the professional difference
The Professional Wedding Photography Difference.
Weddings are expensive and complex events, and it often seems tempting to a couple to accept the services of a friend or family member in order to save money and time. However, there are several very clear benefits to having a professional photographer.
With a combination of experience, artistic approach and choice of equipment,
the professional wedding photographer’s work will stand out.
.
.
.
.
Experience …
The very best reason to hire a professional photographer is their experience in dealing with all the possibilities of the wedding day. Even though a non-professional who photographs weddings may be quite a capable photographer, and even excel in certain niches, the experienced professional wedding photographer has the ability to deliver work of a high standard in a wide variety of situations.
Weddings, although highly planned by brides and grooms, will always be, in the end, uncontrolled and spontaneous events. Timelines change frequently and on the spur of the moment. This is where an experienced photographer can improvise and adapt. Experience gives the professional photographer knowledge of the flow and timing of a wedding day, and allows them to capture images that show all the important moments throughout the day - the emotions, the laughter and spontaneity.
A wedding is also the time when family members from afar meet each other again. With this, the portraits, whether formal or candid, become a timeless keepsake of friendships and relationships; an essential part of the wedding day. Quite often, however, the time allotted to the portraits becomes compressed when things run slower than intended. An experienced wedding photographer will be able to create these important family photographs, even under pressure and working within unexpected time constraints.
Finally, a professional photographer also knows to look for and react to key moments – even and maybe especially the subtle ones that others might miss. For example, one of the key moments that I always look for during Catholic ceremonies is the moment during Mass when the bride and groom will sit next to each other during the ceremony. This is the first time that attention is not directly on them and inevitably the newly wed couple will lean closer and whisper to each other. As an experienced photographer, I am expecting this moment and am prepared to photograph it when it happens.
.
.
.
.
Artistic Approach ….
Modern wedding photography may veer more towards a story-telling or photo-journalistic approach, but it is still equally important to photograph the family groups and help portray the relationships within the families. An experienced photographer knows this and can fluently mingle approaches to give the bride the best possible images.
The portrait session is another time where the photographer’s approach gives a very specific signature to the wedding photographs. With portraits the photographer can help lend a sense of drama or playfulness, and many other qualities, to the photographs of the newlyweds.
In this way, wedding photography becomes a collaboration between the couple and the photographer. The choice of photographer then, in extension, also becomes an artistic choice on the couple’s side. The client choose how they want to be portrayed on their wedding day.
.
.
.
.
Equipment …
The professional wedding photographer’s cameras and lenses are also quite significant. At a fundamental level, a professional wedding photographer will have extensive experience with the equipment he uses. He will have backup equipment in case of failure or damage. He will most likely have professional level gear that is more likely to withstand extremes of temperature or humidity. He will most likely have access to a wider variety of lenses, lights, and accessories than the non-professional will.
This translates into a stronger stylistic expression on the part of the experienced professional. Being able to pick from a variety of lenses, lighting accessories, and so forth to obtain a specific look or feel to the photographs, becomes a choice for the photographer. The experienced photographer is then not limited by his equipment.
By the very nature of the work, professional wedding photographers love working with people, and tend to be warm and personable. And coupled to being sensitive to people on a very important day, it will often feel to the bride and groom as if they are having a friend there photograph the wedding. A very capable friend.
.
.
.
.
All of this, along with the photographer’s artistic sensibility and vision, will allow the bride and groom and their families the best possible photographs on the day.
Neil van Niekerk.