Poll reveals 1/3rd of couples plan to use amateur photographers and GoPros to shoot their weddings

If you think the wedding photography market is crumbling beneath your feet, you might not be all that wrong. According to a recent survey, roughly one third of UK couples said they don’t plan on using a professional photographer, instead opting to capture their wedding with the help of friends, relatives and GoPro action cams.

Conducted by English wedding venue Heaton House Farm, the survey asked 1,000 UK residents what they planned on doing in regards to capturing photos of their big day.

According to Heaton House Farm Marketing Manager and Business Direction Coordinator Sarah Heath, 36% of upcoming brides and grooms said they do not plan on using a professional wedding photographer.

Why is this? According to Heath, it’s multi-faceted. At the heart of it though are photo sharing sites and more accessible editing applications, which Heath says are making photography ‘much more accessible’ to those who would otherwise be unable to get into the field.

In addition to more accessible cameras and editing, Heath says these social media sites are acting as portfolios, letting friends and loved ones see talent in people they might’ve otherwise never realized had an eye for photography. Heath added:

This has led to an increase in people opting to invite skilled family members and friends, who they can pose in front [of], while feeling totally at ease to photograph their special day.

Of the 1,000 people surveyed, roughly one third of them said they plan on using a GoPro camera to capture a wide-angle view of their wedding to share on social media and archive for later.

Not all hope is lost on professional photographers though. 20% of individuals polled who had chosen to use a non-professional photographer said they were unhappy with the results.

[via Amateur Photographer]

Image credits: Swing Rope used under Public Domain