Did you know that of all the weddings in Australia each year, less than 30% of couples getting married engage a professional wedding photographer to photograph their wedding? Is this a shocking statistic? Imagine if more than 70% of homeowners started doing their own electrical work at home!

The highly regulated world that we live in today mandates that we use a licensed contractor for the majority of trade services, it’s a no-brainer, our safety simply relies on it. To do many jobs, you must have the relevant ticket, have passed an industry course, be accredited. No ticket or licence is needed to be a photographer.

To call yourself a wedding photographer, you need nothing more than a camera and the gift of the gab.

And the cameras are getting cheaper. The digital photography revolution has made digital SLR cameras available to the masses. Back in 2003, the revolutionary Canon EOS 1DS (11.4 megapixels) cost professional photographers nearly $17,000.00. Today, you can buy a cheap entry level digital SLR of 12 megapixels for less than $500.00!

Unlike dodgy electrical work, photographing a wedding isn’t going to cost a life so what’s the drama?

Imagine not being able to share memories of your wedding day with your kids, your grandkids. Professional wedding photographers with a candid photography style are highly skilled in capturing images that convey feeling, show what you looked like and what you were feeling. There is so much more to photography than just picking up a camera and pressing the button. Highly skilled professional photographers are “people people”, able to engage with guests, be unobtrusive, work in any light or weather, cope with other service providers being late, compose beautifuly lit, artistic images, photograph you so you look gorgeous and keep you calm.

I remember Steve, one of our clients from a few years ago. He was looking at his wedding photos in our studio for the first time and was truly amazed at the images. He told me one of his friends at the wedding had a great camera and took photos of all the family groups while he stood next to me as I was photographing them. Steve asked “My photos are just so much better, how is this possible?” Steve is a surgeon, I said “You wouldn’t want me standing next to you with a scalpel when you are in surgery.” Now he understood.

Our world today bombards us with images. Walk down the street, get on the internet, open a magazine, look at your iphone. Images are everywhere. And with a flick or a click, they are gone. Images have become disposable, some people photograph and blog or post to Facebook everything they do from cheesy self portraits to drunken party photos, all sorts of stuff. Captured, flicked, the image is gone.

Wedding photography is different. It deserves to be.

We choose a life partner and promise to grow old together. A wedding day begins a lifetime of moments together. As we age, we look back, remember moments fondly, share stories of “back in my day” with loved ones. Imagine how good it will be to show your children and grandchildren what it was like and how you felt on your wedding day.

In this digital world, it doesn’t have to all be digital. These days, wedding albums can be simply breathtaking. Leading professional photographers use the finest materials, they are the modern day artists carefully composing, capturing, preparing and printing each image. With the right care, printed images can be enjoyed for more than 100 years.

Maybe all you want is a disc of files so you can make your own book or album. If and when you do get around to designing your own album, you become the graphic designer and lab manager making sure your monitor calibration matches your lab. Paper stocks vary too, consumer orientated labs and books materials offer a lower quality level. Like in anything, you get what you pay for.

If you have digital files, as technology changes, ensure you migrate the file data to the new format. Technology change is constant, it brings benefits but is also an expensive pain in a way.

•  Do you still have a floppy disc drive in your PC?
• Do you still have a VCR?
• How do you play your vinyl record collection?
• Have you converted your old home videos to DVD or digital files?
• Does your car have a cassette player?
• Have you ever had a hard drive fail?
• Did you know that DVD’s deteriorate over time and become unreadable?
• Will a jpeg image be able to be read in 10 years?
• Will you still be flicking images on your iPad 2 or iPhone 4s in 50 years time?

Printed wedding albums are “technology proof”. In 50 years time, you will be able to open your wedding album and enjoy the images in it, just as you can today.

So is professional wedding photography for everyone? No, we all have different priorities. If memories of your wedding day are important to you, get a professional photographer to photograph your wedding. You will be so reassured because your professional wedding photographer:

• Offers professional service, advice and guidance before, during and after your wedding.
• Is highly skilled in using professional tools of the trade.
• Uses pro grade lenses which make much better images than amateur lenses.
• Is able to use their interpersonal skills to relax people and capture great images on your wedding day.
• Composes images that look great.
• Photographs you in the most flattering way so you look gorgeous.
• Carries back up equipment in case gear should fail.
• Has the experience to photograph in all conditions on your wedding day.
• Has public liability insurance to protect you and your guests.
• Uses the finest materials for your wedding album.
• Will work with you personally to design your wedding album.
• Backs up data off site.
• Is constantly evolving learning new technologies, techniques and making new products available.
• Is an accredited member of the AIPP Australian Institute of Professional Photography.

If professional wedding photography is not for you, and you are thinking of having a friend with a camera photograph your wedding, here are some suggestions:

• Make a shot list of what you want and don’t want. Have a meeting and be clear about what you want.
• Allow extra time on the day for photographs as your friend may not work as fast as a professional.
• Ensure your friend uses RAW when photographing your wedding.
• Ensure your friend knows how to use the functions on their camera.
• Ask your friend to bring a spare camera and lenses just in case something fails or gets dropped.
• Work out a timetable for the day so you friend knows where to be and at what time.
• Be patient with your friend on your wedding day, they will probably be very nervous about what they are doing.
• Never leave cameras or CF cards in a car, it’s too tempting for thieves.
• After the wedding, back up the files to multiple locations and use multiple media types.
• Remain patient and understanding, your friend is not a professional so please don’t judge their work as such.

Professional wedding photographer or friend with camera, it’s your call.