Friend or Pro Photographer?

For gorgeous once-in-your-lifetime photos, you will choose either a friend / loved one, or a recommended professional photographer?  There are pros and cons to each one:

PROs for FRIEND (the upside):

• Free or cheap
• Might offer unlimited time shooting
• Familiar face and energy
• May get insider pics from knowing the group’s politics
• If you like to do it, you probably can micro-manage a friend shooting
• Friend may party or drink with you.

CONs – FRIEND (the downside):

• Friend may party or drink while working – drunk people with only 1 hand free, don’t get good photos
• May expect compensation elsewhere (i.e. big tip, free drinks, favors, borrow your car or condo)
• Friend may not handle real challenges to your liking
• May NEED micro-managing (if inexperienced)
• May resist micro-managing, argue, sulk or feel insulted and stop shooting
• Expectations are casual, so he may miss good shots which are important to you
• Chatting, distracted by other guests, and miss important shots
• If you speak up about it, you risk hurt feelings, arguing, embarrassment
• Friend can just refuse your suggestions
• Friend can take embarrassing pics or gossip about private things seen / heard
• If friend gets sick, too drunk/high, injured, has travel problems–then a good replacement is hard to find at last minute.
• Friend might not handle challenges (bad weather, rain, poor lighting, rude guests, dead batteries, hairdo and make-up failures, emotional meltdowns)
• Friend may not know how to help people relax—gets awkward, adds to your stress, wastes time
• Friend may not know how to pose people to look their best
• You risk your photos  being poor quality.
• If you don’t like the photos, you risk hurt feelings & no solutions
• Thus, you risk having no great wedding photos
• Friend may not have truly high-tech equipment or authentic editing skills
• If someone breaks his camera or lights, or gets injured (tripping/falling), or he damages property (drops your wedding rings, breaks a chair he stood upon), YOU pay for the camera, the doctor, and the lost property!
• Because this was a free/cheap project for a pal (you), your wedding pics may get low priority to finish editing & deliver.

CON – PROFESSIONAL (the downside):

• You pay a set, pre-determined fee 
• She may not feel like a familiar face at first
• Shooter may not accept being micro-managed
• Professional will not party/drink with you
• Pro may not handle challenges to your liking (good recommendations fix this one)

PRO – PROFESSIONAL (the upside):

• Professional shooter will not party on the job; stays sober and focused
• If you don’t like something, you can ask for a change without argument or hurt feelings
• Professional knows how to pose people to look their best
• Professional always helps people to relax, be comfortable and genuine for photos
• No embarrassing shots or gossiping; all stays confidential
• You choose when the shooting starts and stops
• Photographer is your employee to direct
• If you don’t want to micro-manage on your wedding day, you don’t have to
• Pro always takes your posing suggestions
• If she is sick, injured or unable to work, she sends a good, professional, reliable replacement shooter
• Professional can get clever shots from being unrestricted by your group’s politics
• Uses professional high-tech equipment and editing tools and experienced skills
• A recommended and experienced Professional handles challenges well (i.e. drunk or rude guests or meltdowns, weather, dead batteries, hairdo and make-up failures, etc.)
• Professional will definitely get you great photos
• If you don’t like the results, a professional can re-edit differently, or offer compensation or partial refund–without hurt feelings (good recommendations & experience avoid this)
• Professional has insurance coverage if someone damages her equipment, or any property, or a guest gets injured (grandpa falls and breaks a hip trying to help move a prop, or sister trips over a camera bag), you don’t pay for those expensive, surprise bills!
• Professional shooter delivers your photos on time because you’re a paying customer.