Before you ask your amateur friend to shoot your wedding, ask yourself and your friend these questions:
Do you want to put tension in your friendship if the photos don’t come out as well as you hoped? Is it worth the awkwardness every time you meet again, as images of your wedding photos flash in front of your eyes?
Value:
How much are you spending on everything else? From the cake, flowers, to the venue? Do you want to remember these expensive items properly? If you are spending hundreds on items that only lasts a few hours, then how much do you value a set of photographs that will be treasured for the rest of your life?
Equipment:
Does your friend have backup cameras, lenses, flashguns in case of problems with the main one? Accidents can happen and equipments can fail, backups are essential. Professionals carry a spare of everything!
Alcohol free:
Is your friend willing to stay completely alcohol free for the whole day, and able to stay totally alert the whole time?
It’s Work:
Do you want your friend to work through your wedding day rather than party with you? If he parties, then can you forgive yourself for compromising on the photos?
Time and Abilities:
Is your friend willing and able to spend up to 30 hours on the computer editing the photos after your wedding? Then another 10 hours designing the final album? It’s a fact of modern photography that all photos are edited no matter how good the originals were. It’s quite common to have 30+ hours of editing performed on a set of wedding photos.
Experience:
Has your friend shot a wedding by him or herself before? It’s one thing taking good landscapes, still life, or portraits, yet another thing being responsible for a fast moving wedding. Ask to see a wedding portfolio.
Memories:
You will remember your wedding day through your photos in years to come. Do you want to remember an average wedding or a fantastic wedding? Great photos do not happen by accident.
Albums:
Are you happy to settle with an off the shelf DIY sticky album? Or would you like your wedding photos presented in professional quality albums? Many album makers simply don’t sell to the general public, meaning pros have access to far wider choice of designs and quality.
