In my opinion it is not a good idea to hire a relative or friend to take your wedding photos because in most cases they are not a professional. Photography or working as a wedding photographer may just be a hobby to your relative or friend. Recently I talked with a potential bride that contacted us about possibly shooting her wedding. During the conversation she mention she may only use our service for her bridal photos because her cousin is a photographer and she may take the wedding pictures. From my past experiences I asked if her cousin was a professional wedding photographer or does she just happen to own a camera. The answer was the later as she continued to say that her cousin really would love to take her wedding photos and she wouldn’t charge her. Over the years I have touched on this in more ways than one can imagine. I’ll go into detail a little later but the short answer is if your cousin is not a dentist would you have your cousin fill your cavity? You wouldn’t hire someone that is not a professional to perform services like that so when you consider wedding photography your selection should require the same care. By hiring a professional wedding photographer in the end you will be much happier with your wedding photos and have something you can look back on with pride for many years to come. By investing in a quality wedding photographer you will save yourself from future arguments and resentment from the relative you hired which is overall a benefit to everyone and best of all your friends and relatives can relax and enjoy your wedding without the pressure of working.