Photography: good vs bad

It's like any job...anyone can talk. Experience backs it up. Technical knowledge, organization, composition, use of light, how they watch for emotion and capture it, and overall experience they offer the customer. It all comes into play. It also takes being able to work on the fly in demanding conditions and not crack under pressure. Those who say someone's work is amazing and gloat on the deal they got, we'll see what they say AFTER the event. Cheap is cheap for a reason. The goal shouldn't be to simply get photos....and generic work seldom brings tears to anyone's face.

There are numerous things that make a great wedding photographer and IMO one of the most important is learning how to anticipate and be prepared for "that moment". This intuition comes only by photographing a lot of weddings all the time until you feel it. And then it's something that still needs to be exercised. It doesn't matter what style of wedding, how expensive the wedding, or how much time you are given to photograph any aspect of the day. Missing "the moment" because you didn't see it coming, weren't in the right place at the right time, or messing around with focus and metering will affect your bottom line and reputation at some point.

Depends on their style too. A friend of mine is a hobby photographer and she pointed me towards one of her favorite event photographers for my wedding. He's VERY talented, I just find his portfolio feels a little impersonal for my taste.

Look at there photos, everyone had different styles and ways of editing and taking pics. Some are better at staged photos then in-the-moment or the other way around... If they don't have a portfolio, I wouldn't hire them.

Also, look at how the printing rights work. Some give you the right to print, others require you to order very expensive prints through them.

Lighting... you can tell a huge difference between a professional photographer optimizing the lighting verse someone with a good camera and no experience.

Imo...

It depends on your perspective. FH and I saw rave reviews for photographers we thought were not very good, but everyone is entitles to their opinion. It depends on what you're looking for as well as your personal tastes.

The person I had in mind when I made this post has ALL 5 star reviews but I'm convinced most of them are from friends. I'm glad I don't know them very well... I wouldn't hire them to shoot my dog's birthday party, let alone a wedding.

Photography hands down is one of those things where "you get what you pay for" rings true time and time again.

Ah, there's so much wrong I see with hobbyist photographers who shoot weddings!

Typically anyone who's making it their hobby and hasn't gone to school for it tends to overload on photo editing, lighting is bad bad bad, or they don't follow the tip of keeping that shutter button pressed down for several shots instead of just taking one or two and moving on. Keep that finger trigger happy! Be ready in seconds to snap an unexpected cute moment....you get some amazing shots that way.

I get so frustrated when people take pictures and only snap it once or twice!

Organizing is usually off, they have no control over their group, customer service is bad (taking months to edit and get your pictures back to you), poses are usually repeated and the same old same old.

Usually their angles are bad and it's so obvious they haven't learned the skill of a center point that leads to more detail throughout the picture.

Some of the best shots are made when the photographer is laying flat on the ground, kneeling, standing on a high point.... not just standing flat footed with a straight angle, which is what beginners or hobbyists do.

I put my foot down when friendors wanted to photograph our wedding. LOL

A good photographer has a website where clients can browse through their work. They should be active on social media. They should be up front with rates. If you like their work, they should have a contract ready. They should have insurance. They MUST have backup of everything the day of an event. There shouldn't be any reasons why they can't properly deliver photographs. I feel that these are just the basics. With that said, a great photographer for me is someone who is in tune with his/her surroundings and finds ways for their subjects to work together with the setting. Obviously, also capturing essential moments of the event.

Photograpy is like art. It's all perspectives and subjectives.

Kathleen nailed it - the key to great wedding photography is capturing the moment. Of course there are other clues to inexperienced/not great photographers, such as over-processing (too much editing), but being able to capture special moments (the moment the groom is sneaking a sweet look at his bride; the teary-eyed parents watching as their daughter and new son-in-law dance, etc.). Beautiful wedding photography is expensive for a reason - experience and skill are the top two reasons.

My sister had her photography gifted to her by her fiance's uncle who is an amazing nature photographer. However, they were super disappointed when they got their photos back. Each shot was technically fine, but he literally had no imagination or experience when it came to shooting a wedding. He literally just stood up different groups of people together and took their photo. There are no emotional shots of my sister and her husband or anything truly candid. They were pretty crushed but also should have known better.

I feel you get what you pay for. I shot my cousin's wedding and I'm noooo waaaay a photographer. She paid me about $150. She got some shots that were not blurry, some decent posed family photos, and shots of her dress/getting ready. But she didn't care, she just wanted basically snapshots. Which is fine. Me on the other hand, I am willing to pay for professionals who know what they're doing.

Another reason I would caution against using a friend or family member even if they are an excellent photographer: my friend used her sister, who is a wonderful photographer. The services were supposed to be her gift to her. Her wedding was in May. It's December and she has yet to see any photos. Friends and family tend to not be as urgent with you as a professional would be.

I would just read the reviews for photographers, look at their photos on their websites, and meet with them and ask lots of questions! I don't think you need to blow the budget, but I believe there is a certain price range that equals good quality.