Oh boy! Where do I begin? Well, I get it. Camera technology on our phones is getting more and more advanced. I myself have a Google Pixel, and I really like it. It works great for me when I am on-the-go and can't bring my camera with me. In fact, I even have a few framed cell phone pictures in my home. That being said, phones are no substitution for the real deal.
I am reminded of a news article I read several years back (I will link it below in case you are interested in checking it out for yourself). The Chicago Cubs had won the World Series for the first time in 108 YEARS! It was a pretty big deal. The victory was published on the cover of two of the largest newspapers in Chicago: The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Now, the Tribune has a staff of professional photographers, but back in 2013 the Sun-Times laid off all of their photographers and began equipping their journalists with iPhones instead. Needless to say, one of these front pages was extraordinary, and the other was...well, meh. The photo published by the Tribune expresses the emotion of the moment, while The Sun-Times image is flat and boring. Seriously... check it out for yourself!
My point is, it doesn't matter how good your camera is, if photos are important to you, you will want to have a professional taking them on occasion. Photographers can capture moments otherwise missed when you're trying to get the perfect selfie. If you want photos that evoke emotion and stand out from the rest then "treat yo self!" Splurge every now and then, and hire that photographer. Not only will you have a creative eye behind the lens, but the image quality will be so much better when the time comes to get new prints to hang on the wall. You can also feel good about the fact that when you hire a photographer, you are likely supporting a small business.
In summary, sure... you COULD just use your phone to snap a quick family picture. Maybe you remembered to bring your selfie stick and can fit everyone in. Maybe everyone will cooperate and look at the phone at the same time without making weird faces. Maybe the lighting won't cast shadows. Maybe your teenager won't have an acne breakout that makes him feel insecure. Or, you can hire the professional who can orchestrate all of this for you and provide you with beautiful images that you will want to look at over and over for years to come. The choice, of course, is yours.
You can check out the those World Series photos HERE.
