Thinking of hiring a college photography major for my wedding pictures

Its a wonderful idea. i'm sure many budding photographers would do it for free or a serisouly dicounted price. make sure you follow the tips and advice from the previous posters though. definetly make sure you and the student have an agreement in paper. also, that they shoot in a style you want.

another thing i would suggest and may have been suggested earlier is that you give the photographer a list of moments you have to have captured as well as a timeline of the days schedule so they know where to be and when. you wouldnt want him to be taking pictures of the kids table while you and your new husband are cutting the cake.

and one other thing too, let them know the dress code. you wouldnt want a 20 year old kid in riped up jeans and flanel shirt showing up to a black tie affair to take pictures. nor would you want a a girl to show up in an evening gown to a luau.

I don't think a student would be as reliable as a professional, but then again, I've read horror stories in these forums from women who thought they picked a great professional photographer, and ended up sadly dissapointed for many reasons.

Can't help too much with this one, my uncle gifted his services to us. Good luck with whatever decision you make!

I say go for it! Just make sure you check out their work first but anything to save money!

The answer is simple: It depends how important photos are to YOU.

If you hate being photographed and couldn't care less about the end results, then go ahead, risk it with a student and use the money you saved on a honeymoon. I doubt students would have proper equipment, backup equipment or insurance incase something goes wrong.

If you actually care about the end result, there's no doubt about it, go with a pro! Keep in mind, though, just because someone owns a "good camera" and has a website with a couple pictures on it doesn't mean they're a pro.

I've written several articles you may find helpful. They're about how to make the MOST out of your wedding photography (we all want the most bang for our buck, right?)

http://www.ten2tenphotographyblog.com/?p=99

http://www.ten2tenphotographyblog.com/?p=156

Good luck!

I think that could be great! I'd try to see if any of them have ever shot a wedding before, even as an assistant. Shooting weddings is just really different than portraits and studio photography, so really recommend you find a student that does have some experience in that setting and fully understands what they're getting themselves into. Also make sure they can sign a legally-binding contract with you so that you are both protected in case something goes wrong.

Check out: http://www.clicks2pixels.com/ Erika did our engagement pics and we booked her for our wedding - great prices

I have to disagree with a lot of these posts. There are a lot of students who are already photographers but are continuing their education specifically on wedding photography. How about reviewing the seniors portfolio.... Weddings are so very expensive but people put so much bad thoughts into students. I know students who are a lot better than present wedding photographers but to be honest.... If you like their portfolio I bet you wouldn't even realize the mistakes they made because you aren't the professional. I myself is a graphic designer and I see my faults but the ones I critic myself about are the ones my clients love... I say give them a chance. Your life isn't over and it would be a great opportunity for some of these students.... Just make sure you check their portfolio

I know that this post is old and I’m not sure if you will see this but I’m taking a chance. I am here in Buffalo ny and planning a wedding on a budget and I am in need of photographer and thought going to a college would be a great idea. Did it work out for you? How did you set up the interviews?

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