I’m not sure why, but I’ve never posted about the photographs from my wedding last May. Well, this is the post that explains it. Jen and I chose to have a simple wedding in a National Park in Nevada. We purchased a wedding “package” that would take us to the “Valley of Fire”, north of Las Vegas. It included transportation, a justice, a videographer and photographer. Little did we know, three of the four things on that list would be performed by the same person.

Now I’m not ranting here, only trying to explain the importance of choosing the right vendors for your big day. Below are some examples of the photography from my big day. But first, a little explanation of the images. In the back of my mind I had a feeling that the photographer may not be of the highest caliber, so I took advanced precautions. I brought my own gear to Las Vegas. My good friend Derin was going to be attending the ceremony, so I asked him to take a few pictures with my camera. Derin is very tech-savvy, but by no means a professional photographer. Throughout the day I adjusted the settings on my camera, and told Derin what I wanted him to shoot. Although the images weren’t spectacular, they were pretty darned good considering the circumstances. Then I received the images from the “photographer” we paid for. I’ll let you decide on his level of photographic expertise:

These images were taken within seconds of one another. The first is the hired photographer. the second is my camera. You can see a slight difference in what professional equipment and a decent eye can deliver. And, believe it or not, I looked for the BEST images from the hired photographer to give an accurate representation of his work. Seriously.

And another example, also taken within seconds of one another.

The point I’m trying to make is that when it comes to hiring your vendors, don’t skimp on the important stuff. After the cake has been eaten, the dancing is done, the guests have left, and the dress gets put in the closet, and the honeymoon ends, all you have left are your memories and your photographs. Please realize that when you spend money on a good photographer, it’s money you’ll never regret spending. Whether you hire me or one of my competitors, it’s the images, not the money, that really matters.