Hiring a photographer is usually one of the biggest milestones to check off of your wedding to-do list. Not all of us can afford the average cost of a wedding photographer, which according to our friend Google, is a whopping $2,556. When it comes to spending, many couples tend to legitimize that expense, asserting that they want to have the absolute best to look back on when they are remembering that day.
We get it. We also understand that this kind of cash may not be in everyone’s budget. For some couples, $2500 means two months (or more) of rent and bills. Others would rather direct that money toward a destination elopement and setting up their own tripod.
So, what is a couple to do when they’d rather not hire someone for professional photography? You crowdsource it. Simply put, you let everyone know that you are cool with them taking pictures with their phones and cameras, as long as they share them with you. This is almost the complete opposite of the post we wrote back in July about having an unplugged wedding.
There are a few ways to collect these photos:
A lot of couples have recently been using hashtags to coordinate their crowdsourced photos on social media. This makes it easy for everyone to look at each other’s photos and gather the shots they want to keep, too. Once the wedding is over and you are free, you and your honey can sit down and enjoy scrolling through tons of photos through your special hashtag.
You may need a photographer for different purposes such as weddings, engagements, birthday, party and events that can capture stunning photos like Lyn Taylor photography. Nowadays many people are also hiring baby and maternity photographers to capture their memories.
Another possible option is to go through an app, which is a great plan if you want full resolution pictures (sites like Instagram and Facebook compress photos in order to save space). You can download these to your phone or computer to order prints and the app is completely free.
More ideas to crowsource your personal photography are use a marriage hashtag, turn it into a contest, install a picture-sharing app and try backdrop-ready decor.
As in all of our blog posts, we’ll leave the ultimate choice up to you. Make sure that you understand the risks you are taking in leaving the photography up to your friends and family members. If you do make this decision and end up not liking the pictures they took, you can always don your wedding garb again for a separate, more intimate photo session, adding your own personal flair and style into the mix.
