amateur photographer, on the other hand, might not be held by a contract and if something does happen, time and possibly money can go down the drain.

All of these reasons go back to quality. By paying for a professional photographer, you are paying for professional, quality photos of your business. At Erie Photography, we provide the absolute best quality in our photos and are willing to go well beyond to capture the beauty of your home or office. Click here to see some of our work and see what a professional photographer, like us, can do.

Communication and Reliability

Due to the importance of the photographer as pointed out above. The photographer needs to be a professional and not an amateur relative or friend. You need someone who has years of experience dealing with all the hiccups that come with the day. A professional will know how to communicate with the wedding party at where they need to be and when they need to be there without making the wedding party feel like they are in the way or not part of this big day. No amateur, no matter how good, will be able to maintain the distance and impartiality needed while still offering the intimacy/support needed and still get the shot.

Erie Photography has online guided planning forms and we are here every step of the way to assist you in making your Dream Wedding a Dream Experience.

Patience

You need to hire a professional that you, the couple, are comfortable with. Think about the amount of time you will be spending with this person on one of the most important days of your life. The professional photographer needs to be the best combination of experience and patience with understanding. They need to jive with your personality and be able to make your personality shine brightly on the wedding day. You need a professional that will remain calm with things that may go a different direction than originally planned for, someone who is flexible and goes with the flow of the day but yet keeps some structure in tack.

Your Professional Wedding Photographer Provides More

On your wedding day, there is no person you will be spending more time with than your photographer from the getting ready shots to the departure. The one constant around you is the professional photographer that you have hired to catch every memory and every moment without being noticed. The photographer is the one who will notice the little details such as lipstick on the teeth or boutonnieres being put on upside down. They will let you know and help try to fix it. Even if you have a wedding planner they will not be your shadow all day but your photographer will. The photographer will be the one organizing the wedding party to go to where they need to be and keeping everyone calm when anxiety/emotions arise.

Need some help deciding How to Budget For the Best Professional Wedding Photographer? 

Erie Photography Services

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Erie Photography is a world-renowned production studio that offers a wide variety of photo and video services. We are proud to be the biggest photography studio in our region, and we can help you with your next project. We have been operating in Erie PA  or 12+ years, and we have a lot of experience in Photography & Videography Services We offer a wide variety of services, including photo shooting and video production. Check out our other Services for more information!

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Erie Photography™

Erie Wedding & Event Services
Wedding Planning | Wedding Disc Jockey | Erie Wedding Photography | Wedding Photo Booth | Wedding Videography
1001 State Street, Erie, PA 16501
814-246-2149 | info@erie-pics.com | www.erie-pics.com