| The cost of a professional wedding photographer is | | | | Apart from the memory cards and battery risks ( |
| often a source of amazement to couples sorting | | | | yes these still apt to big cameras) what lenses does |
| their weddings out. In this brief article I want to give | | | | your friend carry? And why would you care? Well if |
| some thought to the reasons behind wedding | | | | you hired a professional wedding photographer you |
| photography prices. | | | | would not need to care. It would all be handled for |
| The cheapest way to get photos of your wedding is | | | | you. But we are learning here, right? So - lenses. |
| to ask a friend of relative to bring their camera and | | | | Different situations in a wedding may require |
| snap away. With today's modern cameras even a | | | | different angles if view. From wide and ultra wide |
| compact can do a reasonable job "given enough light". | | | | (whole room shots, groups, etc) to narrow and long |
| So your wedding photography price could be zero. | | | | (candid shots of guests at a distance, close-ups of |
| Fine - let us see what could go wrong. Memory cards | | | | details like shoes or wedding cake decorations) many |
| - unless your appointed friend is very prepared, his | | | | different views come into play at a wedding. Ok you |
| camera and cards will run out of memory before the | | | | could get a lens to do all these ranges, but that |
| big day is over. Well before - even before your | | | | flexibility comes at a price. Firstly they are expensive |
| vows. That is if the cameras battery does not give | | | | (about GBP 1,500 for a decent wide zoom) and |
| out first! Now, assuming your appointed friend has | | | | secondly, no zoom that can be lifted by one person |
| brought plenty of batteries and memory cards, what | | | | could handle low light without a flash. |
| else could go wrong? What other reason could I give | | | | Starting to sound like your friend might not have this |
| you to up the wedding photography price? | | | | equipment? Let us explore the wedding |
| That little detail I mentioned earlier - "given enough | | | | photographers' kit bag for a minute, and see how he |
| light". Now, weddings are very complex affairs, taking | | | | justifies his wedding photography price. |
| place in a variety of situations from inside a dark | | | | Kit: |
| church, in a doorway of an anteroom, suddenly out in | | | | 2 professional camera bodies capable of working |
| bright sunlight or pouring rain. It may then move to a | | | | under rain. |
| reception venue partially lit by neon, tungsten and | | | | A backup body just in case. |
| halogen or worse still the latest energy saving lamps. | | | | A variety of lenses, 2 main ones already mounted on |
| You get the picture - sorry - idea. | | | | the 2 bodies. |
| A modern compact is just not designed to deal with | | | | An organised ample stock of numbered memory |
| this range of situations. Yes, you could dig deep in | | | | cards. |
| the menus of that camera and optimise the device | | | | Pre-charged replacement batteries of the correct |
| for each situation, to a degree, but by the time the | | | | type for each body. |
| switch is made the moment is lost. It is interesting to | | | | Powerful flash units for very very dark situations - |
| realise that some of the most emotional moments in | | | | flash units that do not cause red eye, and that |
| a wedding, those very moments that you want to | | | | re-charge instantly. |
| capture, occur during a location change. For example, | | | | Depending on the photographer's style he may also |
| entering the church (bright to dark) leaving the | | | | carry: |
| church to receive confetti (dark to bright) getting | | | | Tripod |
| into the car (bright to dark again) being greeted at | | | | Lighting |
| the reception by friends as they arrive (bright to | | | | Reflectors |
| dark) and so on. Ok, why not just leave that | | | | Finally, he is also insured so should someone get |
| compact camera on auto and let the built in flash | | | | clonked by a lens or trip on a camera bag, all is |
| take the strain? Well apart from the fact that the | | | | covered. |
| batteries will go really quickly, a compact camera's | | | | Oh one more thing - a car with sat nav and backup |
| flash will create very ugly photography. Red-eye, | | | | sat nav. |
| bleached out wedding dress with dark shadows all | | | | My final persuasive argument to justify the wedding |
| round, blurred movement from lack of shutter speed | | | | photography price is this: experience. Weddings are |
| control - the list is long. | | | | very complex, very fast and very un-repeatable. It is |
| Still not convinced that your London wedding | | | | a long series of once only chances to catch intense |
| photography should have a price? | | | | moments of emotion that you want to remember |
| Ok, let us say you are really lucky and you have a | | | | forever. A professional wedding photographer knows |
| friend with a big digital SLR camera. And he wants to | | | | where to be, when to be there, what position to be |
| help you and do your wedding. Great - wedding | | | | in and many many other little tricks including how to |
| photography price - zero! Ok, I know you can see all | | | | relax people, disappear when appropriate, re-appear |
| this coming now but let me pull that one to shreds | | | | by magic when appropriate, and finally - remain |
| too. | | | | completely sober as a judge throughout. |