Anyone else not booking a photographer?

I wasn't keen to book a photographer - but same as you, everyone I spoke to was horrified! So we're having one just for the ceremony and 'cocktail hour', but not the getting ready or the reception. To be honest, I can do without pictures of my shoes, or pictures of my mates and family drunk dancing (have enough of those!), but actually it will be nice to have good photos of the ceremony which is the main part of the day. Not picked a photographer yet but am getting quotes nearer to the 500 quid mark for a good and well regarded local person, including a limited album.

My cousin and wife never had a photographer at their wedding and just asked all their guests to send them the photos they took and they got some really great natural shots that way.

That actually makes me feel loads better- thanks x

Most professional wedding photos all look the same and let's be honest here, who really enjoys looking through all those photos?! Most people are just polite and pretend to be interested but are actually bored senseless after picture 100...

I think that you have touched on part of the issue in the word "professional" because many that shoot weddings are not actually professional in the true meaning of the word because they have another week day full time job and the reason people see so many shots looking the same all the time is because its possible that the part time shooters doing them are all looking at each others work to get ideas and to see how they think they should shoot something, how many times have you seen a shot of a bride and groom standing 4 feet apart holding hands looking making an "M" shape looking glum straight at the camera, or the groom looking one way and the bride looking directly at the camera .

Yes family can get some great fun and natural shots but what about something properly showing the dress or low light shots during the ceremony when there is no flash allowed or when the weather turns bad. Book a true professional who has their own unique style and you will have something that is worth the cost and you can look at for a lifetime.

It's a strange coincidence but this was sent to a Facebook page I manage today:

We've received this message from a wedding photographer in London:

My new neighbours got married recently. Don't know them all that well but they knew what I did as a job.
Before their wedding they both spoke to me about the fact they thought wedding photography wasn't a priority for their wedding - and didn't hire anyone to capture their day. They asked about my prices late in the day, but said afterwards that they would rather spend their money on a kick ass honeymoon, saying it was just too expensive. Instead, they created a folder on here (Facebook) and asked people to send their camera pics to be vetted, because in her words, "she didn't want to look bad", before putting them in the folder. They also said they had a mate who had a decent camera.
Anyway, long story short: The honeymoon is over, the wedding done & dusted.

They are begging people to send them as many photos as possible because it's all they have left to relive their day. Trouble is they've come to me saying the photos are all poor quality, that the majority don't flatter her, that the lighting is crap and the colours are not right. The bride has asked me if I can do anything with any of the photos to which I've replied, in a word, no.

The one thing they now regret is not paying someone to capture their day properly. It's the one thing that probably grates us all in this profession at one stage or another - that some people don't appreciate what we do. That or we're paid too much. Well, this couple have unfortunately learnt the hard way that it's so much more than that. You really can't put a price on captured memories.
All I'm seeing on their news feeds is how much they wished they had some good photos to look back on their day. A sad story.

I'll also add my own experience! My husband and I married at 21 and I was the only photographer among our friends in Leeds. My husband had a family friend in Birmingham who very kindly offered to come and do our photos. Back then there was no digital, it was all film and so the amateur film shooters were still pretty good.

We couldn't afford £500 which was what 4 hours with an album cost from local wedding studios.

Our friend did a great job but my wedding photos are not like professional wedding photos. We also didn't get the guidance that I can give to my own clients now - like where to have the group photos and how many to have.

We have just celebrated our 27th anniversary. In all these years we have NEVER had a photo on display in our home. There are no photos of me that I like enough to display, I have my album and look at it from time to time.

When my son got married two years ago he made me promise not to get a photographer lol so I took a few cameras and used them remotely, guess what he has on his walls now, yep his wedding photos. He said to me afterwards that's he's so glad I took them.

@ExpensiveYellowConfetti904

Your logic is sound. When I got married there were lots of things we didn't have (we did have a photographer though). Although I wished we could of afforded a Mariachi!

Some people really want nice photos to act as a ledger of their day and picking the right person is priceless. But we do cost a decent amount but our running costs are equally astronomical.

However, even though I'm a photographer myself unless you see a true valid reason to have one then don't. Same with anything really, video, than annoying member of the family, and so on.

Just don't rely on the guest shots, and for anyone else reading, apart from memories all you'll have after is the photos to look back on. I've seen couples blow 10k on flowers which are binned the next day but spent £500 on a photographer.

Me ?

there was a study a while ago that found most brides couldnt even remember when they last looked at their photo album after the 1 year mark, its a HUGE amount of money for something I dont care about that mostely wont be used

growing up I use to see that ONE photo of grandparents/great grandparents (usually 40s or 50s) often taken in a photo studio and always thought that was normal... who wants a 1000 images of the same things and I rarely see any wedding photos that feel 'special' as they tend to all look the same, the quality changes but the albums dont (and yes dozens of photographers have said the 'if you get a proffesional theres different styles' and all that typical response and trust me ive looked through including the people that say that and they all STILL look the same - theres only so much you can do with a woman in a wedding dress)

dont let anyone bully you... you have YOUR priorities, in my family there has never been a person who had a proffesional paid photographer and most of my friends havent either - wedding of only a couple of £1000 are common here so theres no money for it and I dont know one single person thats ever regretted it

Couldn't agree more Sorbet!

We had a friend take the pics. He was a semi-pro photographer. They were good but not great. Even knowing this, I wouldn't pay full whack for a professional photographer. Try the friend route, then expand to friend of friends and see if they'll do mates rates.

The photos are 1 of the things I am most looking forward to! We are paying £1.5k and I think it will be worth every penny

Photography was always a priority for us. We are having a small wedding and so this was a big amount to spend but it's all we'll have to look back on.

I have a few friends who didn't got professional photographers, they absolutely regret it! Even 10 or more years on. 1 friend especially says she is absolutely gutted that they have no decent photos.

Everyone has different priorities. I was shooting the group photos at a wedding on Saturday and while waiting for the usher to get the next group together a guest asked if I would take a photo with her camera of her and her friends, the lighting was crap, honestly one side of their faces were in shadow and the other side bright sun light, I tried to move them in to better light but she said "nah its only for facebook to show we are at a wedding" ?

I've seen this too many times to mention. people facing into the sun, eye's squinting and a disposable view on the photos they take. Like it only matters at the time they post them on social media with no long term value put on them.

It's a sign of the times though!

I didn't take it where they wanted me to take it because you know full well when they post it they will say the pro photographer took it but wont say they told them to take it in that bad light.

I think as others have said, it's your budget & you should definitely allocate the money where you think it'll be most valued.

However, I will say that we were so pleased when we received our photos because the day literally passed in a blur for me - I could barely remember any of it although I knew I had an amazing day, and that's no exaggeration. Our photos acted as a wonderful memory jogger as I really felt like I'd missed out on large swathes of the day, and in terms of friends & family sharing their photos with us, there actually haven't been that many from over 80 day guests & about 50 evening guests - they must have been having too much fun to be taking photos! ?

The guy we booked was under £700 for all day, all the photos on a memory stick for us to do what we want with, & no album faffery, & I think it was a very good deal. We're going to sit down before Christmas & do some photobooks for us & close family, when life hopefully settles down a bit!

Of course it's a case of each to their own and our budgets do dictate a lot of what we can do at weddings but I do agree with those saying you will regret it. I understand that guests will undoubtedly be taking photos, but lets be honest, when we take photos at weddings they are never as good as a photo taken with a professional camera! Once it is all over these photos will always be there - to show your kids, grandkids and to look back when you are older and reminisce. I am all for 'you regret what you didn't do, not what you did do' and would hate to regret not having them.

On another note, sometimes photographers do often do offers or packages that will allow you to get the photographer you want at a cheaper price? A friend of mine booked a photographer who had a special on for a '1/2 day wedding photography' for £500 (usually c£1500). She was only due to take some photos of bride getting ready, ceremony and then some of the 'essential' photos afterwards but ended up staying longer than required. Maybe you could find the right photographer that could capture your ceremony and any photos but not stay for the whole she-bang?

I'm only having a photographer for 2 hours just to get the ceremony and a few shots after. That's costing £400 and includes a USB of images. Look around for photographers, mine doesn't do posed shots, just captures the day naturally.

Thanks for your post, I've been wondering the same my self so I've read all the comments with interest. I get married next August but we are only have a tiny intimate family wedding (18-30 people max) so paying between 1-1.5k for photos seems extortionate. Having said that I do know someone who does photography not as a full time day job and we've had some posed shots done one Christmas by them to give to family. They were nice but my gut tells me for our 'big day' they just won't be special enough. So I am going to get some quotes and hopefully I can find a professional that is more within our budget, we're getting married mid week which I'm assuming might make it a little cheaper maybe?? I personally feel that I'll regret it if I don't as a picture is worth a thousand words....

I like what you are saying, thanks for the info!I would also like to share this article http://fixthephoto.com/blog/retouch-tips/editing-retouching-post-processing-post-production-difference.html

I am already book photographer. ?

A great photographer was always a priority for me - I wanted pictures to be 'unposed' and i did a lot of research to get the right person and managed to knock him down a bit too (having made savings elsewhere in my budget for photography). My photos are amazing and five years later I still look at them virtually every day. I had everyone upload their pictures onto a website and none of them come even near the professional ones. Don't let anyone pressurise you, but I'm posting this as I wouldn't want you to regret not having them. If you can't afford the £1k mark, find someone for just a couple of hours?

It's rare that we ever film a wedding that doesnt have a professional photographer. Maybe 3 times in our 12 years and each of those who just wanted to crowd source from everyone or had a friend always said how they were deeply dissapointed.And I mean the whole "Oh dear god what have we done!" sort of dissapointed.

You have a friend with a decent camera, doensnt mean they know how to use it or how to select the right lens to flatter your particular features and believe me, shooting real, moving people is a lot harder than food on a table or pretty scenic shots. We tried wedding photography and decided it was far too hard.

It is true, you may never look at your photos again. But that is not the case if you actually pick a decent photographer. Their shots will be the wallpaper on your phone, on the mantelpiece at home and on your walls.It is questinalble if you truly need 1000+ photos which is only a recent thing. 8 years ago a photographer would give you 10-20 decent shots. But then digital cameras became the norm so giving you 1000 was easy and cheap and would you pay £2,000 for a photographer who gives you 10 shots or 1000? Sounds better value... right? So one does it then they all have to do it.

At our own wedding our photographer cost under £500 (it was before we got into video) and in our house is not a single wedding photo. We got what we paid for. A guy who asked me to shake hands with my brother and stand under a tree with my wife. All things I wouldnt normally do. My brother is pretty good with a camera, still dont have any photos around our house.

I see so many amazing photographers and sure, they cost and some would be out of our budget if we were to do it again but for many your dress will live in a box in the loft, your memories will fade and there is no way on this earth you would ever EVER watch back someones speech they took on an iPhone (sorry, slipped to video guy rant) but a decent photo. They are not wrong when they say a picture can last a lifetime.

And never think they are overpaid. We know what the cost price is to be a wedding photographer with the equipment, training, insurance, albums, computers, storage, backup storage, backups of the backup storage and more and it's a lot. But not far off what they charge. I see many who give it away for cost price or less.

We've seen weddings which have rung up a £35,000 bar bill. Spent £8,000 on a cake or more on having Craig David perform yet will still barter for the lowest price photographer around. The one (of two) things you actually walk away with from your wedding.

If you have weddings every year, you can give a non professional photographer a try. I had a friend, an amateur photographer, but she herself talked me off it and found me wedding photographer in nottingham

This is fairly correct unless you're the person in the photos. There's a lot of similarities to every wedding but a good photographer will get under the skin of a wedding and make it unique to the people there even if certain things are the same.

I understand your feelings but honestly I think you'll really regret it. Can you imagine how you'd feel if all your photos from your day turn out rubbish?

My cousin got married a few years ago and had a family friend take all their photos, and relied on other friends taking candid natural photos - all were awful. Bad lighting, photos of people they didn't really want photos of etc. They don't have any wedding photos up in their home.

At the end of the day, it's your money to spend on what you want, but having beautiful photos that really show off you and your partner in the best possible way are priceless. I don't like really posed photos either but there are photographers out there who focus on much more natural styles, you just have to do the research.

Apart from your marriage of course, photos are the only real lasting thing from the day. Do you think you'd feel happy looking through photos your friends had taken, compared to photos a professional has taken?

Luckily, my cousin loves to takes pictures. She is not a professional but got quite a good camera and taught herself a few tricks. I'm very confident in her ? I don't mind if they're not super professional but they're from the heart. The personal touch (this will be her gift to us) is more important for me.
I also plan to have a polaroid sitting in one spot where the guests can take pictures of each other and pin them on a wall, so we will have a collection of all the photos. I think this will also be a great way of entertaining the guests a bit ?

Its great if you have a relative who likes to take pictures and you are going to be happy with whatever the result may be. So this heads up is really aimed at others to think about. Yes I an a professional wedding photographer and bound to give warnings about not using a pro but as neutral as I can be --

As a wedding photographer over the years I have had many inquiry's at short notice were the couple were going down the family/ friend - keen - good camera route but as the wedding grew nearer either the shooter or the couple have had second thoughts.

The couple at first thought they did not need a pro as perhaps the wedding was just going to be small - low key but as time goes on the wedding has grown with all of those must have elements that you did not know you wanted until you saw them. Or its a case of the couple wanting the person to be just a guest and enjoy the day and not be working.

Or from the shooters point of view they have started to realise the size and the pressure and responsibility of the task ahead of them and so pull out at the last min. You then also have to consider that if this was a friend then how is this let down going to effect the future friendship.

Its great having a friend with a good camera but pros do not have "a" good camera -- they have 3 or 4 because one will break and so they carry spares and spares of spares, its something that is overlooked when a friend with a good camera offers to shoot the wedding because if that camera breaks down then you have nothing.

The main area friends struggle is in low light. By low light I mean just inside a room. To the human eye its bright but to the camera its low. But a pro knows how to deal with that (without flash) and has not just the decent camera but the decent lens.

We see it all the time. People spend an absolute fortune on a really good camera, better than some pro wedding photographers but they cheap out with the lens and the truth is. Decent lens on a half decent camera is better than a decent camera with a half decent lens.

But why is an expensive lens so much better? It's just glass right? The main thing is how they perform in low light. A decent lens can see more and couple that with a decent body that has a more sensitive sensor that gives great results with little to no noise is a great mix. Better yet a photographer who knows how to shoot on that camera.

Many videographers use the same cameras as us, the same lenses as us. We have a blog post listing everything in our kit bag but they always email us asking how we get such great results. Whats our trick? We simply know and understand our camera. We know its limitations and we know what every button and dial does. For us and any pro Auto is not 'good enough'.

Then there is the question no one ever asks. What happens after? Where are the files stored and backed up. Backups!!! Who needs backups!!!! (a great link there for our pro friends).

Friends can often take great photos when outside. Thats why their landscape and pics of their dogs look great. But when it comes to the inside stuff, the dark dancefloor shots. Thats when things really fall apart.

A church in particular often causes many amateurs to find out how hard it is really quick. They contain a number of light sources, all creating a differnt hue. Your eyes just see a wonderful church, but cameras see the green from the energy saving bulbs, the red from the heating lamps, the blue from sunlight (yes, sunlight is blue) and all while trying to keep peoples faces the correct colour.

But that said... some people just get lucky and your friends may do too.

As has been mentioned here though. Not all pros are pros. Everyone we recommend is at least £1,000 as an absolute minimum.

Don't give up.

I didnt want a photographer mainly because everything I found (on google) we were talking £1.5k-5k which for me is completely out of budget. I thought I'd just rely on guests taking photos on the day...

Only issue with that is - getting the photos from guests!

Ask around - at work - through friends etc, we managed to secure a photographer through one of my work colleagues who looks absolutely amazing and is only... £700!

We live in Scotland and only paid £600 for our photographer. For that we got one photo in a frame, an album and all our photos on a memory stick. We love the photos so I would say keep looking.