Taking pictures at a wedding are a given. People will want to memorialize this once in a lifetime event. They are not only keepsakes and remembrances; they are treasured memories of happy and gay times. Aside from hiring the usual photographer for weddings, couples are now opting to provide wedding cameras for their guests to use. This way visitors, family and friends can have a more personalized remembrance for the happy event.
One of the most popular ways of getting your guests to document the wedding is by giving out disposable wedding cameras. These are relatively cheap cardboard alternatives to their more pricey cousins. The good thing about using the disposable kind is that you don’t have to worry about them getting lost. Guests can just shoot pictures and mail the film to be processed. That’s it. The downside to using them however is that image quality is not the same if you would use the digital version. Also, there is no preview of the pictures, you can’t delete them and most disposable cameras come in either 15 or 27 exposures. So you can only take a limited amount of pictures with one disposable camera.
Since it can be quite expensive to buy digital cameras for all of your wedding guests, disposable wedding cameras have become a more affordable solution. Of course you can always ask your guests to bring their own cameras and most mobile phones today have built in cameras. However disposable cameras usually get the picture taking ball rolling during weddings. Guests can easily understand what the cameras are for.
When looking for a disposable wedding camera, make sure that there is a built in flash and that the film speed is at least 400. This will make your images clearer and more high quality. Disposable cameras usually come in numerous designs so this will make it easier for you to pick one closest to your wedding theme. Also consider buying water proof cameras. Paper-casing cameras are usually cheaper but if they get wet (spilled drink etc) you lose all your pictures. Disposable cameras also come with an expiration date, so don’t purchase them two or a year beforehand. Check out the expiry date to make sure that you are ahead. Also decide how many you want to purchase. Most couples prefer one camera per table.
If you’re still wary about disposable cameras, there are actually companies that rent out digital cameras to events like weddings and conferences. Most of these companies require a deposit for their cameras. The deposit plus the rental fee can be expensive depending on the number and brand of the camera but at least you are assured of picture quality. Images are also easier to store via hard drive and print via your home printer. Unlike with disposable wedding cameras you will need to wait for the film to be developed and then sent back to you. If you want it stored in your computer, you will need to scan them so that they can be saved.
Whether you decide on a disposable or digital wedding camera, make sure that you have somebody to collect these afterwards. You wouldn’t want those memories to go to waste, would you?
