Journal

5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer

Use this helpful guide to why hiring professional wedding photographers is crucial for your big day — and why, if you don't, you may be disappointed. We understand people have budgets to stick to, but we cannot express enough how important the photographs of your wedding day will be to you. They are the only lasting tangible memories of your day.

Bride and groom kissing in warm golden backlight in Ibiza

1. Great photography is more than an expensive camera

Aimie and I have spent literally thousands of hours training as photographers and then thousands more working as destination wedding photographers all over the world — from Ibiza, Mexico and Scotland, to Cyprus weddings here at home. We know how to get the shot right every time, compose it beautifully and execute it with skill.

It is not the camera that delivers your beautiful photos — it is the professional wedding photographer. As professionals we shoot in manual mode, telling our cameras what to do rather than letting them do all the talking. If you have dreamed of that beautiful image of you and your new partner gorgeously backlit by a golden sunset, you can only obtain that with a professional who knows how to interpret the light.

Couple silhouetted kissing in a doorway as the sun bursts between them at Anassa Hotel

Groom in a blue waistcoat wiping away a tear in Ayia Napa

Bride holding her bouquet, reflected in a mirror beside a doorway at Liopetro

Bride and groom embracing in a dry field beside a flock of sheep at Vasilias Inn, Paphos

Bride and groom beneath the Milky Way in a starry night sky

Bride holding a dried-flower bouquet by a vintage white car at sunset, groom leaning on a motorbike, Liopetro

Ian and Jade kissing in the glowing entrance of Hedsor House at night

Jade and Peter walking hand in hand through the white arched colonnade at Anassa Hotel

Emily and Chris silhouetted at sunset, the bride raising her bouquet, at Minthis, Paphos

Double-exposure sunset silhouette of a couple holding hands at Wokefield Park

2. We understand how your day flows

Having experienced hundreds of different styles of weddings, we can predict just where to be and what to look for. We know the moment partners look at each other as they see each other for the first time. We know the moment you will burst out laughing from a witty speech, and the moment of pure love during a first dance. These are the times you can only capture with great experience.

Professional wedding photographers can round up a large number of family and people for your formal group portraits in a cheerful, cooperative way — and usually without shouting. This takes years of experience and finding out what to say (and what not to say) during a day when everyone's emotions are high.

Hiring a photographer with no wedding experience can be a bad move. They will not know the general running of a wedding day, what happens when, or where they need to be for the important and creative shots.

Bride and groom laughing through a shower of confetti under festoon lights at Liopetro

3. We understand lighting

Professionals understand all types of light and know how to photograph in difficult lighting, such as churches or venues with artificial lighting. They can walk into any room and know within seconds where the best spot to stand is, and where the best light will be every time.

Going from a dark venue to a light venue requires you to monitor the light constantly and react by changing ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings on the camera. Your guests will not always know how to adjust.

Couple framed in a lit doorway beneath the Milky Way and golden bokeh at Liopetro, Kouklia

Charlene and Ben dancing on a country lane lined with golden grass at Liopetro, Kouklia

Bride and groom silhouetted against a fiery red sunset, her veil streaming, at Alassos

4. Problems do happen

What happens if your friend or relative is ill on the day? Do they know another photographer they can call in at very short notice? We have a network of photographers to contact if needs be.

A friend or guest will not have insurance or public liability. What if something goes wrong on the day and they cause an accident? Who will be responsible for any breakages or damages?

Also, if you hire a friend or have your guests take the photos, will they truly commit to the entire day? Guests can over-indulge with the festivities and a friend with a decent camera may not realise the full length of a wedding. We can start anytime in the morning until very late in the evening — do you truly believe your friend or guests will keep going? They are there to enjoy themselves too, and important shots could be lost.

5. We are always prepared

We come to every wedding with a lot of equipment — normally a minimum of two professional camera bodies each, multiple lenses, lighting, multiple memory cards, large quantities of batteries, brackets, extension cords, light stands, light modifiers and alternative lighting sources. While not every item will be used, we bring it anyway to cover every eventuality, including changes in location due to poor weather and unexpected shots to capture.

Non-professional photographers ordinarily do not carry backup cameras. So if anything goes wrong with their camera, they will not have another one and the remainder of the wedding will go unphotographed.

A final note

We always believe it is best to book the full day with us. If your budget is smaller, hiring professional wedding photographers for the pivotal moments of the day is better than not capturing anything at all. Do not sacrifice on your wedding photographs — at the end of the day, the food and flowers will fade but your wedding photographs will remain. They will be your testament to one of the most momentous events in your lives together.

We look forward to hearing from you all.

Nick & Aimie x

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