Why hire a professional?

Why hire a Professional Photographer?

The past few years, because of the advent of digital and the downturn of the economy, professional photographers seem to be having a less important role in the planning for a wedding.

What has happened is that because almost anyone can take “good” pictures these days with the current crop of digital cameras and then they can easily improve (or “fix”) the pictures in Photoshop (or other less complicated programs) people think that it’s easy to take pictures and don’t think that it’s as important as it used to be to hire a professional. Eventually this concept will turn around, because nothing can replace the experience and artistry (and equipment) of a professional. Some of you might want to realize that now, before a mistake is made with your wedding pictures.

As an example, I’ve worked with and trained many photographers over the past 20 years. They’ve run the gamut from bad to average to extraordinary, and these are professionals (or aspiring professionals) who spend MUCH more time at their craft then most amateurs do. Whenever a photographer (who hadn’t photographed weddings before) came to me looking for work, they would have to go out with me perhaps dozens of times before I would let them be a main photographer on a wedding. And generally their first time out would be at something simple, such as a couple of hours with the ceremony at the same location as the reception and maybe a few dozen guests. I would then carefully critique their work and see if there was improvement the second (and third) times out. So the idea is that if we can see such a variance in the work of photographers who have spent many hours honing their craft, then why would anyone think that it doesn’t take much to be a wedding photographer? Don’t be fooled! There IS a difference, and what most people don’t seem to realize is that you DO get what you pay for! A bargain is a bargain for a reason, so be prepared for the consequences.

Just one technical note having to do with equipment: One thing that a professional knows how to do (or SHOULD know how to do) is avoid digital “noise.” This is NOT the same as film grain, which is SOMETIMES desirable. Digital noise is never desirable and cannot be “fixed” in Photoshop. Shooting at 400 ISO (fine with film and common with digital) is too risky and should be avoided. One way to avoid this is with a powerful flash (IMPOSSIBLE with a “pop-up!”) My flash costs $1200 and is so powerful that I can almost always shoot @ 100 ISO. It has the highest guide # of any portable flash. Sorry to get technical, but these are issues that any professional would be aware of.

Here are some analogies: If you are arrested for some reason, would you hire a paralegal or a lawyer? Would you entrust your future to someone who has passed the bar? Or not? If you were sick and didn’t know what was wrong, you MIGHT get the right answer from a paramedic, or maybe not. If you had cancer, the local hospital might be fine, or you might prefer Sloan-Kettering. Willing to take the risk?

Or how about these: If you’re a musician, are you going to be careful about the music you choose for your wedding? Is a Harmony guitar as good as a Fender Strat or (my favorite) a Rickenbacker? Is there a difference between a $500 violin and a $5000 violin? If you’re a car enthusiast, would you understand the difference between a Kia and ….. maybe anything else? If you’re an audiphile are you going to be satisfied with any speaker system? Is there a difference between a Dell and (yes, my favorite again) APPLE!? I’m sure you get the point.

There’s a story about Isaac Stern (who was running Carnegie Hall) that he was checking out different violins and someone replaced one of the million dollar violins with a mere $100,000 model. He noticed IMMEDIATELY and freaked out! Now, admittedly that’s a bit extreme. But you get the point.

Many people take pictures with the pop-up flash on the camera. Well, there IS a difference with the $1200 flash that I use. There IS a difference with professional equipment! The best digital camera is $8,000. Not too many of us use such an expensive camera. But the most popular price range for professional cameras is around $2500. There MUST be a difference with a point and shoot that costs a few hundred dollars! And yes, it IS noticeable!

Here’s a question for anyone who thinks they know how to be a professional photographer: Let’s say your subject is standing under a tree and there’s a combination of sun and shade on their face (not so unusual) What would you do to get even lighting on the face? (and Photoshop is NOT the answer! That would take MUCH too much work and would take a real Photoshop expert to make it look natural.) There is a simple answer, and it is NOT to set the camera on automatic!

In the beginning . . .

I can't say that I remember the first few times I was given the opportunity to shoot second camera with Mark. I'm pretty sure this is because it must have been a hurricane of an experience!

Now that we are in the digital age, it's an amazing thing to have preview screen that lets me verify that by bounce flash illuminated the scene in the way that I wanted. I wish I had that feature then! Despite this great feature, I am uncertain that the instant feedback would have helped much then. Wedding photography is truly a job for the "multi-tasker!"

At the beginning of the day, it is more typical to arrive at the brides house never having seen it before. It's buzzing with activity. There's wedding "stuff" like flowers, cards and decorations around. There are always a lot of friends and relatives in the house. Funny thing is that they usually form themselves into two kinds of groups. Those acting with a purpose, and those waiting around to spring into action or be told what to do. Naturally, the busy ones are the ones helping the bride get ready. Sometimes the ones waiting around are the Brides dad, cousins and other relatives.

Three minutes have now gone by, and hopefully I have captured 5-10 GREAT candid images already. So that means not only have I identified these two typical groups, but I have decided how I am going to illuminate the scenes before me (flash or natural light or both), located the bride and let her know that her photog has arrived (if I am the first to arrive) and finally spotted some suitable outdoor locations for shooting some groups, if the weather is good.

"Second camera" means that I'm not working by myself. So Mark and I have a strategy that doesn't put pressure or demands on the bride to get her picture taken "now that we've arrived." Frankly, we almost don't want anyone to be aware of us! The thing is for some brides, her wedding day begins as soon as two things happen: She reveals herself in her dress AND when the photographers start photographing them. (move over Groom! It's her day :)