Student photographer?

I wouldn't do it. Instead I would hire a professional for a shorter period of time. I wouldn't want someone testing their skills on my wedding day.

I wouldn't do it personally. Photos are a huge deal for me & I can't imagine getting them back & not liking them because the person was not experienced enough.

I wouldn't call you crazy, but how important are wedding photos to you? Are you sure you can't find a more experienced photographer within budget?

We had a graduate student photographer for a special engagement project we did and she was phenomenal. If you really want to go this route, consider getting someone out of undergrad who already has experience.

Unless you've seen the portfolio of this student photographer and you actually like them, I would say no. Photography is the only thing I wish we had spent more money on.

And a side note...a good photographer can help your FH feel more comfortable taking photos. Sometimes student photographers may not have enough experience with that.

If you really want to hire a student photographer, I would have them do your engagement photos to see if you feel comfortable with them and like their work.

If your partner hats having photos taken that is actually a huge reason to go with a true pro photographer. If they are any good, they will have developed the skills to put people at ease in front of the camera.

I wouldn't trust a student with this. Are you really okay with only having crummy pictures to look back on? There are no do-overs in wedding photography, and the photos are the only thing you actually get to keep and have after the day is over.

I wouldn't go that route. I've worked with non-pros, and it's an awful experience. They are slow, inefficient and they get in everyone's way. @Lauryn; an engagement shoot is nothing like a wedding. A wedding is a rapid fire series of events that cannot be done over. An engagement shoot is an untimed event that can be redone if you hate it.

I don't know how successful you'll be trying to book a pro for several hours on a prime Saturday; frankly, this soon in, I don't know how successful you'll be in finding anyone.

*I've already found a pro who is available, i'm just looking at other options.

@celia oh no I definitely agree, and we have a professional for our wedding. But if someone absolutely wanted to go this route, I was just offering a modified option.

Well it may be hard to find a really good pro photographer this close to your wedding date so you may have very limited options.

Can you do engagement photos or family photos and ask for a free 1 hour test shoot to make sure you like their quality? I know 3 people from my high school that Now shoot professionally and they still were quite good in high school.

I suggest you hire a professional. these pictures are meant to last forever and you will want to have quality work to look back on and reminisce on your perfect day. I agree with @MMB a professional photog will help you feel comfortable and that reflects in the pictures you get as a result, for example my FH is not to keen on pictures and he totally surprised me when we took our e-pics it was like he was born to be in front of the camera lol and part of that was our phenomenal photographer who is a dream to work with.

We were very lucky to find our photographers on Craigslist. She was building her folio and offered us a great deal. We loved working with them and feel we got wonderful photos for a fantastic price. What helped us was the engagement shot we did, we all got to know each other.

Btw, they were also the best "bridesmaids" I could ever ask for

https://www.facebook.com/pg/photosbytinamarie/photos/?tab=album&album_id=682827968449583

and https://www.facebook.com/photosbytinamarie/photos/basw.AbpYvB6Udvrd4s_wv3IAGP4SsbMSpd0zWpFFGN94JJnu5HCGjjx77gJFaeW8zZmsTluoAXteYPUWZvvbr23hj9NTegtEUV5F2MEIIyvTJ_LGiMwpAIe8cGfhgN1-UEg6EUkqZLSZqlZtzVyzroPHm__QbR7G1-6jTEe9tkXzUzOoDw.672893402776373.532118543520527.684881134910933.1591460864201962.661862737185668.10153311610962749/532118543520527/?type=1&opaqueCursor=Abou0cQoWiDlvITcQiu6LF-rbGe_Yrz83EOte0Cpgd8BEDIJdC0P_pcUnI07_ACQfbdV_mrxHtpovRZ8DFvjxe7JQwUl0psAgdu-husUrkWWdq5rrU7WZmTbpKZWdpPxVfaEnNhIMCqbxIPLC21r7F2Dc5sPRUj1Jl0FcHDB2EHQPV09LxYoVVx98qUhX9xfI4l0DYuW1KFugpJ6VFdIjaEARPhLKT_aTCD6fhKyUXOkcWOwUddPgjTCzRe_YTL5F8v0hG8_KqBbGZxRhXY5CLPgU9nVY7Xa6R-sTTcJOYzbNX9DTccx0as6jp4pWJPT2mmDxLPRlz87fz2AF-sFrQJgfKijupkpJz1ppBOoZOoIFtQpGSgpPQmGdArcody4NQs7iY9mVGHUaOt5-bu48WVBMAJEV7OuSCVHMDJSxcOML-EbLPbA-qonjNG-lHvQsHU46QEm2u65WjO5XYFa7kM_qqbzHD44lRlRV3gdWntyRNFNl8KfDTm3wtcPfaSa60Zjl4hWGG4a4sZ-IjdyWY0o&theater

A wedding is an extremely high pressure situation for a photographer. Someone who has little experience could have a great portfolio but not be able to replicate that if they don't have experience shooting at weddings.

Also, my FH also is not extremely comfortable in front of the camera but after talking to our photographer he felt so much better. She told us how she doesn't pose couples but instead works to get them to interact with each other and captures those moments.

Photography was one of the most important things to us though. It will be the only thing we really take from our wedding day to remember it.

If you *really* don't care about having beautiful photos after your wedding (since it'll be hit or miss), then of course you can go this route. If there is any inkling of desiring beautiful photos though, go with a professional. Find some photographers whose work you love and reach out to them. Talk to them about what you're looking for. Some of them may work with you on your budget by offering less hours so you can still get a pro to take photos, but fit within your budget. I'd advise only going the student photographer route as a very last resort.