When Sophie and I were first asked to shoot someone’s wedding we felt incredibly unqualified. And after ten years of experience now shooting weddings, I can honestly say that we were in fact, incredibly unqualified. Not only because we barely knew how to use our cameras but because there was SO much we didn’t know about documenting a wedding.
So, what is the value of experience?
In a lot of ways I still feel like I did two years ago: Unqualified. But, I’ve been thinking about how I’ve been doing this for ten years now. Which is crazy to think about. But, what does ten years of experience really give you when it comes to wedding photography? I’ve compiled a list of what I think makes hiring an experienced professional photographer so important. I’ve also created a comparison of photos between what a cell phone sees and what we see. Examples of this later in the blog!
(I don’t want this to seem like I’m and old man yelling about how the kids don’t “get it”. I love working with young or in experienced photographers. I’ve taught classes. Done mentorships. I’ve even had multiple students accompany me at weddings in order to get the experience they need. I would just be terrified not only for the wedding couple but for the photographer to be given the main photographer role at a wedding without the proper experience.)
We have seen it all
I could tell you story after story of what we have seen and experienced. Nothing surprises us anymore. We are prepared for basically anything. Pouring rain 5 minutes before a ceremony, multiple cake blunders, cakes not even showing up, nervous breakdowns from the bride and groom, huge fights between the bride and groom, family arguing, rogue wedding planners, audio speakers falling in the middle of the reception, broken cameras, broken lenses, memory card troubles. The list could go on and on. But the point is: we’ve seen it all and we are prepared for it all. From the equipment we carry to our experience in handling very difficult situations. This is an ability that ONLY comes from experience.
We can help you plan your wedding day
If you have not checked out our wedding day planning blog, I highly recommend it! We have helped plan and schedule many of our weddings in order to create the most stress free environment that we can. Check out the blog for al of our thoughts and ideas! A professional photographer not only has that knowledge to set up the schedule in order to create space for great moments to happen, but also the skill to sense special times and the skill to quickly change camera settings in an instant or re compose a photo in a way that most in experienced photographers are unable to do.
We sense moments before they happen
A professional photographer not only has the knowledge to set up the schedule in order to create space for great moments to happen, but also the skill to sense special times and the skill to put themselves in a position to document them. We have the ability to quickly change camera settings in an instant, re focus the lens, or re-compose a photo in a way that most in experienced photographers are unable to do. You can be the greatest photographer in the world but without that experience, you will not have the skill necessary to sense and capture those moments that make up a wedding day. I’ve seen much better photographers than me deliver less than average wedding photos and it is not because of their skills as a photographer but rather their lack of knowledge and learned skills that only come from experience. In each case, the couple was incredibly disappointed with their photos. Photos you don’t get to redo.
What cell phones cant do
Cell phone cameras can do amazing things. But they are incredibly limited in their ability to adjust in difficult lighting situations. Have you ever tried to take a photo with your cell phone on a sunny day? One of two things probably happened. Either the photo was too bright and the background was completely whited out or the subjects were incredibly dark as the camera attempted to properly expose the background. This is because the camera is very limited in its settings. Yes, you can take an amazing photo on portrait mode. But only if the lighting is at least pretty good. You may ask why I bring this up. Twice last year I heard of wedding where they only used cell phones to capture their moments. Although, I do love the rawness and candidness cell phones give you, what a professional photographer can bring you is worth far more than saving a few bucks and only using cell phones. I have spent over 10,000 hours perfecting my craft. As I know many other photographers have. The peace of mind knowing you trust your photographer to document your story in the most creative and beautiful way possible is priceless. Stay tuned for a bit of a comparison between the two…
We see things differently
This blog could be 3000 words long but I doubt anyone would read the whole thing. So here is the finale. Professional photographers do not see things the same way as other people. When it comes to what makes a great photo, we are not looking for the same things. A beautiful setting or back drop is just the beginning of what makes our work beautiful. So what are we looking for? LIGHT. We are always looking for light. Where its coming from, how much of it there is, who it is on, and how can we use it to create something special. Weddings are incredibly unique in that they are events that photographers rarely get to control their settings or the amount of times they have to get photo. Experienced wedding photographers like us know how to use whatever light or time they have to capture moments. We’ve been forced to take photos in the darkest of rooms and the brightest of skies. We obviously have venues or settings we like more than others, but no space scares us anymore. The more of a challenge we face just means we get to be more creative. At least 10 times during a wedding day someone will come up to me and tell me where I should take photos or even where they’ve seen other photographers take photos at the venue. We love suggestions. But, even if other photographers have used a space, it does not mean that it would work for us. That photographer may have seen something differently that day. The lighting could have been different. Their couple may have fit better into a particular space. There are so many factors when it comes to the areas we chose to take photos of our couples. My favorite part is seeing the looks on people’s faces when they see where we do decide to create those moments to capture. I will use the hallway to a bathroom (and I have multiple times) if the lighting is right. you see, most people just see a hallway to a bathroom. But I see something different…
What most people see…
What we see…
you see, we don’t see the same thing. And I promise, you will be glad that we don’t. When you hire a professional photographer, you are hiring someone who you can trust that no matter what the circumstances, you are going to have your wedding documented by someone who sees the things you can’t see. Someone with the knowledge and experience to capture your special moments. In a dark room, outside in the bright sunlight, in a tent, in a party bus. And sometimes all of those in one day. Your cell phone is not capable of creating the images we do. And neither is your uncle bob. Unless of course he is an experienced wedding photographer. Someone who can turn a bathroom hallway or a random field in a city or many other unexpected spaces into magic. See below.
Thanks for reading!
