The Rise of Amateur Wedding Photographers on Social Media

Every professional photographer starts out as an amateur at some point. They might have taken some courses or learned by spending years behind the camera before they called themselves a professional wedding photographer and started advertising their business. Today, with social media, people are spending less time studying and practising before calling themselves skilled wedding photographers. This is calling real problems in the industry for local wedding photographers in Leicester like Lee Glasgow Wedding Photography, who are experienced and well known photographers having to compete with amateurs advertising on Facebook.

The Cheap Photographer

When anyone can build a website and call themselves a wedding photographer, they will often advertise at very, cheap rates. These new photographers know they don’t have the experience to command top notch rates. Unfortunately, that leaves these brides and grooms with terrible photos of an event that they want to remember forever. There’s a certain standard of pricing that will tell you if you’re hiring a professional or not. Make sure to do your research before hiring a cheap photographer.

No Real Wedding Portfolio

Amateurs that sell themselves as wedding photographers on social media often don’t have a wedding portfolio. When hiring a wedding photographer, these brides and grooms should be looking at past work to see if it fits the style they want. With no portfolio, they are taking a chance on the photographer.

Under-Pricing Professionals

Professional wedding photographers have years of experience, the right equipment, an assistant and processing software to produce the best images of the wedding. It’s how they figure out their rates, and when amateurs under-price them, they are losing jobs. If the amateur could produce quality work at a lower price, it might be much of an issue. The professional would have to lower their rates, but that’s not the case. Amateurs are ruining weddings for thousands of couples each year.

Tips for Couples

Check the photographer’s portfolio to be sure they have a large body of work.

Be wary of very low prices for a photographer who calls themselves a professional.

Ask for references from other clients before hiring the photographer.

Any amateur can call themselves a professional wedding photographer on social media, but as a consumer, it’s important to understand how to hire an experienced photographer. The amateurs do have to start somewhere, but that’s why there are assistant positions and interns with real wedding photographers. They should learn, be seasoned and working for years before calling themselves professional. If you hire a cheap wedding photographer, expect to have to hire a professional to clean up the photos.