As we know, weddings can be an expensive milestone and some Torontonians are debating whether to use their smartphones to capture moments from their big day instead of hiring photographers.
Audrey Hedd ranted about the costs of her wedding in Everything Bridal, a Toronto-based Facebook group about all things weddings, which has more than 20,000 followers.
Hedd’s post garnered a lot of attention as she’s planning for a second low-budget wedding and decided to not hire a photographer.
“I’m starting to think cutting out a photographer might’ve been a mistake but everyone I’ve talked to rates are crazy…I know people have to make money, should I feel bad about cutting out a photographer as everybody has their own phones for pictures now,” Hedd posted.
Some comments provided advice on unique alternatives if not hiring a photographer.
“if it’s not in the budget, that’s fine! Ask 5 people specifically to take photos of certain things.
If you know people who are not photographers but love it as a hobby or passion. Ask them to take photos at the ceremony,” one person said.
“If it’s not a priority to you that’s okay, if you think you’ll regret it then maybe find one. You might regret getting a super new photographer when you realize later they didn’t know how to have you look your best,” another Facebook user commented.
Meanwhile, others commenting believe photography and videography are some of the most important parts of a wedding budget.
One of the group members, Zahra Ahmed, is planning a small 50-person wedding on a short notice and realized her wedding is costing much more than what she originally budgeted for.
“[My wedding] is almost double what I budgeted as so many small things add up and venue costs were a lot higher than I thought,” Ahmed told Now Toronto.
“A photographer is something that is important to me so I wouldn’t switch to an iPhone at all! I have cut down on a full videographer though and my photographer is going to provide me with a short ‘highlights’ video which should be OK,” she continued.
Although wedding photography rates vary around the city, the current average rate is around $4,000 to $5,000, according to an analysis of fifty Toronto studios by Calin photography.
However, some photographers are aware of the rising costs of weddings and living in Toronto overall, so they hope to work with brides together to develop a reasonable budget.
Toronto wedding photographer Maria Vasserman charges packages starting at $2,400.
“Many people don’t realize how expensive photography gear, education, and software are. Also, editing & retouching takes about the same amount of time as shooting. So, a 12-hour wedding will take 24 hours in total. I always walk my clients through it to really explain what photography entails. It’s more than just clicking a button,” Vasserman told Now Toronto.
As for using iPhones, Vasserman isn’t the greatest fan of guests using smartphones to replace professional work.
“Hiring a friend means asking them to not enjoy the wedding and be present in the moment, but to work. Wedding days are complicated and involve lots of lighting scenarios. Cell phone cameras are good, but might fail in certain situations. The pictures you get from them don’t allow for as much editing as raw photos from a professional camera do,” she said.
“So much happens on the wedding day. It’s so easy to miss little in-between moments. When a mom shed a tear, when a kid played with rose petals, when a bridesmaid looked at her best friend. A professional photographer will capture that,” Vasserman continued.
