What’s in a Picture That By Any Other iPhone Could Smell as Sweet?

The age-old question! “Do I need a photographer for my wedding?”

Truthfully?

No. Because, at the end of the day, you don’t need anything for your wedding other than your license, your fiancé(e) and an officiant. Anything else is your day, your way.

This, as a photographer, is one of my favourite topics. I’m in love with the idea of being totally transparent in the wedding industry. We get complaints all the time “why is it so expensive/why is it so much cheaper if it’s not a wedding”, “what if I lie and say it’s a different event”, “iPhones take great photos”, “can my [friend, aunt, grandpa] take them”, “what if someone takes photos and I have a professional edit them”——the list goes on.

I’m going to try and tackle this one in one fell swoop——this is going to be a long post. Strap in (or just use your computer’s page search function——Command + F on Mac——to type for your desired keyword/phrase and it will help you.

“Why is wedding photography so expensive versus standard event photography?”

It’s a lot more work, but it also depends on the photographer. My lowest wedding package is actually my standard event package, but it maxes out at 5 hours. Most of the events I cover (fundraisers, bridal showers, baby showers, expos, etc.) are either significantly shorter than a wedding or otherwise wind up getting a custom package similar to a wedding. I charge $200/hour for my event packages and they do not include any portraiture. Portrait editing is a completely different amount of studio time and, at the end of the day, it’s my time you’re paying for. My event packages do include standard editing and even some light background touch-ups! Sometimes I will go in and touch up faces, but I’m not putting together photo merges to make sure everyone is smiling with their eyes open in the same, singular picture.

Many wedding packages are priced, believe it or not, to also save you money! Most brides want to pay a photographer for more than one thing (engagement shoot, engagement party, bridal shower, boudoir, wedding day, post-wedding portraits, printed wedding album). Always ask your photographer what is included in their package prices. My highest package includes all of your digital designs for printed materials and most brides don’t need that, but it exists because some do.

I personally require a free consult by phone to customize your wedding package so that you only pay for what you want and still get everything you need.

What if I tell my wedding photographer it’s [insert event here/session type here] but then they come and it’s my wedding?

Legally speaking, you’re in breach of contract. Most business-savvy photographers require contracts for events because you’re booking us a full day. I actually require contracts, myself, for post-wedding portraiture for this exact reason and all of my communication is always recapped in an email.

Once you’re in breach of contract, you most likely forfeit your photographer at all. They aren’t required to stay for something they didn’t sign up for.

Personally? Depending on how it’s handled, I would shoot exactly what I was hired for and leave. If the coordinator or wedding couple wants to ask me to stay or provide a service not included in what they paid for, it would an upfront charge required immediately. Alternately, I very literally can’t do it at all. It’s not to be mean, but it’s hard to be blindsided with a project you didn’t mean to take on. I book all my projects around each other and know exactly how many events I can book in what amount of time.

Always be honesty about your budget and what you want. Photographers, even student photographers, will try and make something work for you. We absolutely cannot help you if you lie.

iPhones take great photos!

That they do, I won’t disagree. If that’s the route you want to go, do it! There’s nothing wrong with it. Obviously, keep in mind there might not be a professional to pose portraits (but you can find some on Pinterest) and guests will not always share all the photos they take, even in photo sharing apps like The Guest.

The only other big issues involve: location, being in the moment, and printing.

Location: Your guests will be in their seats for, for instance, your ceremony, your first dance, your grand entrance, etc. They won’t get the cleanest shots unless…

Being in the Moment: Unless they’re up and trying to see over each other. Phones will be out, making everyone else’s shot harder to get (and their view just awful). To avoid this, try designating one specific person and announcing that (something I’ve seen executed at weddings incredibly well) they are the only one’s asked to have their phone out.

Printing: I’m a mom. I print my cellphone photos on Chatbooks all the time, let me tell you. But they don’t print in the same quality——even just on a 4x4 mini book——as my professional photos do in the same mini books. Without help from an incredible print shop, you won’t be able to get that big photo album you maybe are desiring.

Please, do not rely on disposable cameras on tables! People forget they need to use flash in the dark. It’s a consistent issue, I see it in all my bridal groups.

Can [a friend/family member] take photos?

Yeah, absolutely! Some photographers will actually offer to do friends’ photos. Keep in mind a handful of things. If they’re in the bridal party, it’s going to be really hard on them to do photos and be in them. If they haven’t offered, they truthfully might not want to (sometimes, we want to be your guest and friend/family member).

I’ve been to two weddings where a professional photographer friend did the photos. In one, the woman actually left early because she hadn’t actually wanted to do them and she kept getting asked to get up from her seat to take more photos during her dinner. In the other, it was a gift to the bride from her cousin. There was absolutely no problem!

So just be open to the idea that, if they didn’t offer, maybe they don’t want to. I’m sure they can suggest a friend!

Can someone take photos and then I send them to a professional to be edited?

Yes and no. Most photographers won’t edit other people’s photos or will charge more than what they charge for their own photography packages. They have no rights, technically, to post other people’s work so editing someone else’s photos provides no source of notoriety or income from other potential jobs——only from you.

There are actual individuals who work solely editing other people’s photos. They typically charge around $0.07 per photo for lightroom (lighting) edits in 2022. They exist, you need to spend some time and effort finding them. You can also try and hire a university student to edit by reaching out to a professor at a local college (this is also a great way to get a photographer on a budget).

Your cameraman day of the wedding needs to make sure they’re using a professional grade camera and shooting in the file format RAW for the highest quality image. Do not send an editor .jpg files from an iPhone or a point and shoot. Camera rentals are often close to as expensive as hiring a photographer, so keep that in mind!

I definitely think, if having professional photography at your wedding isn’t an investment you want to make, it’s one you don’t have to! Personally, it was one of my most important investments because I wanted photos of our day. But, and this is a great alternative for folks who maybe just want some portraits, you can easily set up post-wedding portraits with a photographer as well!

I’ll talk about what to look for in a photographer and what to ask, but in another post! Feel free to ask me questions by reaching out to me on Facebook or Instagram. If you want to book me as a photographer, feel free to click “contact” at the very top of this page!