Don't ruin someone's wedding!!!!

Below is the exact reason why some people should just say, "no" to shooting people's weddings.

I got this e-mail today from a bride and it just broke my heart to hear that her wedding day was ruined by a photographer that didn't know what they were doing. While I don't claim to be the best wedding photographer in the world, I do have the skills necessary to capture this irreplaceable day.

Here is the note:

Hi, Kristin! I'm a friend of (insert mutual friend). I saw the portraits you did for her and her roommates and they were beautiful! I was just curious, I got married last month, and as a present a friend was going to take care of our photographer. Unfortunately, we barely got any good shots. It was so disappointing to miss out on capturing that moment. How much would a session be with you for a couple hours if we got back into our wedding attire and just had you take pictures of us somewhere pretty? God definitely blessed you with a gift of photography. Hope to hear from you soon :)

-Bride's name

So, to other photographers who want to just "have fun" trying to shoot someone's wedding for a few bucks or as a friend with a "nice camera", take a second to step back and think about what you are doing.

Here are a few things that Scott Bourne mentioned in his recent blog post, "And You Call Yourself a Professional?" I HIGHLY suggest that ANYONE wishing to dip into the world of wedding photography read it!

I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen dozens of businesses fail using this model and more importantly (and more to the point) have seen dozens of brides’ wedding memories ruined by photographers who had no business being there in the first place. There’s no do-over on a wedding. It takes a decent budget to get a decent result. Good reliable gear with backups cost money. Training cost money. Quality wedding prints, albums, books and gallery wraps cost money. If you sell a bride a cheapo wedding album that falls apart because you couldn’t make enough profit doing the cheapo wedding shoot, how does that serve the client? These are people’s lives you’re messing with. What could have more value than the wedding album – the first family heirloom of a brand new family? Think about it.

You can view his blog here: And you call yourself a professional?