Understandably, choosing a Quinceañera or Wedding Photographer
may very well be one of your most important decisions. If you have
already started your search before visiting our web site, you probably
have been overwhelmed with the questions asked and the information
presented. Hopefully, we can help you on this page with some very
important points to consider.
1.
Is the Photographer Really a Professional?
With
digital cameras becoming so popular, just about everyone owns one.
Some individuals feel they are qualified to take wedding shoots and
charge a fee, which technically means, "professional." Wedding
photography is like many other professional services where you have
people working at all levels of expertise and experience. Here are
some things you should consider in your search for a wedding photographer:
-
Does the photographer have his/her own web site or are the samples
loaded on a third-party web site? Does he/she have an email address
that depicts the photography business or is it "John Doe"
@ yahoo.com? This may seem trivial, but it demonstrates how serious
the photographer feels about his/her business.
-
Know
the difference between an aspiring photographer and a professional
photographer.
-
What
professional photography associations does he/she belong.
-
Does
he/she carry business or malpractice insurance? What is your legal
recourse if they don't?
-
What
formal education and training has the photographer taken? How
much experience?
-
Does
the photographer have real honest photograph samples of his/her
own work? Or are they borrowed from someone else. Can they provide
references?
-
Does
the photographer have a back-up plan in case of equipment failure?
What is the professional level of equipment? Is he or she using
a consumer camera, or a professional camera? What about illness
or family emergencies? Do they have a substitute ready?
2.
Understanding the Costs of Engaging a Professional Wedding Photographer
Before
asking yourself how much you should spend on a wedding photographer,
ask yourself the importance of one! This may seem silly to ask, but
the average wedding today cost upwards of $15,000 to $25,000 or more.
For a ONE DAY EVENT! Doesn't it make sense to make the investment
in preserving those memories forever? Who are you going to trust to
do that? We have had many newlyweds tell us that they were so caught
up in their special day, they don't remember half of it, it's a blur.
Ok, point made.
A
professional photographer's work doesn't end at the conclusion of
your reception. After a full day of shooting, the work is just getting
started. There is a lot of back end work that must be accomplished,
from reviewing the photos, making selections, correcting or enhancing,
to providing the final product for your review. On average, it takes
three hours of back end work for every hour of shooting the event.
If there are two photographers, the work is doubled. For a typical
wedding day shoot of 8 hours, (including pre-ceremony, ceremony, formals
and group shots, and the reception), a total of 30-40 hours will be
invested in your wedding photography. So if you receive a quote for
only a few hundred dollars, you have just found out what that photographer
feels his/her time is worth, the value of their shoot, and the level
of their expertise. This brings us to the next topic below.
3.
I found a photographer that offered to shoot my wedding for $500.00
Go back
and reread points 1 and 2 above.
If
a photographer is willing to be commissioned for only a few hundred
dollars, you may not be getting the quality of photos you had hoped
for. A photographer that operates at this level is often either a
beginner with very little experience trying to build their portfolio
or a casual part-timer. Most professional photographers have invested
thousands of dollars in their equipment, hundreds of hours in perfecting
their knowledge and the artistic style they deliver. On top of that,
if they offer to hand over their images, they don't understand the
true value of professional photography, which brings us to the next
point below.
4.
Some photographers offer to give me the originals on a disc.
Now go
back and re-read points 1, 2, and 3 above.
A musician
is an artist. They write music, play it, record it, and sell you the
finished product of their work on a CD. Who owns the CD? You do of
course. Who owns the music? The musician does.
The
same is true of a professional photographer. You own the wedding photographs,
the prints you contracted for, the albums, the discs. You have paid
for them. But a professional photographer retains the rights to their
artistic vision, what they saw in the lens of the camera, their style
of shooting, the way they place or arrange you for the shoot. A photographer
makes a living by selling his artistic vision of your wedding day.
As pointed out earlier, that artistic vision has a price. Several
thousand dollars in equipment, thousands of hours in training, seminars,
etc. Plus the expense of insurance. Additionally, a professional photographer
will be concerned on how their "vision" is represented or
reproduced. Will he/she employ the services of a professional wedding
lab to provide your prints, or will he/she run down to the nearest
drug store. With all of this said, why would the photographer be willing
to give you the originals for nothing?
This
should tell you one of two things right away: First, he places no
value on the quality of his work and how it is represented to other
potential customers; and secondly, he needs the business so bad he
is willing to give it way. "Buyer beware!"
5.
Do not begin your search by asking the photographer's price.
Let's
be honest. Would you call up any home builder and ask him what his
price is for a home? Would you call a jeweler and ask him how much
for a wedding ring? They will all tell you that it all depends upon
what you are looking for. How many square feet do you want in your
new home, or what size and type of gem do you want in the ring.
The
same is true for your quest of a wedding photographer. Decide first
the end product you want. Do you want prints, an album, a coffee table
book, a large portrait, or maybe a DVD? When you meet a photographer,
look at all the products they have to offer, decide what you want,
and tell them how many hours you will need them at your special event.
Only then, can a professional photographer quote you a price.
A
more fair question to ask a professional wedding photographer: "What
is your minimum engagement rate?" Many photographers won't leave
their studios for less than $5,000, while others may start at $1,500.
Knowing this helps to save both the photographer's and your time.
If you find the photographer's starting price is too high for your
budget, perhaps he/she can make a recommendation within your budget.
