Look at wedding forums, photography sites or even search on Google and you’re sure to find people both searching for and offering free or almost free wedding photography. While many of us are on a tight budget the photography is not always the best place to start trying to save money. Your wedding album or photographs are the one thing from your day that will last, in 20 years time when you are looking back on your wedding it is these images that will bring back the memory’s of your special day. So after spending all that money on the venue, the dress, the rings, the food and all the other aspects a wedding presents do you want to risk that all being lost and forgotten by the mistakes of a free photographer. That is not me saying that the only way to get great results is to hire the most expensive photographer you can find but when it comes to wedding photography experience is key. A student or keen amateur may provide some good results but is “good” enough for the most important day of your life. The reassurance an experienced photographer can bring is simply priceless.

What a free wedding photographer cant offer?

If a photographer is offering there services without charge there are many important aspects that they often simply cant afford to provide. These often include insurance, professional equipment, reliable transport and high quality products.

One of the most important things that any experienced photographer will have covered is professional equipment and backups should this go wrong. High-level photography gear is expensive and everything from camera bodies, lens and flashguns need to be available. You also need to think about what the photographer will do if this fails or breaks. Backup gear means that the photographer has to buy double the gear and spend double the money this of course has to be covered in there fees.

Are free wedding photographers all bad?

I am sure there are some good photographers out there that want to build there portfolio or gain some more experience in the wedding field that will be happy to shoot a wedding for free but I would always ask myself this question – “why are they not charging?” There always has to be a reason why they are giving away their service for free and not covering their costs and making a living. Do you really want to take that risk on your wedding day?

What ever you do and what ever your budget makes sure you find a photographer who can demonstrate experience and skill. Ask lots of questions such as those on our post http://www.wedding-photographer-tips.com/2011/05/19/questions-to-ask-a-potential-wedding-photographer/