We need to talk about investments, and no- I haven’t suddenly become interested in finance or stocks and shares. There are multiple different definitions for investing in the English language but in its simplest form it means to put money into something with the expectation of achieving a profit. And to profit, simply means to gain something (normally financial but not always). With all that said let’s move away from economics, as I know very little and rely on my Dad or economic wizz friends for any advice. 

There are three main investments you need to consider when it comes to wedding photography. 1. Investing the time to make sure you find the right wedding photographer for you. 2. Investing ‘in’ right wedding photographer for you and finally 3. Investing in future proofing your images after the big day. 

When it comes to taking the time to look for your wedding photography, I recommend a few things. First, you’ll need to consider what you want for your wedding photographer; what style? What kinds of colours? How do they shoot? Do you like their vibe? What’s your budget? And how much do you want to prioritise your wedding photos?

Then ideally you need to find out who they ensure your investment/ images are protected. Do they have multiple cameras if anything (heaven forbid was to go wrong)? Do they have insurance? Do they do multiple backs to ensure nothing goes wrong while editing (The answer to all three is, yes- if you were wondering!) 

When it comes to Wedding Photography (a subject I know much more about), you will need to invest in your wedding photographer. You pay us, and expect to achieve something- ideally your photos. I understand that this factor is mainly budget dependent. Not every couple will have the same budget or want to spend X amount on a specific photographer- Google will tell you it should be around 10% of your wedding budget. Personally, I would say if you’ve found a  photographer, that’s perfect but out of budget- see if you can move finances around to accommodate this. (I know I’m biassed, but it is all your left with after your wedding day)  

Your Wedding photos are an investment and something you will have for the rest of your life. So the final investment is printing! I am a huge advocate for printing your images- of course! I’ll always give the couple a few prints after the day- it’s so important for so many reasons. 

They’re tangible for one and they deserve to be out on display for the world to see. The second slightly scarier one is that memory sticks and computers etc have a hard drive life of about 5-7 years. Scary stuff- I know, it hasn’t happened to me yet (runs and touches wood) but it can and if you only have your photos in digital form you run the risk of losing them. As much as I’d love to hang on to your photos, I don’t have the hard drive space or can afford to have that many hard drives, so the responsibility falls to you after about 18 months. I’ll do another post and wax lyrical about printing your images, but for now all I can say is honestly do it- you won’t regret it!