David Koonar Windsor: Why Your Cousin’s Photography Class Isn’t Better Than A Wedding Professional
With regards to weddings, it never fails that someone brings up the possibility that a family relative can easily save the young couple-to-be thousands of dollars if cousin/uncle/father/nephew George is used instead as a wedding photographer instead of a professional. David Koonar, Windsor agrees that the lure is powerful; a family relative is usually available for a few dozen dollars instead of the typical professional fee, the family pressure to use the relative is significant, and everyone promises that he or she knows what they are doing and is really a good photographer.
David Koonar, Windsor resident has seen the same mistake play out again and again and, aside from the fact that he is biased as a wedding photographer himself, there are a lot of common sense reasons not to use family relatives.
First, as David Koonar can easily show, most hobby and amateur photographers use the wrong equipment for a wedding. Equipment choice, lighting, placement and skill all come into play in making the images that are intended to last a lifetime, but all of that can be wasted by starting off with the wrong equipment. The classic choice David Koonar sees a lot is the standard 35mm SLR camera. Digital or not, it’s the most common because that’s what is sold to consumers in stores. However, many wedding photographers like David Koonar only use a 35mm for quick testing of a shot and then rely on a medium format camera for the actual professional image. Medium format produces a larger image, oftentimes has a better performance for portrait shots, and the camera type takes more skill to operate, which translates to a better photograph.
Second, David Koonar regularly sees amateurs make a slew of shots without any regards to lighting. A wedding is a singular moment in time; it doesn’t repeat itself for a redo. If the lighting is poor, the images will come out badly as well. Understanding how to apply the lighting available or enhancing it with equipment makes a huge difference a professional like David Koonar can consistently produce. Hobbyists may get that kind of shot by accident, but not regularly.
Third, the classic production and print development by a hobbyist will be through a big box store like Costco or similar. Professionals like David Koonar from Windsor, will produce their own images or work through professional labs that produce wedding photographs on higher stock paper, ink quality, and overall output. The entire set will then be finished in a professional portfolio album designed for weddings. Most amateurs will miss these steps due to lack of awareness.
Most importantly, David Koonar points out, professional wedding photography excels with skill and experience. There’s no such thing as a weekend virtuoso in photography. High quality photography David Koonar, Windsor and other professionals are trained to produce comes from years of application and practice, and a lot of past mistakes. The family cousin or uncle might photograph a lot, but it’s nowhere close to the skill level of a working professional. And with a wedding only happening once, whose hands do you want a wedding portfolio placed in?