Is Wedding Photography Worth It? (Plus 3 Creative Alternatives)

by Waseem Abbas on Feb 5, 2018 Reader Disclosure

Do you want to hire a professional wedding photographer for your big day? Photography is a must to save the moments of the wedding ceremony for lifetime. In this guide, we will share why wedding photography worth it and what are its creative alternatives.

Why is Professional Wedding Photography so Expensive?

It may seems not appropriate for you that a photographer work for a day and earn a lot of money. However, what you don’t know is that photographers carry expensive gear (camera, lens and more) and shoot non-stop for hours.

Professional photographers don’t compromise on the quality of photos and deliver their best shots. The process is time taking and it needs proper planning to achieve the amazing results.

There are several key points that you need to consider in knowing why wedding photography is expensive. Let’s discuss a few of them:

• Photo albums: Couples demand for a large quantity of prints which can increase the cost.
• Expensive gear: The professional camera, lens, flash, memory cards and more gadgets costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to the photographers. This is one of the main reasons that makes wedding photography expensive.
• Second photographers: Most of the professional photographers bring their assistants with them. Second shooters are a great help to fulfill the tasks on time and it increases the cost.
• Editing: All wedding photos pass through professional editing which needs premium software. These photo editing software have monthly/yearly license fees that a photographer bears.

Is a Wedding Photographer Worth the Cost?

Since we discussed the reasons on why a wedding photographer is expensive, it’s also an investment that you make according to your wedding budget. Most of the couples look for the best wedding photographers for their ceremony.

We share the pros and cons of hiring a professional photographer below:

Pros: Since you only weds once in your life, a wedding photographer can capture amazing memories for you. These memories would cherish you later in your lifetime.

Cons: It will add up a huge cost on your wedding budget. If you could save money on photography, then you have the options to travel or invest in other needful.

Now, it depends on your priorities to either hire an expensive wedding photographer or look for the alternatives.

The Creative Alternatives

In case, you drop the plan of investing on a wedding photographer, there are many other options that can work for you. Let’s discuss a few of the creative alternatives:

1. Friends with Camera

Everyone has people in their groups with professional cameras. You can simply request your friends to take photos on your big day. A friend may never ask for money, and it saves you on the pocket.

Pros: You can save some money and invest on other plans. It reduces a few guests (photographer and their assistants) too.

Cons: Since they will be shooting for free, you won’t be sure about the photo quality and outcomes.

2. Hire a Beginner

A beginner photographer has low cost. Beginners crave for work and you are the best deal for them.

Pros: They shoot good photos to prove their work and put all their efforts to impress you as a client.

Cons: A beginner may lack in professional shots. They don’t have all the gear that is necessary for a wedding shoot.

3. Hire a Student

Students look for odd jobs to earn some cash to pay their school fees. They can be your resource for shooting the wedding. You can rent them a professional camera and lens that photographers use for wedding photography.

Pros: You’ll help a student in saving some money for themselves, and it saves you loads too.

Cons: They are not professional photographers and doing this job for a few bucks. If they lack the motivation, then the outcome couldn’t be the same as you expect.

That’s all. We hope this guide has helped you to learn the wedding photography worth and 3 creative alternatives. You may also want to check out our guide on what are the best camera settings for wedding photography. For the professional wedding photographers with online presence, we recommend to check out this ultimate guide to boost speed and performance of your site.

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