Friday 20 August 2010

Choosing Your Wedding Photographer: A Warning.

I hear it all the time from photographers and brides. What i am talking about is the excuses and moans about not being able to produce good images because it was "TOO COLD", "TOO WET", "TOO WINDY", "IT WAS DARK","ITS WAS IN THE WINTER YOU KNOW" or "WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME" etc etc.

OK shooting in less than ideal weather, at colder times of the year and when daylight is at a premium can make life tough for a wedding photographer. However, surely one of the main reasons a couple hire a "professional wedding photographer" is that they assume their chosen one is able to produce images way and above those that will be produced by their uncle, mate, or colleague with a camera who "like to snap a few shots".

In my opinion, if a professional can't cope with the hurdles that nature may throw his/her way, they shouldn't be thinking of taking a client's hard earned wedding budget money in the first place.

Time and time again i hear wedding photography horror stories and the post wedding regrets that they didn't find the money for a decent wedding photographer. However many couples are still taking a huge risk and booking someone from the ranks of the Saturday Cowboys who are often working uninsured for cash in hand, with little idea of how to shoot a wedding to a decent standard regardless of the situations they may find themselves in.

More than once in the past year, i have had a tearful bride call to see if i am available to cover her wedding at short notice because the "photographer" they booked has left them high and dry because he/she has to go to work!

I feel this is wrong with both my profession and clients suffering. Personally i would like to see some sort of licensing of photographers or some kind of "Corgi Standard" to protect consumers and the industry for the long term, but this seems a long way off.

For couples reading this there are a few things to do and questions to ask when selecting your wedding photographer.

1: Form a short list of wedding photographers from recommendations. Friends, colleagues, venues and other wedding suppliers may be able to help with this.

2: Carefully check the websites of these photographers. Look for dynamic composition, strong expressions, good lighting, variety, and surprisingly sharpness within the images. Be wary of websites that show a high proportion of still life and detail shots.

3: Make sure you see a few complete weddings, preferably as full albums in the flesh. This will enable to see the print quality for yourself.

4: Check the work that has caught your eye, was taken by the photographer him/her self and that the images are from real weddings and not portfolio days, model shoots or taken as a second photographer.

5: Discuss the options available and get the price you will actually end up paying rather than a "starting from price". Post wedding upgrades can really mount up!

6: Check to see if the photographer carries professional insurance, which is for your protection.

7: Don't skimp on price (i know i would say that) as too often i hear about post wedding regrets. A top photographer will produce a priceless record of your day which should show the full story of your wedding rather than a few happy snaps.

8: If you have any questions, worries or concerns about your photography ALWAYS ask you photographer. A professional will be happy to put your mind at rest.

Finally here is an image i took in Scotland on 27th December. I had never been to the venue or Scotland before, hadn't met the couple and the air temperature was -10 degrees centigrade! I had to move fast and the contrast with the mist over the loch combined with the bright sunlight far bank made life interesting.

This has received my "Vintage" treatment.

Photobucket

7 comments:

  1. Well said Pete I couldn't have put it better myself, no really I couldn't have put it better!!
    It is a suffering profession with the age digital cameras everyone thinks its an easy job, but ask any true pro and the amount of effort that goes into covering your wedding day from a 4 hour coverage to the full day leaves us exhausted but ecstatic at having done a fabulous job and the excitement of presenting the images to the happy couple.
    Don't scrimp and compromise the way you remember the best day of your life!

    Love that image Pete.

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  2. Thanks Nicky.

    Although, obviously, we have a vested interest, it seems tragic that so many couples are prepared to risk having a poor photographic record of the biggest day of their lives.

    Funny how attitudes have changed as only a few years ago, they wouldn't have accepted some of the low quality work that is being produced by what seems to becoming the mainstream.

    I feel it is down to professionals to "educate" the public at large about the pricelessness of quality social photography.

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  3. Another observation that i have made is that there a number of top photographers who have made the transition from film to digital that no longer seem to have pride in their work.

    They seem to be accepting poor print quality and images that they wouldn't have done 5 years ago. They then go on to label these images as "reportage" or "informal" when too frequently they are no better than poorly lit and printed happy snaps!

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  4. Some very valid points Peter, i think people today place less value on photography as a whole, digital been the main culprit to given people instant access to images.
    It's our profession so we value what we do, for one reason or another not every couple value quality photography or photography.
    Standards as in a lot of industries within the UK are hearsay.
    No pre-qualifications needed, unless your a surgeon.
    Anywhere a lady in a white dress can go so can I :)
    Weekend warriors and Uncle Bob's will always be part of this industry, I personally have little concern of either. For it is of the clients chosen to employ them and in return they will get what they pay for. With today's technology the client can hardly cry wolf with so much information at your fingertips.

    Again this comes back to valuing wedding photography.
    You either do or don't.
    I personally have witnessed 6k spent on evening (4 hours) entertainment as I'm sure you have and more. I only remember having a headache afterwards :)

    In reply to the photographers lowering their standards with digital, maybe trying to be more competitive with pricing and have not taken the man-hours of editing into account. When in the past would 300-500 images and more been made available to the client.
    Expectations of clients have changed to almost demand this amount of images. When 150 quality images would cover the event very well. I am guilty of delivering upto 400 images from a full day wedding, i ensure that each one represents me for today and in the future.
    You ripe what you sow.

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  5. Well said Peter!
    It is up to us, the professionals and the professional associations to educate the public.
    I agree with every point you have raised and think that every professional who has total pride in their work should put a similar post of their website/blog in order for us to try and educate the public more and make them more aware of the poor quality that 'wedding photographers' and the cowboys are offering!!

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  6. Absolutely agree Peter. As you know, I am a videographer and we are in exactly the same situation with Uncle Bob and the cowboys giving everyone a bad reputation. So many believe it is an easy job and a good way to make some cash. After all, does it not say in the camera instruction book "press this (full auto) button for a professional video.

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  7. Absolutely 100% totally agree with you. Very well said. It is down to our profession to educate the public.

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