Why Should You Hire a Professional Event Photographer?

When planning an event or party, it can be a difficult to make decisions about what to spend your budget on. These days, a photographer is often overlooked as people rely on their camera phones to take photos.

There can be caterers, event venues, singers, djs, entertainers and a hundred other service providers jostling for your budget. Throw in the decision of whether you want photo or video, and you have a really tough choice. However, there are some big benefits to hiring a professional event photographer to cover your event.

1. Excellent PhotosA well trained eye paired with a professional camera will always deliver photos of a superior quality to your guest waving an old smart phone around. The composition, lighting and resolution from a professional event photographer will provide you with photos you will be proud to print at a large size and display in your home.
2. Professional Advice and ServiceA professional event photographer with real experience can provide tips and advice for your event. They have done this many times before, and know how to make the event look amazing in photos.
3. Custom ServiceA good quality professional event photographer will be able to offer you the perfect service to suit your event, tailored to your needs. They will be able to offer different packages for your event and discuss the available options to suit you. From how much time they should be shooting for, to how many different photos you want delivered - they will give professional service.
4. You Can Enjoy Your EventSometimes you can get so caught up in trying to take pictures of all of your guests, that you spend your entire event watching everything through the screen of your phone. Wouldn't you rather be experiencing the atmosphere and interacting with your guests? Hiring a professional event photographer allows you to put that phone away, forget the worries of trying to capture every moment, and actually enjoy the event you have spent so much time and effort planning!
5. Memories You Will Actually Look AtOne of the problems with the "Instagram" mentality of getting snapshots on your phone, is that you will likely never look at them again. Honestly, how many times have you and your family gathered around your phone to look at the grainy and dark photos you took? Compare that to how many times your family gathered around a photo album when you were younger.

No matter the benefits, it is always important to remember that you need to hire an event photographer that has a style that you love. All the benefits of hiring an event photographer hinge on you having a good time and looking at the photos for years to come. There is no use in hiring a photographer you don't really like, just because they are cheap, because you will be spending money on something you aren't going to enjoy. It is always better to select your photographer based on their style first, and price second.

James is an Event Photographer based in London, UK.