mrs2be.ie

[lizcat]

i know this sounds like a crazy idea but i was at a wedding recently where the couple had a lot of friends taking photos and they actually preferred them to the professional ones
i have some of the same friends and they will be taking photos at our wedding also and i'm just wondering if anyone has gone without the professional and just depended on the guests??? and has it worked out well?

[MrsTK2B]

Hi Lizcat,

I'm having my 21 year old cousin as my photographer. She is doing film/photography in college but has never done a wedding before. I asked my cousin to do it mainly to save money, but also to give her the opportunity so she might get work doing other weddings. And I didn't like the idea of a stranger bossing everyone around to get the photos he wanted. At least my cousin will do what she is told and we will not waste half the day standing around for pictures. And most professional photographers in the area seem to be men, so I wouldn't want them there when I am getting ready. We are getting a professional video done, but he has strict instructions to stay in the background and not annoy people!

[caroline_A2]

im having my friend and my brothers girlfriend doing ours i had looked at the "professional" ones and i really couldnt find the money and i had always said i wanted them doing it rather than have a stranger telling me what to do so when i sat down i decided to go with what i wanted and not what others expected of me. they both have professional cameras and im actually looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere now of just having the 2 of them do it.
good luck with your decision

[Mysterious]

u can set up ur own digital camera and in 10 secnds or 20 seconds or watever it will take its own picture if u set it up on a table r wherever u cud do this if u wanted.we r not havin a proffesional we will just get ppl we kno 2 do the photos coz its cheeper and its lower key to.

[gilmoregirl]

Hi Lizcat
It's a brave move to go without a professional photographer but it depends on what you want from your day and what you are going to do with the photos afterwards.
When we got ours done, our photographer did a traditional leather bound album and a smaller photobook. I love them both but the photobook comes out of the box more often because it's smaller and lighter and there are more photos it in.
You could always think about using your guests photos for this purpose. I have done some for friends of mine and they loved them. The last time I used mbphotobooks.com and the quality and service was great and you're supporting and irish business rather than a multinational corporation!
Good luck with whatever you decide!

[TanyaBranning]

It depends what you want and what you are happy having. I personally haven't had a professional picture taken of me since I made my confirmation and the photographer came to the school, so it was imporant to me to have professional shots on the day. Everybody has budget priorities, and photography was one of mine

For instance if you despise having your photo taken, you might choose not to have a photographer. But then again, with a pro doing it, it might be an easier experience.

[waterplily]

For me it's a brave couple who rely on their guests' photos to make up their wedding album, so hats off to you if you do this (no hats off icon ). There are pros and cons (as with everything) of doing this.

One massive benefit is the savings you can make. You'll get some great candid pictures of people - especially in the evening. You get to make up your own album ( but you can also do this if you get a photographer to give you the photos on disk). One unknown is that you don't know how well each guest is at photographing eg will they have their cameras ready and spot lovely little moments that you get at weddings. Also, a lot of the time wedding guests are told not to use their cameras during the ceremony, but photographers are let work away. A photographer will spend the day with camera ready, watching out for and capturing these moments for you to treasure forever. Also, because you have hired them, you will have seen their work and know how good they are.

Like I said, pros and cons to the situation. If you're worried about a camera being in your face all the time, then there's a style of photography called reportage where the photographer snaps away getting lots of photos throughout the day from a distance. They also take any other pictures you tell them you want and all that forms the story of your day.

In the end it's up you because it's your wedding day and you'll want to be enjoying it. My advice would be to meet and chat to a couple of photographers before you make a final decision on which way to go. (Sorry it's a long response)

[tnydancer]

Hi Lizcat!
Im new to this but just thought id throw my 2 cents in. We thought of this route but decided we would not risk having no or very few good photos. We booked a guy and went with a CD only package so its cheaper then normal. We can do up our own album later. I went with someone who specialised in reportage photography so he wont be in our way all day . Good luck and if you need the name of our photographer PM me ill be happy to recommend him.

[Dec2012]

We are going with a photographer who has a reportage style type of photography. were going with a disc only package to keep costs down and can go for an album at a later date.

The reason we want a photographer is I have heard from friends who have got married that it took some guests ages to give them a copy of the pics and there is still friends who have not given them a copy of the pics so this would be my main reason to get a photographer.