Thinking of hiring a college photography major for my wedding pictures

A girl I went to high school with is a photography major in Pittsburgh, when she was home on break I had her do my little sister's senior pictures. They turned out absolutely perfect. They were better than mine which were done by an established photographer. Honestly, sometimes I think students are the best people to capture moments like that because they're still constantly learning. My friend was amazing with my sister, she had new fresh ideas and was grateful for the chance to add to her portfolio and earn some extra cash. A lot of people may caution against it, but I'm all for it, in fact, she's also doing my e*pics and wedding pics. If you find a student with a good portfolio, go for it

I've been thinking of doing the same thing. We haven't contacted the school yet, and I'm talking to a couple "budget conscious" photographers weighing my options. I was actually just discussing this minutes before signing back on here.

That's a great idea! and you'll be helping them build their portfolio which is great. You should be able to negotiate great price. I've been considering it too since I'm going to an art school with all of the departments. I was also considering checking out the fashion students for BM dresses~

I understand you are working within a budget- but you have to question if this is a chance you are really willing to take. Shooting a wedding is very different than shooting any other event, and especially posed pics and stilllifes. Are you willing to have shots of special moments missed? Are you willing to have slightly lower quality pictures, jsut in case.

You may find someone amazing- you may not. They'll probably have no wedding experience.

That's your choice- but I personally wouldn't take that chance.

Photos is the one thing I say to splurge on. Years from now Photos (and? a video) will be the only thing you can look at to remember the day perfectly as it was. Your memories of details will fade of the location and food. The flowers will die in less than a week. Your friends that stand up may not even be friends anymore 10 years from now. The dress is only worn once (your daughter will want her own)

I say try to find the best venue for your dollar, make sure they have good food.

Try to keep your dress under $1,000. There are some great ones out there.

You don't need flower centerpieces... candles or the venue's free ones are perfect.

and budget $2,000 - $3,000 for a good photographer and at least a small book.

I wouldn't call it "splurging," for a photographer... as in many ways this is what will remind you of the good times in bad times. I know that sounds terrible, but many, or perhaps most of the amateur photographers don't have a clue of picture resolution and how it will transfer to paper. They give you a DVD with all your pictures and, when you go to get them printed you find out the resolution on the pictures is far from adequate for printed pictures, even though they looked great on your computer monitor.

If all you ever want is "digital rememberances" that might be fine... but if you're looking for a nice wedding album to look at, share and treasure... that will come out as a huge shortcoming.

Sometimes choosing a cheaper vendor is penny wise but pound foolish.

Excellent points above! Also you may be able to find a pro photog willing to work within your budget, like only a certain number of hours, just the ceremony or whatever..Maybe you could hire the pro for the ceremony, and perhaps the student for just the reception or something? But I agree, it can be very risky hiring a student, besides the points above, they may not be the most reliable (not that they all aren't tho).

I have encountered both- professional and the photographer in the making- both had negatives and positives. If you want to go to a school to find one then go to an Art school and ask for their career service team. From there they can get in touch with the students and you can look at many different student pieces.

Trust me after what we are paying for a photographer there are days I still wonder if we should have used a student but I know we are in a unique situation for our wedding and that really isn't our best option. Photographers are expensive but are they are telling the story of your past, present and future if they do it right.

I agree with previous posters, budget less for others and get a pro. You won't be sorry, after the wedding is over all you'll have left is the photos.

Would you trust a college student to make your dress? cater the food? The photos are too important.

Like Hayley said play with your budget, the memories and the photos are the only things left at the end of the day.

Every pro-photographer had a 1st wedding they had to shoot. Go for it if your expectations can be met by her. If you expect an album, advanced off camera lighting, these may not happen because the equipment is so expensive to do these things. I agree with many others and know that a "controlled" portrait shoot is VERY different from a wedding shoot. Make sure she has the ability to capture unposed spontaneous moments. Weddings have a flow to them. Make sure she has a timeline and list of expected formal combinations too.

I am very great-ful to the first bride that ever booked me and took a chance with me. She loved her pics but all i could give her at the time was an edited DVD which was all she wanted anyway. She still emails and sends pics of her baby now.

I wish you amazing pictures and a wonderful wedding!

This is how I got my first wedding- I appreciated it so much! You have to start somewhere! Most photographers that want to pursue weddings spend a good amount of time shadowing professionals to learn, so that may not be experience you can see in a portfolio but it makes a world of difference from someone who isn't familiar with weddings.

Also, I am so bewildered by all these cases of photographers not delivering pictures. When I have a shoot, I can't wait to edit the pictures and show them off. I want to know what my client liked best, and I love designing the albums so I have to let them see the proofs to know what they liked best. I feel like the people who don't deliver on time are in it for the money and don't have the love and passion for wedding photography as the serious photogs do. That's what people need to watch out for, they may cost more but that doesn't mean they can't screw you over.

I knew going into the whole planning that a photographer is not something id risk taking the price route. However i did get lucky and found a great one for a good price!

My cousin used a student photographer for their wedding this past June. They are still waiting to get their proofs back. The only photos they have from their wedding are photos that guests took.

If you are planning on going this route be sure to sign a contract that states a deadline to get proofs back. Also make sure you ask a lot of questions and make sure they have the proper equipment. I wish you the best of luck!

P.S. FH and I feel photography is very important so we made sure to get a professional that had great review and amazing photos.

I agree with what everyone is saying but it is a good chance for students. If you see what you like from the students then go for it. I'm sure they would really appreicate the chance like Kaitlyn said.

Also if they are cheap enough you could always get two photographers if one didn't capture something the way you liked you have another one there that probably got good shots. Just another thing to think about when using students.

Agree though make sure to put it in writing and when you will receive your proofs back and pictures.

I would also have a second shooter if I were you, just in case the college photographer misses an important moment. But, I would say if the portfolio looks good, go for it! I am having my FH's cousin be the primary shooter, and a close college friend who is a photography major as the second shooter. Neither one charges very much, and I think I will be able to have my wedding pictures done and printed for under $500. Best of luck!!

Oh, and btw...my FH's cousin ISN'T a professional (she didn't have schooling), but she has an amazing portfolio and did our one-year anniversary (dating) pictures and a few other pictures for us that I loved!

Make sure you don't just hire anyone..."professional" or not. I've seen some "pro" pictures that I really did not like...too common, too much like any old point & shoot camera could do. My friend had a "professional" at her wedding and the picture of the kiss was blurry and very BAD quality. She will never get that back. So, either way you decide to go, make sure you check out their porfolio beforehand!

That's a great way to save money. Many photographers do this kind of thing to build their portfolio. It's a win-win. I used to find photographers in the local newspaper when I wa a model and needed photos for my portfolio. Almost all my portfolio was free shots. A few things to remember when going this route:

1. Make sure you both agree on everything in the very beginning about how many shots you will get, what format (prints or CD of files). Get it all in writing.

2. I'd also include disposable cameras at the reception tables for your guests to take shots for you.....just in case. Or even have set family members take some photos during the ceremony.

3. Look at the students current portfolio to make sure they take decent shots. You may not get TOP quality photos but you do want them to look somewhat professional.

4. Try the person out by doing engagement photos with them just to see their shooting style.

The other Photographer's have already touched on the major points that I would've. I've taken on a photography major before as a second shooter for him to learn. First, as Brian correctly pointed out, he didn't have the gear, but he had access to a better camera body (which was still a lesser model than my backups). Second, of all the actual images he captured, there were less than 10 useable ones. Which goes back to my first point which Brian also made (Smart guy - eh?). Students don't have the money for the equipment we use. He didn't have the fast glass to work in the low light. So he relied on the camera automation to do the job for him, and the result was that the majority of the images had motion blur.

I took a class last spring and the instructor was a professor, and studio own. He said that he has had ONE kid come through that he'd trust to shoot a wedding if he were unable.

Only you know how important the memories of your big day are to you. Only you can make the decision!

Brian C. has also talked me into looking for a pro. The cameras they use are really expensive! Probably a good down payment for a house or something.

I am curious though, Brian C., when does someone "master" a skill? I mean, how do you see the mastering of the skill?

A lot of VERY valid points made by the other pro's here. The MOST important one was glossed over.....NEVER hire two people to shoot your wedding. NEVER, ask your cousin/Uncle/Aunt/Sister to cover what you think your professional might be missing. It’s going to make it very hard for the professional do his/her job.

That being said, you may look for a professional photographer who is looking to branch out into weddings, a successful event photographer who has yet to shoot a wedding? That is how I got started, I started out as a food photographer that led to events, and then a videographer who knew a lot of photographers, needed someone for his wedding that was not in some way involved in the day. He paid me $800 for that day, I rented a ton of extra gear and made nothing but I got pictures for my portfolio and insurance so I could work future events.

Another Important thing Brian said that you need to really “hear”, some venues will not let your photographer shoot without proof of insurance.