Short Tute: It's about the emotion

With the continually falling prices of digital SLR cameras, it's quite common to discover one or more guests at a wedding with equipment at least as good as that of the hired professional. And, in many cases, a guest can make technically competent photographs - that is to say, the color, contrast, exposure all look pretty good, if not great.

So one may wonder why they should consider hiring a professional wedding photographer when "Uncle Bob knows how to take pictures and has some nice cameras"?

Wedding photography is not just about the technical quality. It the ability to consistently see and photograph the emotion, the feelings, and the interaction between the people that differentiate the hobbyist and the professional.

An example of interaction (and romance). This couple, guests at the reception, have been married for a couple or more years, but the romantic atmosphere at the reception induced this reaction:

Emotion - When the bride enters the sanctuary, she is the center of attention. If the photographer had been concentrating on the bride to the exclusion of all else, he would have missed this sequence:

The groom when first he sees his beautiful bride entering the sanctuary

The groom is starting to recover
It's not just the groom who can get emotional.
The mother and father of the bride, during the reception:
The bride during the lighting of the unity candle
The entire congregation during the recessional:
Opportunities to photograph interactions between guests abound at the reception and the photographer must work to find and be actively seeking out these opportunities. An example: close friends sharing family photos:


Emotions, especially those of the bride, are in "full swing" at the reception. For the last six months (or so), she been under a lot of pressure, planning the wedding day and worrying about all the details, etc. So, by the time of the reception, she's starting to "de-pressurize".

First Dance:
Of course, it's not just about the intense emotions either. Need some fun in there as well. Here, it's obvious the groom is thrilled:

So, do your research. Look at the style and content and emotion in the photographs being shown by any photographer you are considering hiring. Do you feel the joy of the day? Do you want to see yourself in similar photographs? If the answer to these, and other, questions is a resounding "YES," then you have found a photograph who may fit your needs. But, there more qualifications to be considered, but that's a subject for another tutorial.