Small Talk:: Hiring “Uncle Bob” vs. Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer

I recently was hired to photograph Laura and Mark’s wedding. Laura and Mark are on a bit of budget, and initially they planned on not hiring a professional wedding photographer. They were going to attempt to save money and “hire” a family member or friend to serve as their photographer, and hire a professional for the hour between the ceremony and reception for family portraits. This brought me to thinking. Very recently, I’ve come across a modest trend among couples considering the best way to save money is to skip the professionl wedding photographer (and sometimes also the wedding coordinator, make-up artist, stylist and florist — an entirely different article in itself).

In the wedding photography world, some have nicknamed this persont — The relative or close family friend who thinks they are or should have been the wedding photographer. We commonly refer to this person as “Uncle Bob”. Although Uncle Bob may be great for taking a few shots during cocktail hour, he or she is not a professional wedding photographer.

Because there are so many variables that can happen on your wedding day, it’s crutial to hire a professional. So what is a professional? A professional is someone who knows how to anticipate, bypass and solve problems efficiently and effectively. I can attest to this in my experience with many clients. I’ve dealt with unrelenting weather, tight timeframes, disorderly people (for various reasons) and multitudes of last minute changes. Many times, I’ve see something spur of the moment as an opportunity and I’ve ran with it.

Here are a few areas Uncle Bob probably won’t have experience with:

• Wedding day timelines (they rarely go according to plan)
• Dark churches
• Super-bright days (squinting, shade, etc.)
• Church distance restrictions
• Photo locations
• Anticipating moments that may otherwise have been missed (glimpses at each other during a special part of the ceremony)
• Being prepared for almost anything that can happen on a wedding day
• Delivering photographs promptly
• Having another plan in case of personal emergency
• Backing up photographs so they will not be lost

In my experience, I’ve heard enough stories to learn that every one of the above situations has happened to someone, sometime. And I’ve only touched on some of the surrounding issues.

The cost that a professional charges for thier services may come as a shock to many newly engaged couples. The combination of a 50-60 hour work week during busy wedding season, post-production and album design work, professional equipment, paying an assistant, transportation, and the multitudes of other costs (insurance, licenses, advertising, etc.) when running a business are factored into the cost as working as a professional. The biggest difference you will see between hiring Uncle Bob and a professional is the finished, high-quality product you will receive. This is the product you initially envisioned.

At the end of the day, you are not actually paying for the photographer, wedding coordinator, make-up artist, stylist and florist. You are paying for the experience of seeing your wedding day metamorphosis from what you envisioned into reality. To pull this wonderful accomplishment off requires a very skilled set of professionals.