I just ran across a blog post from Lauren Grove’s Every Last Detail blog (you can visit it by clicking here) that offers advice to brides seeking out wedding photography – basically, you get what you pay for.  I thought her take on this was interesting, and figured it’d be a lot nicer to hear from an actual bride rather than from a photographer….so, read on, folks.  (By the way, I am posting this with Lauren’s permission – thanks again, Lauren!)

I Took The Cheap Photographer Route…

Thursday, February 11, 2010 in wedding planning

10 Comments

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I took the cheap photographer route. And I’m here to prevent you from doing the same!

Last week there was a blog post going around Twitter that caused quite a bit of hoopla among photographers and wedding professionals. If you haven’t seen it, in a nutshell, a new bride wrote a post on her personal blog regarding her search for a photographer and the cost associated with photography. Right now, there are over 100 comments on the post. I’m sure she wasn’t expecting such a response, but nonetheless, I highly recommend reading some of the responses. It’s incredibly educational, and says just about everything that I always try to say about photography.

One of the reasons why I’m always talking about the importance of quality photography is because I made a mistake that I hope to prevent other brides from making. I took the cheap photographer route. I attribute this to the fact that when I was planning my wedding, I had no clue. The only resources I used were The Knot and Brides.com, because that’s all I knew about. However, when using their budget recommendations (which was all I had to go off of), their recommended photography percentage was way below what I was realistically seeing for photographer pricing. I didn’t have anyone to tell me what the “norm” pricing was for a good photographer. I was counting on those resources to help me, and they didn’t. So, while we wait for these resources to catch up to 2010, this is my warning!

I’m in no way a photographer, but I want to pass along some tidbits that I wish I had known as a bride. One of the first things that I tell new brides is the normal cost for decent photography, because I myself had no idea. Here in Florida, photography packages usually start at $2000, and that’s that bare minimum. It varies everywhere, and of course it also varies with the photographers and their experience. Keep in mind that photographers are not just taking photos of you on your wedding day. They also have to edit the photos (which can take up to 30 hours), design the album, answer your emails and phone calls, and carry out all of the other administrative duties that owning a business entails. (There is so much more, but I’ll leave that to the photographers to explain!) Most of all, bottom line: you get what you pay for. It really can’t be said any differently.

Needless to say, I’m still pretty heartbroken about my lack of knowledge when I chose my photographer. I wish I had known about so many things when I was planning my wedding. Now that I look at amazing work from photographers every day, I know that my photos could have been so much better. But you live and you learn, right? There’s always our vow renewals to make up for it!

[Disclaimer: Don't get me wrong when I say "cheap photographer". I paid more than what would normally be considered "cheap". But when you consider what was included in the price (my 12 hour wedding day, engagement session, bridal session, album and prints), and then when you see the pretty much unedited images, then yes, it was indeed cheap.]

If you have any questions about choosing your photographer, please ask! I don’t want anyone else to feel the way that I do, and this is one of the many reasons why I write this blog and why I entered the wedding industry. I want to help everyone have the absolute best wedding possible!

Ok, it’s Kristine again.  I just wanted to add a bit more to this particular item that Lauren wrote about:

“Keep in mind that photographers are not just taking photos of you on your wedding day. They also have to edit the photos (which can take up to 30 hours), design the album, answer your emails and phone calls, and carry out all of the other administrative duties that owning a business entails. (There is so much more, but I’ll leave that to the photographers to explain!)”

So very true.  I’m sure not many couples are aware of all the “behind the scenes” work that goes into the price of your photo package.  For me personally, I’m a one-man-band.  I am the owner of my business, the photographer for it, the accountant for it, the marketing master, the print designer, the web designer, the public relations representative, the secretary, the admin assistant, etc., etc., etc.  None of which I’m complaining about.  It’s just fact.  I absolutely love running my own business, but, like most people, I enjoy doing some things more than others (not so fond of math and accounting stuff, but it’s essential to running a good business), and all of this takes time.

If you book me for a wedding (and I hope you do! – visit here to learn more) you’re paying for more than just my professional photography.  I edit each of your photos and pride myself on quality work (you won’t see sloppy jobs from me), I personally answer all your calls or e-mails, I design your albums all by hand so each album is unique to the couple whom I had the pleasure of photographing, I custom design cards if you order those, I put together slideshows and galleries, I take your print orders, etc., I take the time to answer all your questions, etc.  Trust me – a lot of work goes into making sure YOU, my lovely, lovely brides and grooms (and awesome families!), get the absolute best photos, best service, and best products possible.  That’s just how I operate.  I live for sublime photography – I swoon over excellent customer service – and I take pride in beautiful end-products.

I know I’m worth it.  Take a moment to get to know me, my work, and my business and I know you’ll think so too.

(Ok, stepping off soapbox.)  :)  Oh wait – one more thing.  I completely believe that good, nay, great, photography is absolutely worth your investment in it.  That said, it doesn’t mean the priciest photographer is necessarily the best photographer for you.  It’s so important that you believe in your photographer’s style and your photographer’s personality – after all, it’s your day and you want to make sure you’re both on the same page and have a tangible chemistry.

(Ok, now I’m really off my soapbox.)

Cheers everyone!  Have a great Friday-eve!

-Kristine

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