Some time ago a digital print order came into a photo lab facility and the photos were a total loss. It was someone's wedding and the files were overexposed, there were severe color problems, and noise. To fix these images in Photoshop would have taken weeks! One of the technicians made the comment that this bride was not going to be very happy. The other responded..."reason number 562 to hire a pro to photograph your wedding".
This is a true story and it happens with alarming frequency.
Conventional wisdom would say that most of us can bake a small cake with a pile of frosting on top, but very, very few of us could bake and decorate a wedding cake. Most weddings require a large venue (building, park, etc...) of course there is the wedding dress, tuxes, minister, rehearsal dinner, reception food, DJ, Limo and finally the honeymoon...oh yeah...the photographer. The budget has now hit critical mass and is threatening to explode, and it is then the advertisement comes on TV; the miraculous Brand X camera that shoots beautiful photos all by itself! The potential Bride and Groom look at each other and think, 'Uncle Joe has one of those cameras...and he takes good pictures!. We could save a bunch of money!'
Uncle Joe and his miracle camera is recruited for the task. The big day comes and Uncle Joe (wanting to do a good job) takes photo after photo and in the mind of the bride, she can envision hundreds, maybe thousands of photos just like what she sees in the Bridal Magazines. Little does she know that Uncle Joe is shooting under conditions that he is not familiar with, there is no such thing as a miracle Brand X camera, therefore many of the photos will not turn out on that basis alone. Uncle Joe (wanting to do a good job) spent some time the night before reading his instruction manual so he could figure out what else his miracle camera can do, and having tried out these features for the first time...on their wedding.
Somewhere in some photo lab, a technician will be watching these photos fall out of their printer and they will shake their heads in despair, there is going to be a very disappointed bride and groom...and they think to themselves, they should have hired a pro to photograph their wedding.
You see, when the reception is over, the dress will hang up in the bride's closet, rarely to be seen again, the tux goes back to the store, the cake will have been completely eaten, the limo makes it's way to the next wedding and the friends and family will have gone home. All that remains are the photos.
Photos are our identity, our heritage and our memories. Shop carefully and wisely for an experienced photographer, and make the appropriate investment in remembering your wedding.
