Will Hiring a Friend or Family Member be Your Biggest Regret?

4 reasons you should not have a friend photograph your wedding.

Your list of to-do’s is probably a mile long at this point in planning your wedding. So it might feel like a quick task to check off to ask one of your friends or family members to be your photographer for the wedding. But is this going to end up being one of your biggest regrets from the wedding day?

1. Will they take the time to get to know you and your needs for the wedding day?

You might be thinking that your friend knows you pretty well already and will be able to capture your day without a problem. However there is so much happening on the wedding day that you’ll want photos of, but might not know you want them until you don’t have them. More times than not, this friend or family member will just show up to your wedding as a guest with a camera. They aren’t paying close attention to any of the details going on or important moments happening that aren’t super obvious.

In contrast, I sit down with my couples before they even book with me to give them an idea of the magnitude that a professional photographer will have on their wedding day. Plus I’ll actually create a unique shot list just for your wedding that includes your absolute must have shots along with hundreds of other moments that I know you’ll want to look back on throughout the years.

2. Do they have the right equipment?

Sure, everybody has a decent camera on their phone that takes rather remarkable photographs for day to day life. However there are technical limitations to cell phone cameras, and the cheaper camera’s you can buy at Best Buy or Walmart. And also what about lighting equipment, fast and reliable SD cards and hard drives, editing software, different lenses for different parts of the wedding day, and so many other small things.

I’ve spent years accumulating the specific gear that allows me to create the works of art that you see here on my website and social media. And two, just having the equipment is only half of what it’ll take to create these images for you. You have to have practiced and tested the gear out to know how it all works.

3. What if things don’t go according to plan?

We all know that there is a lot to coordinate on a wedding day from a half dozen vendors, multiple key moments, to well over 100 guests. Getting everyone working together is near impossible on your own. (Check out our preferred Wedding Planners list here) The photographer is often looked upon as the leader in these scenarios to facilitate the timeline and make sure things are running according to time. An inexperienced photographer will be so overwhelmed and have no idea what to do that your wedding might literally fall apart and even cause a rift between you and this person.

With me though, I’ve photographed my share of weddings where I was the one literally holding the wedding day together. I’ve been there, and by working closely with you every step of the way I’ll know what your expectations are and keep you as stress free as I can during your day. You’ll feel confident that even in the face of a total failure that you’ll still get amazing and heart-wrenching memories preserved from your wedding day.

4. What if your friend IS a professional photographer?

If you have a really close friend that is a photographer that you’d like to photograph your wedding then I have a couple questions for you.

• Do you want this person to be in your wedding in any capacity (other than the photographer)

• Do you expect to get a deal?

• Do you want to put your friend to work on your wedding day?

In my experience you’ll want your closest friends as bridesmaids/groomsmen in the wedding. This obviously presents a problem for capturing the ceremony. Even if they don’t make that list, do you really want to put your friends to work for 8+ hours on your wedding day? You’ll probably at some level feel bad that they are working while all their friends are drinking and having a good time. And please don’t go looking for a deal from your friends businesses. They have to support their family and pay their bills just the same.

Don’t make the mistake that I made. Let’s talk about your wedding today.

Love & Legacy Studios is a Wedding and Portrait Photography studio based in Auburn Alabama and available for travel worldwide. It’s our goal to preserve your once-in-a-lifetime moments against the thief of time.