Getting Great Wedding Photos for Less

Everyone knows that getting married can quickly spiral into a very expensive experience indeed. But, if your budget has taken a battering and you're left without a professional photographer for your special day, don't panic. Really lovely results can still be obtained with a little help from your friends.

Putting Out the Call to Friends and Family

If you put out a call to family and friends who are coming to share your day with you and let them know that you're looking for a photographer, you will probably find at least one of them is interested in helping out. You might even discover that someone is a proficient photographer and will be more than happy to help you put together a beautiful wedding album as a memento of your day. Not only that, that person will probably be flattered that you asked for his or her assistance. Nonetheless, it is important to be clear about what you want. After all, this is a big responsibility. At the same time, you need to be make sure your photographer knows there is no pressure. Remember, this person is doing you a favor. So, be nice and don't treat him or her like an employee.

Getting Creative Ideas

If the person you are hiring is a good photographer, he or she may well have some good ideas about making your pictures exciting and creative. Still, if he or she wants assistance with a few basics, suggest these few tips that can help improve anyone's photo taking results.

First, keep in mind that wedding pictures can usually be split up into formal and informal shots. Therefore, you will need to decide where you are going to stage your formal shots. These photos usually look better when taken outdoors and with a park or flower garden backdrop. Vary the background slightly from picture to picture for added photo diversity.

For the informal shots, many amateur photographers make the mistake of alerting the subject to the camera, which then makes them 'pose'. Encourage your photographer to just snap away at people dancing, talking and interacting. This creates a more natural look to the photographs. Varying the angles when taking photos is good, too. Therefore, encourage the photographer to kneel, to stand on a chair in order to vary the view of the gathering, or even to take some shots in black and white.

'Up close' pictures can be candid and interesting as well. For example, you could have a picture of the bride and groom's hands together, showing the rings. In addition, in order to help improve the results when photographing the wedding cake, try to position it in an area without too much going on in the background so the pictures don't look cluttered.

It is likely that many of the people at your wedding will have a camera with them. So, if you ask people to send you their best shots, you will no doubt get a variety of pictures - and, although having a professional photographer is a nice luxury, your friends' involvement will add a lovely personal touch.