Here’s how to make your wedding photographs achingly beautiful on the cheap:
1. Rope in friends for an hour each. Nominate friends to take photos for different sections of the day. That way no one gets lumbered with all the responsibility, and they’re likely to concentrate for their section.
2. Make everyone jump. In every photo. All day. Even the elderly. Smiling is passe, jumping is very 2009. Do it, you know it makes sense.
3. Find a photography student to hire for the day. There’s a good chance they’ll be more talented than your average wedding photographer.
4. Disposable cameras are a handy addition, but not really something to be totally relied on.
5. Polaroid cameras are far better, though a bit pricier.
6. Get a photobooth. Or, make your own Helmut Newton style self portrait machine.
7. DIY super 8. Get a friend to do a super 8 film for you. It’s pretty easy to operate if you’re doing daytime filming, and even the most amateur operator can create a sense of wobbly nostalgia.
8. Sod it and get a decent photographer. Someone told me the one thing they regretted in their wedding was not getting a photographer, because all you’re left with are the memories.