| While it may be tempting to hire your good friend | | | | took for them to get you the images, but now you |
| who thinks they are pretty good at taking pictures | | | | are also totally dissatisfied with the poor portraits; |
| (and they might be) to save money, hiring a | | | | not the winning combination for a friendship. This is |
| professional photographer to capture what is sure to | | | | one of the most major reasons to hire a professional. |
| be one of the most important days of your life is | | | | Reason (3) - They are called professionals for a |
| always the right choice. Sure, your friend's feelings | | | | reason. A professional photographer knows their |
| might be a little hurt when you turn down their offer, | | | | responsibilities, and most of the times have a |
| but rest assured, they'll get over it. If they were to | | | | contract to back them up. A friend who is charged |
| take your wedding portraits and do a poor job, there | | | | with taking the pictures is susceptible to an enormous |
| would be no getting over it, no take backs, no "do | | | | amount of outside influences that can lead them |
| overs," you are stuck with bad pictures of your most | | | | astray from their duties. During my time as a |
| special day for the rest of your life. | | | | wedding photographer in Richmond, VA, I've seen all |
| Reason number (1) - Anticipation. So much of | | | | too often where friends have been tasked with |
| wedding photography is knowing when things usually | | | | handling an aspect of the wedding other than |
| happen and how people usually react. Without | | | | photography, and things have gone quite bad. Other |
| previous experience, most amateur photographers | | | | mutual friends, family members, dancing, and alcohol |
| will miss many of those once in a life time moments | | | | are all factors that can, and often lead to failure. |
| of your wedding because they just don't have the | | | | In conclusion, I hope that I've been able to outline |
| experience to anticipate the action. It takes a skilled | | | | some of the three most prominent reasons not to |
| professional wedding photographer many years, and | | | | have a friend photograph your wedding. You don't |
| dozens of weddings to begin to learn the ebb and | | | | have to hire the one thousand dollar an hour guy, but |
| flow of a wedding like the back of their hand. | | | | you don't have to hire the cheapest guy either. Many |
| Reason (2) - Your Friendship is on the Line. Your | | | | photographers offer a wide range of pricing plans |
| friend takes your wedding pictures. She or he lets | | | | that will work with most budgets. Ask around, and I |
| you know that "you will love them." When they finally | | | | bet you'll find a photographer in your price range who |
| deliver them 2 months latter (because they have a | | | | will be able to show you examples of their |
| job like the rest of us), they are terrible. Now your | | | | photographs, and work well with you. Good luck in |
| friendship is already strained because of the time it | | | | your professional photographer search. |