Why you should not rely on guests to take pictures at your elopement

You’re planning to elope and since you have a few guests, you may be thinking, “Why should I hire a professional photographer for my elopement?” As someone who has officiated well over 7,000 weddings and elopements in my career, I can tell you why. Actually, there are several reasons you shouldn’t rely on your guests for your elopement photos. First, it is likely that your photos would all be taken on cell phones. In the excitement of the moment, you may not have the presence of mind to go over some of the things you’ll want your guests to do in order to get the shots you want, in the way you want them. The lens of the average cell phone is filthy. Don’t believe me? Take out your phone and take a picture. Now take a clean tissue or cloth and wipe the lens off and then re-take the same picture. You won’t believe the difference! Next, there is the issue of lighting. If your photos are going to take place in a location, either interior or exterior, where there is significant back lighting, everyone in the photos will be in silhouette, which is a nice way of saying they will be human shaped blobs with no faces in the pictures. Next is staging. Let’s say you overcome the lenses and lighting, now you must worry about staging. Amateurs will not know how to get the best framing in the photos. They may not keep their phone or camera at a perfect angle. They may zoom in too close or zoom out too far. They may only get head shots of each of you and miss the architectural or natural details of the surroundings in the pictures. On the opposite end of things, they might zoom out so far trying to get everything in the frame that the happy couple is just a dot at the bottom of the screen.

They may also not take the time to properly center you against the background of each photo. They may also not take the time to make sure that the background is clear of stray purses, chairs, cell phone or even of people who shouldn’t be in every photo. Finally, when the wedding is over, the amateur will not have the skill or software to process the photos, adjust the color, lighting, or position and straighten the photos like a professional can. After all that, the professional can deliver the photos in a secure online gallery to you and your friends much more efficiently than an amateur. When you book your elopement combo package with Rich Events, you will have excellent photos taken by professionals who specialize in elopements. To learn more, visit RichEvents.org.