Photography Issue, Advice Needed!

luvleebooks · August 2011

My Uncle took the photos at my cousin's wedding a few years ago for free. My mom wants me to save money on my wedding and made me ask my Uncle to take the photos at my wedding. I recently made a trip over to my cousin's house and saw the wedding photos my uncle took and they are nowhere near professional. They are dark and my cousin's wife regrets not hiring a photographer. I really want to hire a professional that knows which important moments to capture and with a better camera. How do I break it to my mom and my Uncle that I would like to hire a professional? Any ideas???

photogbride12 · August 2011

Has your mom seen the photos that came out of your cousin's wedding? Ultimately this is something you have to put your foot down on. DONT go with your uncle if he isn't a professional. What I would do is start the search for a photographer first before telling your mom and uncle - the only way to really impress upon them the difference is to have some photos to compare directly so she understands the value of hiring a professional. Good luck!

LauraChristin · August 2011

You absolutely deserve to have photos that are a reflection of your day that you will love love love. I would do research as well and find someone that you like and come up with a plan for how it will be paid for. Are there other things you're willing to cut back on? If your mom was originally paying for things is this something you can cover the cost of yourself instead? Even if you can't afford a package with a fancy album or 8 hours of a pro photographer's time, you can get the basics covered by a pro and do an album yourself or through the photographer as an anniversary gift later down the road.

Once you feel confident that you can afford someone who's work you really like, you can always say that you came across this photographer, fell in love with their work and realized the bonus would be that your Uncle wouldn't have to stress about the day and could enjoy it alongside the rest of the family. So you decided to treat yourself! Good luck!

LightSourcePhotography · August 2011

I totally agree with photobride! So many things can happen at a wedding, you need a pro with back up equipment who is proficient in editing so that half their faces aren't shadowed!

Let her know that you want your Uncle to come and have a good time, enjoy himself and not work!

Tanq&Tonic · August 2011

Start with the basics...

Why does your mom care about whether you save money? If she's paying for the wedding and wants to save herself, then pony up your own money for the photographer you'd like to have. If she's just imposing her opinion on how you spend your money, I think it's time to get comfortable taking a stand on your desires.

The previous ladies have some good suggestions as to how you break the news to them. But I highly recommend not letting yourself be pressured into horrible wedding photos. "Less than dream photographer" is OK. "Horrible" is not.

Now I want to see some samples

Heh.

ikrystal · August 2011

To me, the photographer is the most important person you will hire. When your wedding day is over, you will only have your memories and those pictures to look back on. Photography is always getting better - therefore you should go with the best quality photographer you can get now so that your photos will always look good. Twenty years from now you might kick yourself for not spending the extra money. See if you can cut down on something else, like cutting out the favors (no one cares about them, really). Plus, if you really do your research, you will be able to find a photographer in your price range. Maybe have them start at the ceremony instead of following you around before the wedding starts while you are getting ready - this will save hundreds of dollars.

angybanez · August 2011

Definitely agree with the PP! I know saving money is important, but your memories of your day is even more important. Set a budget. Even asking around with photographers for packages that include day of coverage and a DVD of all edited images is doable and you can print your own pictures and create your own album if you want to save on the album options. Note you'll still need to pay the photographer's fee for day of coverage, the rights and reproduction release for the pictures etc. It's worth a try to research. Since obviously you're not happy with your uncle's pictures, DO NOT GO FOR IT! You'll regret your pictures in the end.
Best, of luck!
-Angelica

newportlightphotography · August 2011

I would just tell your uncle you don't want to put him in a bad position if the photos don't come out for whatever reason (and you know they won't, because he is not a professinal photographer). And if they don't come out, your mom is going to feel bad for suggesting you use him. And you don't want that! The photos and the memories are the only thing you're going to have after your day. It's that important to hire a pro! Good luck!

abu · September 2011

Tell your mom that your friend has a friend that is great with the camera and does not charge that much. And that you want your uncle to be in the pictures and have a great time at your wedding. I see you are in San Diego, so am I. I used www.frankelphotography.com they are a husband and wife team and they are great.

Hedgy22 · September 2011

This is a problem that I ran into as well with my family. As a photographer myself, obviously this was a HUGE deal for me. I need someone great, and well, I think every couple does

So as a photographer, and a fellow bride who had to go through this explanation as well, I'll see if my advice can help

So first, it's sounding like your Uncle just seems to have a basic point and shoot. Something most women would carry around in their bag right? It's great for parties, and birthdays and trips to the beach, but otherwise the lack of being able to customize some of the settings makes shooting in certain conditions absolutely horrific. If the lighting where you are taking the picture isn't all that great, you will end up with blurry, dark pictures that don't look to great. So there's where you're right about someone with a better camera who knows what they are doing. That is an absolute MUST at any wedding.

However, you have also the tendency to believe that a better camera means better pictures, which is true, but only to an extent. The person needs to know how to work one of these camera's and really know all the in's and out's of what their camera can do, what different lenses will do, and what sort of accessories they can use...there's so much out there...

But I think another thing your parents need to know is that a lot of magic can happen in editing. Get a zit on your wedding day? We can erase it. Is the picture looking a little dull and flat in color? We can fix that too. There's so many things that photoshop can do to just improve and enhance photo's, especially since the camera, despite your best tries, can capture things a little too light or dark. Which photoshop can fix as well. I often find that I need to enhance pictures a little bit because they are a little more dull than real life. So finding someone who can work their way in an editing program is also a must. It can make a HUGE difference in the way your pictures look.

I hope this helped!

Photography Issue, Advice Needed!

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