My friend’s dog has a great camera….

Okay, so that might be a bit extreme but it kind of encapsulates a sentence I hear a lot (and so do my fellow snappers.)

If I had £1 every time someone has said to me they have a friend, aunty, cousin etc who has a great new camera and so they are not using a wedding photographer, I would be a rich man.

Now this isn’t a bitter post and I’m all for saving money (we all know how expensive weddings can be) but if I then had £1 for every one of those people who regretted it I would be a very, very rich man indeed!

So what exactly are you paying for when you’re hiring a wedding photographer and why can’t your cousin’s best friend with a new SLR do the same job?

Well, here’s the thing… you’re paying for knowledge, experience, time and (crucially) a great result. It’s unlikely your friend whose camera is fresh out the box has the same credentials.

When weighing up your options consider if you trust the person with the camera enough to get beautiful, ever-lasting images of your special day. A day, which I bet my bottom dollar on, has cost you a fortune. Do you want your most precious mementos to be spoiled by bad lighting, smudgy camera work, closed eyes, headless bodies? The list goes on and I’ve seen it all (and the tears to go with it).

Professionals have trained for years, have honed their craft, know how to edit and spend weeks on perfecting your photos – if you consider everything from pre-meetings to handing over your images.

And while we all love a new, top-of-the-range camera, I believe many of us could get good results (and better results than your cousin’s best bud) from an iPhone. After all, it’s not the camera that sets up the photos, understands the lighting, whether you’re camera shy or full of beans… it’s the photographer who creates the photos.

For more information about wedding photography packages and availability call Danny on 07810 260 006 or email info@dannyfeasey.co.uk