Has anyone hired an amateur photographer/ someone just starting out?

I would be a little hesitant. I don't like to diminish someone for not having enough experience, as I'm sure that person has good intentions and wants to build their portfolio however, when it comes to my wedding, I want someone who has "been there, done that". It would give me a piece of mind knowing I'm going to be satisfied with their work and not question them for a second.

-edit!!! I wrote a big thing on videogrpahy & just realized you said photography LOL

But I guess it depends on your budget, my parents are paying for almost everything so I think we will be paying for a For a photographer which I don’t want to pay more than 2k. Have they ever shot a wedding before?

We hired a professional photographer who has been taking pictures for years but just recently started doing weddings in the last year or so. It started when he did a friends wedding but the pictures were so amazing it blew up from there. I was only hesitant that he wouldn't be able to direct families, but after seeing his photos from the last few weddings he has done (with large families), I don't doubt his abilities. We did engagement pics with him a few weeks ago and he's more into the candid style photos which is awesome so we booked him right away!

Definitely ask how comfortable they are giving direction, ask if you can send some photo examples for poses, etc. Do you like how they edit? Ask to see their portfolio and get a feel for the photos they take. When you meet in person, do you get along? Are they pushy or do they listen to what you want? I'm totally happy with our choice and think our photographer takes better photos then some of the professionals who have done weddings for decades.

...........................................................................

Yes, I did and it showed. My pictures are terrible. If i could change anything about my wedding, itd be to hire someone with experience.

View Quoted Comment

Just wanted to say I love your photos! So pretty!

I'm definitely hesitant but we just can't afford a thousand dollars or more on a photographer. She's got experience but I don't think with weddings. Most photographers make me nervous anyways so on top of everything else I'm already stressed about this part.

View Quoted Comment

Thank you! We lucked out!

We hired someone that is just starting out, she has done senior pictures, engagement sessions, etc. I know it's a gamble but we are on a budget and I told myself as long as I have ONE good picture of me and my FH that is really all I care about. If you think about it, 20 years ago very few people paid professional photographers thousands for their weddings. It completely depends on your priorities but for me personally I'd rather that money go somewhere else in our budget.

We are hiring someone who does it as a hobby and is just starting out (she's been doing photography for a long time just not as a business). We've only had one session that went very well!

You may not get 100% quality photos, but if you see her work and like it, then it could be a good option for you! We are in the same boat where our budget doesn't allow us to pay someone $2,000 for photos, so we opted to go this route instead and so far we are very pleased!

ETA: Like someone else said, it depends on what your priorities are. Are you going to be heartbroken if the photographer only gets one decent photo? Or do you not really care about the getting 100% quality photos - you just want something to be able to look at to remember your day?

Just make sure you look at lots of pictures they’ve done, and really get a feel for their “eye” ...we were tempted by an amateur. A friend of a family friend is a hobby photographer and offered her services to do candids for the day. I was ready to sign up sight unseen, but, we looked through her pics and they were....noooottt great. And to be honest it totally swayed me to go pro. So, we ended up hiring a pro for a part time day. She’ll do some portraits/details shots and shoot the ceremony, then we’ll be on our own. Ultimately this is the best compromise for us budget wise

Because my above isn’t really advice per se: ask about editing (will they do this?). With someone who doesn’t have wedding experience but has studio experience, my concerns would be how good they are with action shots (versus posed) and how confident and assertive they are. They don’t need to dominate, but with studio photography, there is no competition for attention/spotlight etc , so you’ll want to look for confidence and control. One big Thing about wedding photography is the photographer is one of the main controllers of the timeline, so you need someone who is able to do that and stay on task and not have any issues shuffling you along even when guests are trying to interfere. But again, check on the quality of their candids and movement shots— that’ll be the biggest difference. Make sure they’re coming early to test the light

I’d also suggest doing an engagement session, to get a better feel for their work and their ability to guide you into poses and identify what angles are most flattering for you

So, I feel this could easily go either way and I would say that how much you care about the photos is going to be a big factor in it. If you are just looking to have a few quality photos but don't have your heart set on specific photos, an amateur is fine. If you want all your photos to be perfect or if you are going to be devastated if the photographer misses something, like not getting a picture of the moment the groom first sees you or doesn't get a picture of you and your grandmother (this happened to a friend, they got their photos back and realized there was not a single photo of the bride or groom with the bride's mother). I would spend the extra and hire someone with experience.

Thanks for the responses. I'm not totally worried about them being perfect or artistic or whatever, I just want some nice ones that aren't taken by my mother on her cell phone.
She's coming up with a proposal on Saturday and bringing her portfolio so hopefully it goes well.

We are using a friend who is techincally an amateur as far as wedding photography goes but has been doing portraits and cosplay action shoots for years. We have been in some of her action shoots and liked the story she was able to tell with the photos (and wrangling a huge group of performers who have never worked together into a cohesive photo story isnt easy). However we are asking family that are also photographers to bring their cameras as back up insurance for the ceremony and reception key points (she will be the only one doing the portraits and group shots).

I would ask if you can do an engagement session before making the final decision so you can see how she is to work with. I would also ask to see the photos she has done and what kind of photography she has experience/training with/in. Does she edit? How will you get the photos/rights? How many will you get?