You could end up with no photo if you hire a very cheap or unprofessional wedding photographer. We’ve seen this happen many times to many couples. Find out more reasons why you should not be cheap about your wedding photography and tips on how to afford a quality photographer and videographer.
A wedding lasts a day but the marriage lasts a lifetime and without great pictures from the wedding day, you have little or nothing to look back to and show your future children. It is always advised to not skimp on photography – make it a priority to hire a professional wedding photographer, and not to be cheap about it. This post will explore the many reasons why you should use a professional for your wedding photography and video coverage. Read on.
1. Don’t Make a Cheap Decision You’ll Regret
Examples of cheap wedding photography decisions include relying fully on your friend and/ or family member to cover your wedding day snaps, or hiring a learner/ apprentice, or hiring an untested roadside photographer. This is a 50/ 50 probability and could result in bad pictures on no pictures at all, and there is no way to have your wedding again to take better snaps.
One of the biggest regrets we often hear from newlyweds is that (a) they did not use a professional photographer and had poor quality wedding pictures, or (b) quality photography was not a top priority. Newlywed brides usually cried ‘had I known, I would have hired a better photographer I thought was more expensive’. In most cases, those are people that spent the most money on their wedding wears but end up with pictures that make the wedding dress look cheap. Make good photography a priority – that’s the only thing you will have left, to show for all the money you spent on your wedding – no amount of talk-talk story will show it.
Think about it – if you have the biggest owambe wedding party and end up with poor quality, blurred pictures, what will you tell your future children? Make QUALITY photography a top priority in your wedding budget. After that, if you still have extra money, add quality videography into the do-not-skimp list, but if not focus on getting very good pictures only (most people won’t ask you for the videos, but most will ask for pictures).
2. Oh Yes, You Can Afford a Quality Photographer!
Before you say that you cannot afford a professional photographer, I want to let you know that some good photographers are affordable, even more, affordable than you think. AND, yes you can afford one if instead of buying the more expensive aso-oke or designer wedding gown, you buy a slightly cheaper one to make money available for good photography.
Yes, you can afford a better photographer if instead of inviting 500 guests, invite 350 – and use the extra cash to hire a better photographer. If you cannot afford the price of both a professional photographer and the price of a quality videographer, choose to go for only one – a quality photographer.
Instead of hiring both an amateur/ quack photographer and a videographer you’re not sure of, use the same money to hire only one good, tried-and-trusted wedding photographer that is more expensive. Think of this – would you prefer to have low-quality wedding pictures plus low-quality wedding videos, OR would you prefer to have super quality photos and no video coverage?
Must you have BOTH a photographer and a video coverage vendor? If your wedding pictures don’t turn out well because you went for cheap photographers, how would you explain that to your future children when they ask.
3. Learn from Past Mistakes of Other Brides
Please, don’t hire a jack-of-all-trades photographer that covers anything events – find one that has covered plenty of weddings, AND don’t take their word for their expertise – see their previous wedding photography works with your eyes and if you don’t like them, keep searching/ ask around until you find one good one. It’s worth it. In previous articles, I shared real-life stories of brides who seriously regret making mistakes of not making good photography a wedding priority:
- MORE: She Hired a Cheap Photographer and It’s Her Biggest Wedding Regret: This Bride Shares Her Horror Story
Here’s How You Can Afford Good Wedding Photography without Robbing the Bank
Here’s a fact, quality service, quality photography, does not necessarily mean EXPENSIVE. If you plan to make good wedding photography a priority, you’ll devote time to finding the most affordable good photographers. Hey, what’s the use of wearing an expensive wedding gown and a track record of a big owambe wedding reception that they blocked roads/ street for when you have no good quality pictures to show for. What excuse will you give your children? And guess what? Those friends you invited to show off to will abuse you behind about your shabby pictures. So, make room in your wedding budget for a good photographer.
The Best Time to Book Your Wedding Photographer
Let me tell you the truth – most good wedding photographers are booked many months in advance. So, if you want a good photographer, book him early on, about the time you start your wedding planning – so that you’ll have enough time to see their previous works at weddings and confirm if they are a good fit for you.
A photographer is often the last thing that most Nigerian couples think of, and some hire a wedding photographer in a hurry, last minute after all other wedding plans are in place, and a few weeks to their wedding they end up picking just any available photographer. I’ve met couples who cried when they got back their wedding pictures – either because out of 500 shots, they could not boast of 10 good prints to put in their wedding album. I’ve also met couples who are still expecting prints of their wedding pictures two years after. Don’t repeat a known mistake – book a good photographer early.
Mistake of Budgeting Very Cheap for Photography or Not Budgeting for it At All
Good wedding photography is not very cheap, and it should not cost you an arm and leg either. Take time to find professional photographers that you can afford. Don’t let price alone determine who you hire to snap your wedding pictures – many made that mistake and can’t rewind back (but you can prevent it).
For a lot of brides, photography is not a top priority because they believe that any cheap street photographer can do – to them, what matters most is their wedding gown and cake. They want to impress on that day. How about what to show to people after that day? Plan to have impressive pictures. Include the cost of a photographer in your wedding budget. Note that not all photographers are good at covering weddings – some generalists just snap everybody they see in your wedding, and their shots don’t tell a story of your big day.
Some photographers would produce print copies straight away without giving you a chance to pick what you like from the raws. That’s not the type of photographer you want – good wedding photographers do not miss the industry-standard wedding photos shot-list. If you start searching early for a professional wedding photographer, you will have time to vet them, and many to choose from.
Although most good and professional wedding photographers are costly, some are still affordable. Starting to search early will give you enough time to find one that is within your budget.
- SEE ALSO: How to Break Down Your Wedding Budget
- Sample Nigerian Wedding Budgets and their Breakdowns from Real Weddings
Help Your Wedding Photographer to Help You
Some basic things can make even the best photographer not to capture great shots from a wedding, and that includes ‘bad makeup on the bride’, poorly lighted venue/ hall, too busy surroundings or decoration that make a bad backdrop. So, watch out for those.
Hire a Good Bridal Makeup Artist
Here’s a tip – photographers are not magicians – help them to help you by hiring a quality makeup artist that will prep your face okay. There’s a limit to what photoshop can do, too much photoshopping makes pictures look fake – so, please also make hiring a good bridal makeup artist a priority.
Most brides do not prep their wedding day face and when they get not-okay pictures, they ask either reject them or ask their photographers to perform magic on the photos. Having a good makeup on your wedding day will make your photos come out better. These days, photographers use photoshop skills and modern technology to improve the quality and finishing of pictures they snapped. Photo retouching will make you appear nearly perfect in pictures. Retouched pictures look like those Nigerian wedding pictures we see on Instagram, magazine covers and on BellaNaija.
- RELATED: How to Find and Choose a Good Makeup Artist
- 11 Amazing Before and After Bridal Makeup Transformation
After Your Wedding, Let the Pictures Do the Talking
Don’t skimp on good wedding vendors if you don’t want to be one of those brides that, months or years after their weddings, are still hoping to receive their wedding pictures. Or those that end up getting poor quality pictures. We here at NaijaGlamWedding love wedding stories and only good wedding photography can tell a wedding story better than words when brides submit their weddings for us to feature. We look forward to seeing your wedding and anniversary here – that is why we want you to plan for good pictures in advance.
Good quality pictures make low-budget weddings look costly, and poor quality photography make million-dollar weddings look cheap. After the wedding day is over, no amount of words or explanation by the couple can make anyone believe otherwise. Do you want to be cheap on your wedding photos budget, and use mouth to explain that it was the photographer’s fault? Have it in your plan to have impressive photo-shots to show those that could not attend, to share on Instagram/ Facebook, to show guests that were there. Think. Think… You only have one chance to capture moments from your wedding day in pictures – make it count! The bottom line is that you get what you pay for – don’t be stingy when budgeting for wedding pictures; get the best vendor and you won’t regret it.
That’s it on our tips on why you should not skimp on your wedding photography. It’s worth allocating a fair amount of your wedding budget. While we believe that there are lots of up-and-coming, not-ye-popular good photographers, we highly advise that you don’t plan to take a chance on any street photographer to cover your wedding, because the success rate is 50/50.
I’d love to hear what you think, leave a comment down below.
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