WHY YOU SHOULD hire a professional fully qualified photographer

Since the advent of digital photography the number of people making a living out of taking wedding photos has increased dramatically. So much so that some companies who've been in the business for twenty years are now struggling to compete – not because they aren't good enough but simply because the market has become saturated, with new faces popping up all the time. You might think, great – a bit of competition has got to be good for the consumer. But when you select your photographer, there's so much choice now that it can be difficult to know where to start looking. And for something as important as Your Big Day, it's vital that the photographer has the skills and experience to do a good job. Which is where the photographers associations come in. With that in mind The SWD spoke to a few people at the best-known associations, the MPA and BIPP, to find out what they do and what it means to brides and grooms when they choose one of their members.

Join my club

So you've found yourself a lovely photographer who's a member of a professional association, but what did they actually have to do to be accepted?
With the MPA and BIPP the most important point is that every member has had a selection of their pictures assessed by a panel of judges. Assessors are looking for whether the photographs show a certain level of technical competence - the panel will consider factors such as lighting, composition and how the people are posed.
Being a member also means the photographer is likely to act in a professional manner when going about their day to day job; he/she will obey a code of conduct, give you a contract so everything's clear to each party.
Members will also have all the necessary professional insurance cover - just in case - and for the MPA they need to prove that photography is their main source of income.
In short, they're unlikely to be some fly-by-night company that's going to rip you off; they're serious about their vocation.
But is it really so important to choose someone who is a member of an association, rather than someone who hasn't bothered joining? Well, as MPA press officer Darron Hartas describes, wedding photography isn't a particularly easy job: "It can be extremely difficult to take good photographs in poor weather conditions. This is one example of when using an experienced professional can really make the difference."
David Bryce, chairman of the MPA Scotland, says: "As professionals we all have back up of back up of equipment. The worst case scenario is that I'm ill on the morning of the wedding; in that case I have other MPA members I can call on. There was an instance a couple of years ago where a Scottish photographer was very ill for a good few weeks, in the height of summer. For every one of his weddings, the couple had at least two other professional photographers turn up - because we all appreciate that at a wedding you can't redo it, you don't have a second chance."

Eyes open

Perhaps the worst case scenario is that you unwittingly book an unregulated photographer who closes the business down before your wedding, leaving you without a photographer. But by that stage all the good photographers could be booked up, making it impossible for you to hire another. Thankfully this isn't common, but don't make the mistake of thinking it couldn't happen to you. The truth is that it can, and it's less likely with a qualified member of a major association.