Shall we begin?
Professional wedding photographers are *supposedly* on the way out, suggests research
Survey reveals that 41% of newlyweds prefer their guests’ photos to those taken by the official photographer
As more and more people have access to high quality cameras on their smartphones, the need for professional photographers appears to be dwindling. New research from digital photography service, SnapBox, reveals that around half (41%) of those tying the knot in Britain actually prefer photos of their big day taken on guests’ smartphones, rather than those taken by the professional photographer. With weddings racking up a large proportion of photographers’ summer work, this could be an indication that their future career is in danger.
Oh! I wondered where the research was from. So SnapBox did it themselves? What a surprise. The only thing which could amaze me more would be for SnapBox to reveal that their own services were on the way out. Go figure.
It’s to be expected in any market research that if a business asks its own customers for information about the competition, those customers will say they prefer the business itself. I’ll accept that SnapBox customers prefer their own snaps to quality photography. But what percentage of the population are using SnapBox as the main provider of their wedding photos?
More importantly, just how bad were these couples’ “professional” wedding photographers, if they’re telling SnapBox their friends’ images are better?! Scary.
A digital-savvy generation — but are we missing out on memories?
More natural and less posed pictures was the top reason newlyweds sited (shouldn’t that be ‘cited’?) for preferring their guests’ photos (13%), followed by the fact they were more personal (11%) and that they captured the entire day instead of just key moments (8%).
It seems that digital-savvy young people are more likely to stick with their smartphones when it comes to wedding photography, with only a quarter (25%) of 18–25 year olds preferring pictures taken with quality cameras. However, the older generation appear to remain in favour of traditional wedding snaps, with 57% of those aged 55 and above preferring the professional photographs.
A similar trend was noted with the presentation of such photos, with only eight per cent of 18–25 year olds now displaying their photos in a traditional photo album, compared with 26 per cent of people over the age of 55. These findings suggest that the trend for taking photos on smartphones rather than cameras and displaying snaps on social media has changed the way young people now capture and share memories, but the older generation are more willing to stick with traditional methods.
With the rise of personal photography editing through the use of apps such as Instagram, it is now easier than ever for smartphone images to look professional. Additionally, with access to services like SnapBox, your smartphone images can now be printed directly onto a canvas, cutting out the massive cost professional photographers charge.
Hang on a minute — are they saying Instagram makes phone snaps look professional?! No way!!! Where do I start with that one? Overprocessed snaps are fine for a night out, but they’re worlds apart from quality photography… and Hey! SnapBox? We’re just not that stupid.
The mark of a press release written by the PR company without thorough checking… John Doe? Really? Isn’t he dead?
John Doe at SnapBox comments on this research, “It is evident that young people are becoming a lot more reliant on their smartphones to capture, store and share memories – even those as significant as a wedding day. The shift from traditional photography methods to modern, digital forms are (is) clearly happening rapidly and we are likely to experience further change in the industry.
This research suggests that we could see the death of the professional photographer in coming years, but it is important for people to not rely too heavily on their smartphones to store snaps from a loved one’s special day – what if you lost your phone? Unleash your photos from the confines of your phone and display them with pride!
Death? That’s maybe a little harsh.
But seriously — I’ve read dozens of articles about hiring a good wedding photographer. Why so many? Because there are some cheap and nasty wedding photographers out there. Put simply, you get what you pay for. Plenty of surveys will tell you that couples’ number one regret is hiring a cheap photographer. SnapBox have misinterpreted their own research when they conclude that professional photographers are on the way out.
This actually worries me. It’s a dangerous article. Please — if you’re a bride or groom trying to save money on your wedding photography DON’T take research like this at face value. Your friends’ images will never replace the photos a good wedding photographer will give you, and you could end up regretting it for the rest of your lives if you don’t have good images to remember your wedding day by.
The promotional bit about SnapBox…
SnapBox turns photographs, including those from Facebook and Instagram, into high quality canvas prints. Following a successful launch last year in the US, SnapBox is set to offer Brits a stress-free solution to the worry of what to do with the growing number of precious images saved on smartphones today.
What they’re forgetting to tell you here is that even SnapBox can’t polish a turd (as the saying goes). It might well “turn photographs… into high quality canvas prints” — but only if the original images are of a decent quality. And unless you’ve hired a really bad, amateur wedding photographer (you’ll usually know if you’re paying less than £1,000) there isn’t a chance in hell your mates’ Instagram snaps will be better than the real thing.
It’s not all bad… What SnapBox is fine for!
It wouldn’t be fair of me to publish the research and press release without saying something nice about SnapBox so what I will say is that SnapBox is probably fine for getting a nice holiday snap on a canvas for your home. But for the sake of my poor bleeding eyes, don’t assume that if your mates photograph your wedding on their phones you’ll end up with high quality canvas prints!
* * *
Find out more — visit www.snapboxuk.com, upload a photo from your computer or mobile device, or select one from your Facebook albums. Alternatively you can email an image from your device to snapbox@snapboxuk.com. You will receive a SnapBox preview email back in a few minutes. Choose your size and continue. Easy.
* * *
Thoughts? Claire xxx