Pros vs. Joes - Photography Edition

I have been attempting to gain a few nuggets of wisdom as the years pass. One of the important life lessons I have learned is that you get what you pay for. If you buy a pair of cheap-o shoes, chances are they will fall apart quickly. But if you spend a couple extra shekels, you can purchase a well crafted shoe that will last for years.


There is a point to this story. The moral of this tale is that if you want solid photographs, you need to hire a great photographer. If you want crapped out photos, take them yourself. But there is a third option: you can marry the photographer's sister. I chose the final option.

Below, there are two photographs of the same moment in time. Mr. Caden Paul, sitting on a handful of pumpkins. Two photographers captured the moment. In this side by side comparison, can you tell which picture was snapped by a person who does it for a living? You make the call:

Of course, the photo on the right was taken by Uncle Becker - THE PROFESSIONAL. I can't believe how I lucked out when Chris became my brother in-law. I could have been stuck with a Cousin Eddie type. Chris has been there to document special times in our lives - from our wedding, to holidays, to the birth of Cade. He has given us the most beautiful photo albums. They are seriously priceless. Due to the wildfires, we were talking about the items we would walk out the door with, and the albums from Chris were #1, and the important documents/papers were #2. (editors note: I can't recall if April or myself took the somewhat blurry photo on the left.

Also, I should mention Chris is a great person, not just a great photographer. It is always good, clean, fun going to Angel games, movies, and watching countless football games with him. He always says that we are brothers from another mother.

Here are the other great shots captured by Uncle [b]. You must remember that Cade was a reluctant model at the patch. I think he was hungry, and a bit overwhelmed by all the activities at the patch. So it was a herculean achievement to get any useful shot.

Cade running to get Skittles. Yes, we bribe our child with candy.

Pumpkin Family

The Troy Aikman of the camera lens.

To reiterate, if you want to posses memories that are priceless, hire a quality photographer, or marry their sibling.