Can I shot a wedding with my phone?
Getting married is one of the oldest traditions in man kinds history, at least that is what I’ve heard. Since the dawn of the century, couples have been tieing the knot in front of their family and a photographer somewhere off in the distance. Photography has come a long way in those hundred years and almost all of it has been from great advancements in the business and technology of photography. It is now relatively easy to take a good photo these days if you own the right gear and know-how to utilize it. With all that said it is tempting to think, “Why can’t I just use my phone to take my wedding photos.” The short answer would be yes, but I would immediately follow up with, “Just cause you can doen’t mean you should.”
While their many reasons not to use a phone, I am going to concentrate on the most compelling reasons for not doing it. While phones may take great photos in many situations, there are times when the phone simply can’t cut the mustard. Low light situations are a perfect example. Phones simple can’t take in enough light to take a good photo quickly. There is a reason that the photographer is lugging around such a big camera, and it is not for looks. If I knew I could do a good enough job with a phone don’t you think I would do it? Absolutely, but the truth is it would be business suicide if I did because all my photos would be a blur, literally. The image sensor of a phone would be like a bicycle and on a DSLR or mirrorless camera like an eighteen-wheeler truck by comparison. No good light, no good photos.
Having your wedding photographed on a phone also eliminates another important aspect of good photography and that is good editing. A professional will always spend a few hours or even a few days editing or adjusting your photos to look their very best. You see not all photos are perfectly taken but they can be perfectly edited in photo editing software that can make the photos POP! Editing can sometimes be overlooked but it can sometimes make or break your entire wedding day..Photos taken from a phone can in fact be edited but the truth is you are doing more harm than good by doing so. JPEGS and HEIC files are compressed again after any edits to the file resulting in a loss of image quality. Not good.
Phone photos don’t always translate to prints. If you have ever tried to printout a large print like an 8x10 you know exactly what I am talking about. Photos look good on your phone but prints are a whole other story which chances are you won’t be able to tell. Prints are a complex thing when you really get into it and for that reason, most phone photos will fail at the task of prints. Again you can do it but there is a good chance you will be disappointed with the results., I would highly recommend not depending on a friend or family member with a phone to capture your best memories.