Is it worth having a photographer??

Personally i would say yes as these are the only things you have to look back on on the day & costs can be cut else where.

you can get cheaper photogrpahers who arent there as lon/dont do albums only digital etc etc

also, the guests would then feel very responsible & wouldnt feel at ease as a guest.

a Hitcher on here has contacted their local college to see if a student would want to do it as part of their course.

Yes, it is definitely worth having a photographer if you want any decent pics of your day. Asking a bunch of friends and family to all club together with their point and shoot cameras might save you a few bob but most of your photos will be too light/too dark/blurry/wonky etc.

Plenty of guests took photos on our day and from the ones that I have seen I can honestly say I wouldn't put one of them in a frame.

It depends how much professional photo's mean to you...you would hate to regret not having them!! its the one thing you can always look back on....

in my opinion they are worth it however i will say if you are going to really scrimp on the photographer (a couple of hundred say) then i would just have friends doing it as the quality is likely to be similar to that of a friend!!...

we have a small budget overall but photo's are really important to me (not really to H2B) i am into photography myself and i want to look at my pictures and think 'wow i couldn't take that myself' ...i would hate to look through professional pics and think 'that could have been taken by a friend'...

for these reasons i think it's worth spending the extra to get a decent photographer....on our small budget overall we have a limit of £1000 for a photographer which for us is LOADS but then i know i wouldn't be happy with rubbish pics, i'd rather DIY on other things.

x

In my opinion this is one thing you should not cut back on as like others have said it is the only thing to look back on your day, why spend thousands of pounds on everything else if your not going to have any decent photographs of any of it?

I agree with what MrsWToBe said.

Originally like you I was thinking that we wouldn't bother with a photographer and ask friends to do it. But after some thought I've dramatically changed my mind and our photographer is going to be the most expensive part of the day. The things that made me decide were;

1. I wanted my friends to enjoy themselves and not feel we have invited them only to take photos (one is great with a camera but I want them in some of the shots too!)

2. I wanted some nice family portrait shots, and I feel that by paying a good photographer I will feel a lot more comfortable saying to them, right I want you to get that shot, and that group photo etc. With a friend that might come across a little bossy!

3. I don't know for sure but I think a professional photographer will be able to herd my family and friends better, to get the family portraits done as quick as possible, so my family can go back to drinking.

4. Finally I looked at some cheaper photogrphers but like Mrs WTo be I love photography and messing around with my camera so in the end I went with someone slightly more expensive whose photos are great - and that I couldn't match with my camera skills.

The only issue is my other half doesn't give two hoots about a TOG so I am paying for this myself so it doesn't put the overall cost of the wedding up! I am putting £100 aside each month, just for the TOG and he is letting me pay in instalments which is so helpful.

So I don't know if that's helped but it's what made me finally decide to splash out on a professional.

Hiya, i would say so yes. We deliberated with this as we have a friend who was happy to do this for us. Whilst our family and friends took lots of photos which were lovely to see, there are a few issues I would consider about this - who will take the photos when/if you wanted everyone in the same photo, eg the group shots, what if there is glare from the sun (some photographers have screens they put up), if you were not happy with the photos then would you feel comfortable in saying (although it's too late then), would the family/friends be with you all day and not be drinking (i'm guessing youd want photos up to the first dance atleast)?

Just a few thoughts, I know wedding photography is pricey but it's a memory you have forever. There are a few ways you could maybe cut back on the price, find a photographer who offers full copyright to all photos you have taken. You could maybe get a few of your favourites from them and then do your own album but atleast you'll have quality photos. I think alot of the cost involved is within the album you have.

We went with a company called Electra Wedding Films (midlands based), not sure what area you are from but I would not recommend you use these at all. We have had issues with obtaining copyright after we had paid for it and in our album they cut my head in half . My friend used Adam Smith who was very good and you can get full copyright off him (full meaning copies of all photos for you to print at any resolution).

Hope this helps x

I am naurally biased in this response, although over the years I have spoken to many people about wedding photography. Many have commented that in hindsight, they have really regretted not having had a pro photographer as the images captured by friends simply didn't express the events of the day. They were a jumble without a timeline or structure or common quality of image. Groups were ill structured and look messy compared to those created by a pro.

The photographs in many ways become more valuable as time passes and loved ones pass away. They are a "snapshot" in time of you and those that were part of your wedding day.

Peter

btw...website currently broken thanks to 123-reg so called upgrade. They have promised to fix it asap.?

I'm not a wedding photographer any more - gave it up for various reasons - one of which was to concentrate on Boudoir, the other was an increasing de-valuation of how wedding photography is perceived. Its not just £1000 for one days work - its at least 60+ hours to provide you with a keepsake of the most precious day of your life - not something I would EVER leave to an unprofessional.

PLEASE PLEASE if you get a minute read this:

https://www.rocknrollbride.com/2012/01/should-i-book-a-professional-wedding-photographer-or-get-a-friend-to-do-it-for-free-a-cautionary-tale/

Have a look at the 'photos' at the end. These are by someone who professes to be good with a camera. They are truely horrific. nuff said.

Yes yes and yes for all the reasons the others have mentioned!

That link above me is truly terrifying!

My thoughts are yes it's worth it because when it's all over it's the photographs that you have forever to remember your wedding day.

I remember when I was a little girl looking at my parents wedding album and I know that when I have children I would also want to share those memories with them!

I also have cameras for the tables but I would imagine most of these will be pics of guests doing funny things rather than anything else.

In the end it's your decision but I personally know I would regret it Ifcwe didn't have a photographer. You can also shop around and get different packages from them.

If you are asking yourself this then photos probably don't mean a lot to you, which is fine but still get someone on the cheap to take them so there is some structure and record of the day, a student trying to make a name for themselves or an assistant looking to turn pro.

Of course it's worth it. I cant believe you're even considering its not.

Get a photographer. Photographs are so worth it.

We originally asked my uncle and cousin to do it for us, both are very good, semi-pro photographers (they take occasional bookings for weddings in the case of my uncle and fashion and freelance in the case of my cousin). However, we have thought about this a lot over the last few weeks and have decided to just get a pro. Our guests are guests and should be allowed to enjoy the day rather than being stuck behind the camera all day working for us.

You can find photographers in all price ranges. We have been incredibly lucky and found our photographer at very short notice and well under a grand. He is a commercial photographer who does mainly portraits and sticks to a limited number of weddings in a year. If you are tight on budget but know what you want, have a look off the beaten track, try a few different combinations of google search, ask around for recommendations.

Also haggle on the finer points if you can, such as if you don't want an album, ask for digital only. If you aren't bothered about your bridal prep photos ask them to either cut it from the price or add the hours on at the end of the package instead.

Don't end up regretting the decision not to have a photographer. Its not just a few snaps, they are one of the only material things you can bring away from the day.

Absolutely.

And they don't have to cost £1000's, there are some very good togs out there who offer packages to suit you.

Ours was £750 for all day coverage, images on a disc and 2 photographers - but for me worth every penny.

After the day, all we have are our rings, memories, photos and videos.

It is absolutely worth it, we just got photos and then made our own album but so pleased we did, we both usually hate pictures of ourselves and didnt want to waste time doing loads of posed shots so asked for natural photos only and they are fantastic we did an album on photobox and really love it, it is a really lovely keepsake

Yes.

Next...

I am going to disagree with most posters right now, but bear with me!

With a budget of £9.5k for everything, and our venue coming up over £7k, we are budgeting in every way possible.

I know when I say my best guy friend Tom is an amateur/hobby photographer, all you pros will shudder BUT I have seen a lot of his stuff (I go out sometimes and shoot with him as I'm trying to get my head around my DSLR still) and I absolutely love it. He hasn't shot a wedding before but I have complete trust that he will do well - he knows me and my H2B extremely well and knows how I like my photographs to look - he also knows a lot of my family so I know he will be great at rounding them up and making them feel at ease.

I keep sending him photos of wedding styles I like and we're constantly discussing it, and he's even taken it on himself to travel to our venue to take a look around to get ideas - he has said that he can't wait and is SO excited about being given the chance to shoot our wedding.

Another benefit of using my friend is that I can sit with him to edit the photos, so I can decide exactly how I want them to look. You can get so much cool stuff printed online these days so would also save a load there rather than having them printed professionally.

I just can't justify spending £1k on a photographer, and it sounds like you're massively questioning it: have you got a friend like my Tom, or have you considered contacting the local photography college/place that hold courses as it might be worth enquiring here - if you find a student who is pretty handy with a camera you'll cut your costs, and as they'll likely have their work marked as part of their course work then they'd be out there to impress!

That's a mahoosive risk you're taking imo.

Exactly this!

How is shooting a wedding different to shooting a party?

He shot our engagement party and we have some of the photos framed in our flat.

I don't think saying it's a wedding is any different and would justify me paying £1k for the sake of it.

You'll find out when you see your wedding photos.

Anyway, not getting into a debate; you dont think its important, I do. Hey ho.

Yes, it is worth it.

Now that I am married, the photos are the only thing I have (apart from the rings and my husband!). I have two uncles who are very very good at photography and granted they did take some decent shots but none compare to the professional photos.

There's no point, in my mind, in spending thousands on a wedding but then not setting aside a few hundred to get some photos (or at least finding someone you know who can take decent photos). Our tog cost us £850 all in and he spent the whole day with us and gave us our photos on disc, which enabled us to get Photobox albums very cheaply. He has since become more popular and put his prices up so it might be worth looking for someone who has lovely photos but perhaps not done hundreds of weddings yet?

Completely different! It's approx 10 hours of shooting for starters. The editing the images takes hours!

If I was your best friend I'd want to enjoy your wedding without the pressure of having to capture the most important day of your life. I'd want to celebrate with your friends and family and enjoy the day. I'd not want to have to interrupt people talking to get them to pose. I'd also want to make sure that if I had agreed to photograph it for you that I'd have a complete set of back up kit in case my camera went bang. Sounds like it's good for you that I'm not your best mate! ?

Taken from the article "You see, not realising the true impact of what I was doing, I asked my friend to shoot my big day. He had a DSLR and could take amazing pictures of cars so he must be able to shoot my winter wedding right? Wrong!"

My friend owns several DSLR's, and has photographed many different things in a huge range of lighting etc. and even did a fantastic job with our engagement party. He also took a course in photography and also editing and shoots at least once a week with his photography club. - this all gives me enough trust in him.

I don't see how you can just pass off a non-professional being able to do it entirely - surely everyone needs to start somewhere?

But like you said what works for one person, won't work for some one else

That's slightly assuming - especially considering it was my friend who offered.

Obviously everyone else her can afford the £1000 + price tag, unfortunately not all budget brides can.

As one of the other hitchers have you said you clearly arent bothered if your asking the question, there is one thing asking if you can get a TOG on a budget but to ask if you need one at all tells me it's not important to you so don't have one and rely on your friends and family.

Perhaps you won't regret it and you'll be pleased with the very amateur pictures.

So you agree with me then?

Have you read the whole thread?

Lots of people have commented saying that they have managed to find excellent pro togs for well below £1000.

I'm sorry but do you have a problem with my opinion? Obviously I didn't agree with you as I stated underneath the quote. Jeez

No.

most wedding photographers start off by being a second photographer to an already experienced person. That way they learn the trade without having responsibility for the outcome.