Anyone else not having a photographer?

Its fine to do but in hindsight I really think you will regret not having some 'posed' photos... even if its pictures of you and your other half.......

I had a photographer and theres even opportunities that I missed, the only pics I have of me and my dad are with us walking down the aisle, or one with him blurred in the background, I really regret not having one of just the two of us and I dont know how that happened!

Your friends will take pics but I can guarantee, one or both of you will be mid-chat/pulling a face/hair across face/aunties hand in way etc etc etc. Even if you assign a friend to be an official photographer??? Not all posed photos need to be staid and huffy.... so consider having a few....

I have to agree with Teehee, and its for these reasons we decided to have a photographer, its a day that you wont be able to recreate and if the photos your friends take are not what you had hoped you will regret it! we ended up getting quite a good package for £670, our tog has said he prefers to do 'natural' photos rather than posed ones but is still able to catch the moment professionaly, we will be having some posed ones of course though. it may be worth just scouting about to see what the cheapest packages are that some local togs offer? goodluck in whatever you decide x

Thanks. I forgot to say that my h2b mum is very into her photogrpahy and has a professional camera. stand and lenses so she will be invaluable along with my mum who is obsessed with taking not just one but 10 photos of the same thing to insure that one of them is ok means that i am not worried about blurring etc.

Am glad you mentioned about the photos of you and your dad, i will make sure that i get a couple of us togeter.

It really depends on how important the photos are to you. A professional photographer is skilled at making you look good in all the pictures. The reportgage, natural, relaxed shots you are talking about do not come about by accident or by simply taking as many photos as possible, what is known as 'scatter gun' but by being able to anticipate events and be in exactly the right place at the right time coupled with the skill of perfect timing. Pro togs are doing this week in week out and therefore have honed this skill to perfection - and this is one of the things you are paying for...ensuring you end up with a brilliant set of photos from a day that is un-repeatable. If you rely on simply letting all your guests take photos then you will end up with plenty of images, but as has already been stated the vast majority will be mediocre and sadly, very unflattering. I know a fellow professional photograher who for his own wedding came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea...he gave all his 200 guests a little digital camera and asked them to take as many photos as possible throughout the day and then he collected all the memory cards and after the honeymoon started editing them. He ended up with more than 5000 images. Do you know how many he and his wife kept? Two! He has regretted this blunder ever since.

All elements of a wedding are very costly. But the photographs are possibly the only tangible thing you will have left after the day and they are your memories that will last a life time. Not only your lifetime but your wedding photographs will be handed down to your children, grandchildren and on through succesive generations. Given the cost of your venue, dress, cars, and everything else, is it not worth spending a few hundred pounds on something that will last forever?

As a professional wedding photographer I strongly believe every bride should come away from her wedding day with a stunning set of photographs in which she looks great and that has documented the day perfectly. If you dont book a photographer then basically you are leaving this to chance, and the law of averages is against you. I hope my comments may help you in your decision. I'm sure your day will be awesome and wish you the very best.

I would agree wholehearedly with the post by Mr Hawkins above....(although I would, wouldn't I ?)

Seriously though, over the years I have only heard regrets about not having taken the photography element seriously. We have had comments on this forum in the past where friendships have been lost due to a friend photographing a wedding and the results being somewhere between awful and poor. IMHO Its too massively an important day to leave things to chance.

Peter

I agree with philip as well! whenever i look at wedding pics from my parents' wedding, it is so nice to see them at that age with my grandparents so young etc. and friends and cousins who have gotten married recently always come away with stunning wedding pics - even if the tog hasn't been overly expensive. i think there are a lot of very experienced and capable wedding photographers out there who won't charge an arm and a leg.

we're spending a significant amount on photographs because i know that is the only thing that will stay with us after the day. i would never trust a friend or relative to take the type and quantity of pictures that i want - also because i want them to be enjoying themselves rather than worrying about capturing the important moments. it is always the 'natural' pictures that wedding togs capture that completely take my breath away. like a laugh or a look that other people wouldn't notice because not only are they not trained/experienced but they just aren't focused on that kind of thing on the day. the tog will be the one person whose sole task is to capture these moments, as well as proper posed ones (with no blurry, shaky, out of focus shots!). for me, it isn't worth taking that risk on my big day! also you say they will be trailing you but tbh i have been to a few weddings and never really noticed the tog (apart from group posed shots) and ended up seeing lovely pics after. so...

anyway it is really up to personal choice but as you see, this is something i feel strongly about and i took ages to really carefully choose a tog i was happy with!

i am sure whatever you decide, you will have a fab day xx

I say it's totally your call, but you need to be aware that you may end up very disappointed. After seeing images friends of my clients post on facebook, it's nearly always the case that the couple are stunned at the images we get, because their friends are blurry, dark, weirdly composed, bad facial expressions,, and the list goes on.

As far as someone you know having a professional camera,, that's great. and when I hear that, it always bemuses me. I have a set of some professional quality pots and knives, and yet I still can't boil water,, but maybe I should open a restaurent since I have such great pots and pans, it's only about the tools afterall right? Re-read the above paragraph,, many of those guests cameras were good quality DSLR's. It's not the camera. It's the person operating it.

When you hire a professional photographer, or a professional of any sort, you are paying for their expirence, artistic ability, skills with how to coax the best photographs of your day for you, regardless of the lighting conditions, I could go on. You are paying for their ability to take natural photos with ease, yet the amount of skill involved in this is not something that comes instinctively to most people. You are paying for their skill in knowing how to photograph you in such a way to flatter you and your groom. Then there is the technical skills involved in creating the images after the wedding day. The touching up work, artistic work, etc. If this has no value to you, then you should just enjoy your day, let your guests have at it, but don't expect your guests, no matter what kind of camera they have, to provide for you what you would get from a professional. There are no 'do overs' when it comes to weddings, not unless you go to the expense of actually staging it all again, but it's not really the same is it? We didn't have a photographer, and it's one reason I take what I do very seriously. I have just heard too many sad stories lately and it just doesn't have to be that way. I blame the camera companies for setting people up for thinking that all they need is a good camera. Yeah,, and I can cook like Gordan Ramsey, lol. I have the same pots afterall

Happy planning, and best of luck.

Teri

Absolutely not! We have just added these to our site http://www.lilypondcards.com/newdigitalphotocds.htm , (yep im still updating lol), and i think its the exact same thing you have decided to do

Not an unpopular decision at the moment.

Andrea

Surely its the quality of the photographs ON the disc that is more important than having a nice disc cover?

I absolutely agree! I was just pointing out that it wasnt an odd or unusual idea, and maybe if you are on a very tight budget a better idea than having none ?

Andrea

Another thing that you also have to consider is that to photograph a wedding, you have to take a step back and not be part of the wedding to fully observe it - which is difficult to do when you are a main part of the wedding like a parent of the groom/bride.

Usually I have found that most guests don't tend to normally follow the bride and groom round all day - they snap a few shots to say they were there - maybe bride arriving and then the kiss, a few of each other, maybe one or two of the formal shots, then head off to the reception... maybe one of cutting the cake, first dance, and one or two of them with the bride and groom before they leave to go home.

Louisa

At my first wedding I didn't have a professional tog! Just a uncle of x hubby who photographed as a hobby and the usual guests pics! But I did have some amazing pics and I doubt very much I will have a tog this time round either!!!

It seems that all the professional togs think that you should have one and I wonder why that is!!

Hope my opinon helps!!!

xxx

It's not just the professionals that think a TOG is very important, most of the brides do too, apart from the venue, choosing the photographer is one the biggest decisions I think we will make.

I would be absolutely distraught if something happened and I didn't have any proper photos. I'm not a fan of the staged ones, although I will still have some of those for prosperity as it were, I prefer reportage style.

I really can't fathom why anyone would not want this left in a professionals hands, although obviously each to there own and it's only my humble opinion.

I just think that in years to come I will still have a lovely set of beautiful photos to look at and share with others. I would hate to look back on my day and think ' oh I wish I'd done that differently '

I have an expensive camera. i take candid photos during the disco and create a gallery for each of my brides. I use photo shop to titivate them up too. No matter how hard i try they just never compare to a professional tog who has an eye and skill that I and the average person behind a digital camera just don't have. I agree with the togs that have already posted and the other comments that you don't get a second chance and you may regret it in years to come.

WOW quite a varied response. Has been interesting to see what other people think. My parents have 2 photos of their wedding day, it was along time ago and few people had cameras but probably more importantly my gran did not want the weddding to go ahead and therefore fordid anyone taking photos. So i do not come from a family where getting out the photos and looking at them has ever really happened. I am glad to hear that i am not the only one who is not having a TOG although i do also understand why to others they would think me insane.

I am going to disagree with most people.

If you feel that the photographs are not worth the expense then don't do it.

I am an old married of 9 years and had a very expensive photography package. Do you know what we hardly ever look at them (once a year maybe). Ok we have a couple around the house (1 professional photo - 1 none professional), but other than that they are sat upstairs in the wardrobe - what as waste of money in my opinion.

Looking back I don't regret having a photographer but I do regret paying so much money for one and getting hooked into the whole wedding thing. Friends and family took so many fantastic photographs that we could have made a great album.

My mum who got married 3 years ago had a professional tog and album. She also did what you did and has now made an album of family and friends pics and we much prefer looking at that album, there are some great pictures there.

I don't need fancy photographs to remind me of my day - 9 years on and I still remember every bit of it.

To me photographs are great but just not that important.

I don't think your insane (oh ok maybe just a little bit ha ha) I just think that after the wedding all you have is your photos, oh and a husband lol.

As I said each to their own, if we were all the same what a boring world it would be.

I do have a very very lovely set of photos to look back at! (And will keep them for my boys as it is there Dad in them too!) But 2nd time round I am definalty not spending money on something that like someone else said will be stuffed at the back of a wardrobe!!!

Each to their own though!!

xxx

Is definitely a case of what you want and also where your priorities lie....for example photography and the wedding party's outfits (including my dress obv!) are my 2 top priorities and these are 2 areas where i refuse to cut corners........personally i couldn't give 2 hoots about having a wedding cake for example, but then i'm sure others would quite happily spend £1000 or more on a cake!

as long as you are happy with what you've got on the day and it suits you then that's the best decision for you!! xx

Don't forget the rings and the bank overdraft!!!!?

I do wonder if those that make negative comments about wedding photography after the day. perhaps didn't end up selecting a photographer worthy of their wedding....one that can deliver memorable shots.....

Not necessarily Peter, for some maybe, but not all. I do think it's something that is important to many, but I repect the opinion of those who don't value photography, it's their call. In the end, it's all about what is important to you. A friend of mine in Australia said to me once, when I mentioned that I hate to have my photo taken, that it's not for myself to be photographed, it's for my children, and their children. I keep that in the back of my mind every time I pick up the camera to photograph any event, or family session. It's not for ourselves, it's for those who come after us.

One of my grooms last year brought out his family albums to show me, (I was expecting those tacky albums with the sticky paper and plastic sleeves, lol) and I was blown away. They were over 100 years old, but obviously well cared for and loved. The images were amazing, very old obviously, but such amazing quality. I hope in a hundred years for the great grandchildren of my couples to be able to bring out their great grandparent's album and hope that it will have been cherished that same way.

I have always loved photographs and placed a high value on them from an early age, when putting family photo albums together with my mom. I don't have any family on this earth anymore, so the importance of photographs is poignantly apparent to me. Be it wedding day photos, or whatever. I think it's something that some people feel strongly about, and some don't. That's just the way it is. I don't take it personal, and for anyone to think I have an agenda when I promote having a good photographer around on their day, doesn't know me very well, lol. But that's ok too. I am very aware that on any wedding day, where you have a gathering of family that may not have been together at the same time for years, it's important to capture not just the 'stand there and smile' type of shots, but just lovely images of everyone spending time together. Often the images we have captured are the last taken of some family members, and that's something that I personally feel is of immeasurable value. I am blessed to have clients who see that value, and I hope to be doing this until I am too old to hold this camera up, lol. Or at the least, I'll end up hiring some young stud to hold it up for me, LOL.

I'm off to capture some images of a new family, I'm into babies right now, and I love that I can capture something special that they will love.

Teri

I cannot fault our wedding photographer at all he was fantastic and took hundreds of photographs even set up a studio and took photographs of our guests for us to give as thank you gifts. They were with us (2 of them) from 11am until 10pm I don't think we could have asked for a better photographer to be honest, it is just for me 9 years later they were something that are not important to me and I do wonder if I just got caught up in the hype.

However, I am not the kind of person to have loads of photographs around the house especially of one event.

I suppose it is how important pictures are to you as a couple, for some people they are really important for others not so. As already said I can remember my day like yesterday so even though my pictures are memorable at the moment I don't need them.

For us yes they are memories but I much prefer watching my video (well my 5 year old daughter does). I loved getting my photographs back but if I am 100% honest once everyone had seen the album they ended up in the wardrobe only to come out once a year if that (or if anyone asks to see them). I am not the kind of person to keep it on the coffee table especially so long after. So for me a waste of almost £2000 which could have been spent elsewhere or eve better saved. Does not mean I was unhappy with the quality of photo because I was.

For me photographs are great for looking back on but do they really have to be professional to remind you of what a fantastic day you had? - I think not. I suppose it depends what you want from your photographs.

Would I regret it had I not had a photographer. I probably would have done after the wedding but 9 years on I don't think I would, they have added nothing to my life or my marriage - although they may give me a laugh in years to come if my daughter gets married.

Surely as with everything it is a personal choice there is no right or wrong, it is what is important to the couple and some just don't think they want to spend out for a professional photographer.

We're not having a "proper" photographer. We are however having an "offical" photographer and a second "un-official" photographer.

The official one is our friend and he is very into his photography. He takes an SLR with him wherever he goes and does produce some lovely pictures. He's always buying photogrpahy magazine and even wedding magazines to look at styles of photography. He has many cameras and lenses so we're pretty happy with what he'll be able to do. We're giving him an usher to work with him in getting people for the group photos and working with him as if he's a "real" photogrpaher.

The other photographer is another keen photo taker. I hate how at weddings you're there with your other half or friends dressed up in your best clothes and always end up with a naff picture of the 2 of you so we asked him to take a picture of every guest (couple or grou pof friends if single) so we can give them a copy after the wedding - a reminder of our day and hopefully a lovely picture of the 2 of them they can put up at home. As soon as we asked him he said "oh, i've got my eye on a new camera/lense and this will be the perfect chance to buy it". So both friends take it very seriously. We're also hoping the 2nd friend will do all the groom shots pre-wedding and the groom family photos.

While it's purely down to personal choice and how you prioritise your budget please don't underrate the skill of a good wedding photographer. I got married nearly 20 years ago and my photos were very basic, posed groups (as was the style then) and before digital. Looking back at them now they serve little purpose but to remind me who was there and what we looked like, there is no personality, no magic and they sit in the bottom of a box under the stairs. I have copies of guests' snaps that are even worse but are nice memories. I didn't place any importance in having a decent photographer at the time . . . but nearly 20 years down the line it's a big regret.

When I see the beautiful photographs (often shown on Hitched) of weddings now, the style of photography, the incredibly skilled "candid" shots I really do regret that I don't have those kind of photos to look back at. I don't have a bias because I'm not a photographer but I now totally appreciate that there is SO much more to taking good wedding photographs than having a good camera. A professional, recommended photographer will take amazing shots that you will want to look at for years to come. They know how to make the most of lighting (or lack of), they know how to organise guests discreetly and they know how to present their work afterwards with lasting archival papers to be technology futureproof. Yes, a good photographer may be a big slice of a wedding budget but relatively speaking and for their skill, amount of work before and after, they are worth every penny.

Absolutely........my comment was based on previous posts by brides who have been disappointed with their photography and have put the album away because it upsets them to see it. One prime case is a well known wedding planner who is a regular on this forum. She went in to planning to help brides have similar issues to that which she did.

In hindsight I should have written "some of those" rather than "those", although my excuse is having been up 20 hours when i posted the comment.

I would add though that creative photographers can give you things which you hadn't thought of for your wedding photography or realised that you liked.

I have to agree with what Pretty Wild has written here.

When I got married almost 6 years ago, we went for a cheaper "professional photgrapher" but ended up with NO nice pictures of our day. She was a complete nigthmare from the start & even some of our guests commented on her.

Yes we did go check out her work & did like the stuff she showed us but when we look back on it, we only chose here because of her price & it is something that I will regret for the rest of my life. At the time just like pretty wild, I didnt place so much importance in having a really decent photographer & I so regret that decision.

If I did it all again, if I am honest... a very big % of budget would go on the photography becasue these are the lasting memories of your day.

Debbie

xxx

Very intresting subject. As videographers weve had people say "We were thinking of not having a photographer and we say to them "If its money, cancel us, get photos instead!".

Weve also filmed our fair share of weddings where a friend did the photos and they either had a really good camera or had the camera and did some other form of photography. But it often resulted in tears. While they were good at shooting fashion shoots or buildings they had no command on the wedding day and often missed moments. I appreciate some just dont have the budget. But your memory will fade.

Think about one of your earliest memories. I bet that memory is triggered by some photo you had.

There is also the school of thought from those who have the pics but never look at them. But the fact is they have the pics. They can look at them if they wish, they have the peace of mind knowing the pics are there and no doubt have at least one picture lying around the house, on the wall or in their wallet.

A wedding photographer knows infinity more than just how to use their camera. It comes back to the age old analogy that I bet you know someone who can bake a cake, or someone who can sew really well. But all too often people will never consider for a moment to have a friend make the dress or bake the cake.