Choosing Your Photographer Lesson #7

I recently had a call from a potential bride, who was looking for a photographer. When I asked what her budget was, she replied, "about $500 - $700...".

I gulped, and asked her if she had been to my website and she said she was looking at it ... (another pause and a gulp).

Just so we are clear on all this, if this is your total wedding photography budget, you might as well get a relative to shoot your wedding. Don't waste your money on hiring someone. You will get the same quality from a relative, as you would finding and hiring an amateur/part-timer/pretender in that price range;

• Very little, if any, creativity
• Rudimentary poses, at best
• No retouching
• No enhancements
• All straight out-of-the-camera pictures (see links below)
  

Additionally, you are out some definitely wasted money. But, if you are ok with all of the above, go for it.

Oh, I can assure you there will be amateurs, wannabes and part-timers that will be happy to shoot your wedding and give you pictures straight out-of-the-camera (link 1 link 2 - click to view the difference) and burned to a disc for that price. But, you will not get a professional anywhere near your wedding.

Just because someone has a listing in the yellow-pages, a camera and a car does not make them a professional.

I really sympathized with the bride that called, on one hand, because that may have really been all she had to spend (or she just had no idea how much a professional photographer charges).

I spend anywhere from 200-250 hours on every bride; from engagement photos through the reception, plus all the retouching and enhancements, putting together the WebShow and the Album Showcase and other things. $500-$700 does not even come close to paying me for my time, much less "stuff" too.

On the other hand, I wondered how much she was spending on her dress, her caterer, her flowers, if there was going to be any liquor at the reception, limousine, etc.

I have shot a wedding/reception where the bride said she didn't have any money and "BADA-BING!" you get to the reception and there are 300+ people there, full bars at various locations - and FREE liquor, all you can eat buffet, full band (not DJ). It was very sad, because she really didn't buy many photographs for her wedding day...didn't have any money left...oh really?! Now she has just a handful of individual photographs and a LOT of memories, and memories will fade.

So many brides think of their photographer as the last thing they have to get. It should be right up there with your location and date of your wedding.

I have had one bride recently sign-up and she has no idea where the ceremony and reception are going to be, but she knows the date. That is a smart bride.

A photographer should never be an afterthought only when everything else has been chosen.

The photographer (a good one) is intent on capturing the memories and feelings of your special day, not just some snapshots. If you are just looking for some snapshots of the most important day in your life ... get a friend, or relative to shoot your wedding.

I have had a bride bring me a disc of images, another "photographer" shot, of her wedding ... just 288 pictures - total. It was very sad, plus they looked like a 13 year-old shot them. 288 pictures can be taken before the wedding even starts. There were no engagement photos, no final fitting photos, no formal photos and no rehearsal photos and not really much of anything else. But all of them were straight out-of-the-camera (no retouching or enhancements).

It was even more sad to have her sit in my office and cry, because she was sad at what quality she had been given for her $1000. She thought she was getting a good deal...she did not.

Your wedding is the most important day in your life. Your photography should reflect that special day.


www.dugganstudio.com