Monday, June 8, 2009

Amateur VS Professional

So now you are at the point of hiring your photographer. How hard can that be? Surprisingly pretty hard. There are so many "photographers" out there but who is a professional and who is an amateur? Let's discuss the differences between the two.

First, a professional is well just that a professional. That means if you say you need your photographer at 1:00p.m. He will show up at 1:00 p.m. if not sooner. Your photographs mean as much to them as they do to you. They are going to have the proper equipment to do the job. They also have the commitment needed to get the job done. A professional photographer not only belongs to various professional associations but takes the time to continue their education. A professional constantly strives to be the best photographer they can be. This means they need to attend various seminars and conventions to keep up on the latest technology and stay up to date. They carry insurance and back up equipment. They are actually artists. They can help create beautiful photographs. Ones that can make you cry and ones that make you laugh. They truly capture the emotion of the day. We could go on and on but let's stop here for the moment.

Now to the amateur. The amateur gets easily distracted. Your photographs are not a important to them as they are to you because well they aren't trained to be in a service industry.

I met a woman who said when she got married 40 years ago her father told her little 11 year old brother that he would take the wedding pictures. What did those photos look like? NOTHING! Since he was only 11 he couldn't drive to get film or batteries. What happened to his sister's pictures? Unfortunately she doesn't have any. When her daughter got engaged do you know what she did? You guessed it! She went out and hired a professional photographer. Her daughter was not going to leave it to an amateur. They would get those precious moments recorded in picture form.

Then there was the couple we just had a photography shoot with. They were getting beach portraits done. Imagine how suprised I was to give her the photos only to find out that the "photographer" they had hired 9 months ago hadn't even give them their wedding photographs! This poor young women was extremely disappointed when she did finally get her wedding pictures back. The one and ONLY wedding photograph of her father is with his eyes closed! The "photographer" only shot one picture and oops it didn't turn out well! She never got pictures of her mother and mother-in-law lighting the unity candles which was extremely important to her. That was only the tip of the ice berg. He had brought another "photographer" with him and out of the two of them they didn't seem to know how to shoot the right kind of wedding pictures that she had told him she wanted. Her wedding photographs if you can call them that are few and the coloring is all off on them. The family had know this "photographer" from sporting events at their school and thought he knew what he was doing. Obviously being an amateur he did his best. This poor young women who showed me her photos has very little to look back on. This "photographer" also charged them for his services which makes it even worse. If you have a similar experience or know of someone who did e-mail us at
nelsonphotographers@gmail.com

You see, an amateur's reputation isn't at stake. They don't worry about the outcome because you shouldn't expect them to get the best pictures! They aren't trained to do that! If they don't feel like standing up for 45 minutes during the ceremony they won't. If they sit down and miss the first kiss they figure you'll have other ones they can take pictures of. Oh and if they want to enjoy the cocktail hour they are after all entitled to get some food and drinks. Sorry they missed your family shots. They might leave the camera on the table and actually forget where they put it! You can't complain because let's face it they were cheap and weren't professionals.

Can you see why it's important that you hire a professional? They take time to create and preserve your memories. They never drink alcohol on the job. Do they eat? If they are photographing your wedding from the ceremony to the cake cutting then yes they do eat a meal just like one of your guests.

Do professionals forget where they put their camera? No! Their cameras are like one of their arms. They can't function without them.

You might think this is a little far fetched but in reality there are a lot of people out there with cameras who call themselves "photographers" . Unfortunately some brides find out too late that they are little more than amateur's. By then it's too late. Their day is done and their dream of looking back fondly on their special day is just that. A dream. As a certified wedding planner I know this. Please don't let this happen to you. Your wedding photographs are just as important as picking your dress or reception site or flowers.....

Choose your photographer because they are professionals. They have the know how and expertise to give you the photographs you are looking for. You are just as important to them as if they were photographing their own children's wedding or baby photos or whatever else they are invited to photograph in your life. If you choose the right photographer they will be with you for years to come photographing all your special family moments in life.

0 comments:

Post a Comment