Cheap Wedding Photography, Is It Really Worth It?
When planning your wedding in Ireland, certain areas can become expensive. Any marriage will inevitably hurt your bank account, so it is only natural to start looking at cheap alternatives. Cheap Photography, however, is not an area that you should scrimp on.
When it comes to wedding photography, you are going to cherish these pictures for the rest of your lives together, and if those pictures are terrible, it will be an awful waste of what should be a cherished treasure.
With all this in mind, we wanted to take a closer look at the pitfalls of cheap wedding photography in Ireland. Is it worth it?
There Are a Growing Number of Ways to Get Cheap Photography in Ireland
Due mainly to the rise in access to digital devices across the country, more and more people are taking Instagram worthy pictures and declaring themselves as amateur photographers. Many of these people do it as a hobby, for the love of it, or for the experiences it brings them. However, if one of these people offers to take your wedding photographs, you should exercise caution.
So how would you find cheap wedding photography in Ireland?
Asking Friends to Be Wedding Photographers
You can get cheap, or even free, photography by asking around your friend group. Many of them will fancy themselves handily with a camera. Keep in mind that not offering payment means there is no sense of urgency to get the photos back to you. Nor is there any promise that your photographs will be of high quality.
Perhaps worse is that wedding guests get drunk. If you are going to ask your favourite Instagram star to take photos of your wedding, make sure they aren’t drinking! There is also the factor of stress to consider. Asking a friend to perform such a responsible task can create tensions in your relationship. You can see this article, by USA Today, for more information.
Hiring Free Online Wedding Photography in Ireland
Some sites, such as Gumtree, claim to offer free wedding photography – but there is more to this than meets the eye. Often, these deals include a professional or semi-professional wedding photographer who will come to your big event and take pictures. When you try to claim these pictures, you are only allowed the proof copies until you pay a considerable sum of money to have them released.
Since you can’t recreate your wedding day all over again; you will be forced to pay the exorbitant sum to get your pictures back. There will likely not be anything wrong with them, but they will cost more than hiring a photographer would have cost. Do not be taken in by these schemes.
What About Hiring a Student to Take My Wedding Photographs?
Hiring a student isn’t a bad idea, but it still involves them doing lots of hard work on top of their studies. A student can spend up to 60 hours a week at their studies, not leaving them much time at all for your wedding photographs.
All this being said, you may still want to hire a student. If you do, we suggest that you pay them a photographer’s fee as you would anyone else. It may be a cheaper way to get those photographs, and you might be lucky and get a great student. On the other hand, you may come away with poor quality photographs with improper lighting and too much ceiling.
If you insist on this course of action, please keep in mind that you will, in effect, be taking work away from a professional who would have given you better photographs. Also, remember that they will have no portfolio of work to show you, and likely no experience having shot a wedding before. You can find some of the photography campuses in Ireland courtesy of Hot Courses, but we would suggest you visit IG Studio, instead.
How Much Should a Wedding Photographer Cost?
According to One Fab Day, the average Irish wedding costs around €31,000 with a price tag on photographers between €2,000 and €4,000. If you want high end, luxury wedding photography, you can expect to pay even more than that. For more information on what to expect for the money, you can visit our package information page.
The Benefits of Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer
Hiring a professional photographer should be at the top of your list of things to plan your wedding. When you look back on your life in 20 years, you don’t want to be stuck with photographs of people with their heads cut off!
Aside from memories, there are several benefits to hiring a professional photographer. Some of these include:
- Picture quality – a good photographer can get brilliant pictures without really trying too hard. Can an amateur?
- Lighting, mood, and atmosphere – a professional wedding photographer will have all the kit needed to create moods, light your shots, and add warmth.
- Communication – working closely with your photographer to build a trusting relationship will create the best photos ever taken of you.
- Encouragement – a professional photographer, will always make you feel fantastic. If you don’t like getting your picture taken, then there is no real replacement for an expert!
- Experience – nothing beats the experience of having your very own paparazzi follow you around for the day!
For more on why a professional wedding photographer in Ireland is the best person to take your photos; read this article by the Wedding Secret.
So, Is Hiring Cheap Wedding Photography in Ireland Worth It?
We don’t think so. Contact IG Studio instead, and together, we can work out a deal that suits everyone. We provide realistically priced wedding photography guaranteed to preserve your cherished memories forever. We present your photographs in a stunning album fit to please even the toughest spouse. Don’t leave your wedding day up to chance. Hire a professional and give yourself one less worry!
