Why hire a professional photographer to cover your Montreal wedding? Service matters.

Wedding photographers aren't all equal

It is very important to make the right choice when choosing a professional wedding photographer to document your wedding. A good wedding photographer is like any other artist: each one is unique in style and approach. Really, when you hire a wedding photographer you’re commissioning an artist. This is why it’s important to choose the right one. If you don’t like the photographer’s way of working, then it doesn’t matter what the price is. If you aren’t happy, the money was not well-spent.

Make sure your wedding photographer has the knowledge and experience to do the job. Don’t take a photo of people facing the sun!

Some people save a little money by hiring an amateur photographer or getting a friend to do the photography. Most of the time, this doesn’t work out in the couple’s favour. Weddings are stressful events, as any couple can attest. But the stress isn’t limited to the bride and groom. Their parents are just as stressed, and the wedding party feels it too. So does the photographer. Look at it from our point of view: we are hired to document the most important day in someone’s life. We only get one shot at it, and if anything gets messed up we won't be able to redo it. That’s a lot of stress to place on one person’s shoulders. Would you want to place that burden on a close friend or family member?

Experience matters

One of the advantages you have with hiring a professional wedding photographer is that we have the training, experience and confidence to handle the pressure. As a Montreal wedding photographer with the experience of over 200 weddings behind me, for example, the pressure is never an issue. I am confident in my ability to produce great work each and every time and this allows me to give my complete attention to the job I have to do.

Wedding photographer prices vary for a reason

There is a huge range in price between the cheapest wedding photographer on the market and the most expensive.  Like cars, however, they are not all equal. You may be able to get a car for $10 000, but that doesn’t mean it’s a better deal than the one at $35 000. There are reasons for the price difference.  Given that $10 000 is at the lower end of the scale it’s probably an inferior product.

Many people will examine a professional photographer’s upper-level price and then ask, “Why are you so expensive?” They should really be asking the $500-a-day photographer, “Why are you so cheap?” While it’s true that you get what you pay for, it is equally true that you don’t get what you don’t pay for. As with cars, clothes, furniture and just about everything else, high quality isn’t free. Obviously price is a concern for everyone, but you should shop first by the photographer as an artist, not the producer of a product. Meet in person with the wedding photographers whose style interests you.  Get to know them a little. This will help you make a better decision as to whether this person would be fun to work with.

Prices are not set in stone. Packages can always be negotiated and customized to suit your budget and your tastes. You are better off spending a bit more than you had planned in order to get a professional wedding photographer you like than by saving money with one you don’t. When you look at your photos 25 years from now, you’ll realize how good an investment it was. The choice of photographer is probably the most important decision you’ll make concerning which service providers you’ll hire.

Photography lasts

Think about it: if the limo driver isn’t very professional, you only have to deal with him for a few hours. If the dress has a flaw that causes it to rip halfway through the day, well… either way you were never going to wear it again. The cake wasn’t very good? Either way it’s gone in a week. But your photos will be with you for life. If you make the wrong choice of photographer you’ll have those bad photos with you for life.

That’s not to say that you should go for the highest price you can find, of course. This doesn’t help you any more than shopping for the lowest price. The key is to find a photographer you like first, then talk price later. You wouldn’t buy a car you find uncomfortable and difficult to drive just because it was a bit less expensive than the one you want, right?

If you'd like to take a look at some of my wedding work (which I highly recommend, it's awesome), you can find it here.