So a friend has offered to take photos during your special day and you're tempted because it may save you a grand or two? Yes, it sure will but is it worth the risk?

When it comes to planning your big day and you start tallying up all the costs, it is completely understandable if you need to start considering what fits within your budget and what won’t. However, this can come with a risk that you should be aware of before accepting the offer from your friend.

In this article, I go through 6 reasons why you should consider hiring a professional photographer:

1. What if...

What if the photographer falls ill, what if there is an emergency, what if their hard drive fails? The worst-case scenario is you have no photos of your big day at all! A professional photographer will have a plan B, they shall have contacts to call upon, they will have a back up of a backup. But, an amateur photographer may not have a plan B and may not be able to afford to back up everything. Additionally, a professional photographer has their reputation on the line so they would have thought of all the what-if questions prior to the wedding and have back up plans ready in place.

2. An amateur means more work for you

A professional photographer not only has years of experience but also the knowledge required to capture photographs in the most aesthetic and creative way. Also, their experience and knowledge also means they know what shots to take, where to be at the right time and they can be left to get on with their job in full confidence knowing they will be where you want them to be, snapping away the right shots! This also means there won't be repeated shots in your wedding album, therefore less work for you!

Professional photographers will also anticipate what will happen next, they will know the flow of the day, they will have already found the perfect place for those romantic couple shots, they will know the ideal location in the church with the perfect back drop, they will know how to capture the shot in the best way with the right exposure and composition so your wedding day isn’t a photoshoot, it is a dynamic event with where your photographer capture the moments as they happen.

3. You only have one chance

Weddings are once in a lifetime events and it's important to think about what can go wrong if plans are not put in place properly. Wedding photography remains in the expensive category of wedding suppliers and it's tempting to ask a friend or perhaps an amateur photographer to take photos of your special day. However, remember that wedding photography is a high pressure job and your photographer will only have one chance to get the right shot. A professional photographer will be able to anticipate ahead of time, stand in the right place, with the right setting on their camera and snap away the perfect shots.

This is your wedding day and it is deeply personal. You only have one chance to capture your wedding day, so make sure you trust and have confidence in your photographer.

The wedding industry is a busy and competitive market and the same can also be said when it comes to wedding photography, there is a huge choice, different styles, different prices, packages and different people. So once you have decided on a style and your budget you will be able to narrow down who you would shortlist to capture your wedding day.

If you reduced the budget on your cake and cut a few corners to make some savings, hardly anyone would know and they certainly won’t remember and after a day, your cake will be gone. However, your wedding album will tell a beautiful story, hold lots amazing memories of your special moments and you'll have this forever…

4. Feeling at ease during the photoshoot

Wedding photography involves both posed moments (traditional photography) as well as action/candid shots (documentary photography). Whether posed or natural, you want to feel at ease to look your best in your wedding photos and a professional shall be able to make you feel comfortable and natural, not stiff and awkward. These moments are part of your wedding day, so they should be fun and enjoyable. This skill is something that comes from their experience and having trust in them

If you feel at ease then this will show in your photos, it would also mean you'll have more fun, feel comfortable and won't have to worry about your photos because you'll trust in your photographer to give you an amazing album of your day.

5. There is more to photography than just an expensive camera

In the same way an artist uses a brush to paint, a carpenter uses a hammer and a writer uses a pen, these are just tools, it’s how the person uses it that produces outstanding results which comes with both knowledge and experience.

Weddings are once in a lifetime opportunities where the family comes together (often from all over the world) to celebrate your special day. You want to hire a professional who knows how to use the camera, who has experience of taking photos in different lighting conditions, composing different shots and executing it perfectly. The camera sure does take the photo but it's the person behind it that clicks the shutter button and they must know when to hit it with the right exposure and composition. With this you get consistency, not one or two stunning photos, but a whole album’s worth which consists of not only wedding photographs but also the unique details of your special day with your photographer’s product photography skills that they’ve developed over the years of practice and shooting.

Once the photos are taken that’s not it, there is the editing, the cutting, the creation of an album, there is more to it than just a camera.

6. Everything passes quickly

When organising weddings, couples remember every small detail; they want the food to taste great, the cake to look amazing, the wedding singer/ band/DJ to play fantastic music, etc. But, let's think about what actually remains the next day?

The last bits of decorations, leftovers of balloons, dirty dishes, and for many of guests (bride and groom not excluded) a hangover! So what stays with the bride and groom? Besides the bespoke rings and a marriage document, there is perhaps only a large bill and the precious memories of the once-in-a-lifetime event. That’s why most of us invest in a professional photographer who has years of experience in what they do. A wedding photographer has invested years of their life to document such events and has probably been to numerous weddings. Therefore, not only, they will be aware of when things will happen, but also where to stand to capture the moments in the most aesthetic and creative way.

You see, they don't just click away and take photos, they have the knowledge of photography and how to create a composition that works for each specific image and adds meaning to that photograph. The photos we receive should stay with us till the end of our days and those photos will have incredible power to transport us back to the old-times and those special moments, every time we look at them. But aside from that, you also want to build long-term relationship with a trusted photographer for your maternity and newborn photoshoot in the near future ;)