Choosing a wedding Photographer

Lots has been said about the recent comments by Rev Giles Faser on over blown weddings and the the costly investment.  I did a bit of research on the net for the average cost of weddings and got figures from £18,500 to over £25,000.  What did interest me was the cost of the wedding photography.  It was a massive range!

Of the several (actually about 10 all UK) wedding sites / directories I looked at the prices for the photography varied between £400 and around £800.  So the average would be £600.

These are the same sites that are saying an average wedding costs £25k – and yet are advising brides and grooms to pay £600 for wedding photographs.  (Any professional photographer earning £600 a wedding isn’t a real professional. They are just a business disaster waiting to go under – with your photos that you won’t get back!)

As one vicar told me at the start of this year

“The only thing the couple will have left when they get back from honey moon to remember the day is the photographs.”

And he is exactly right.  I also did some more research on “choosing a wedding photographer” and it became very very clear that the articles were all the same and seemed to be written by some one who goes more for quantity than quality in their wedding photos.

Typical questions (with my answers…):

How many shots will be taken? – Does this matter as long as you get the images you want?  I actually only need to take about 100 images to fully get the story of the day, but I take about 700 images during a 14-18 hour day. Once they have been edited and converted to B&W etc you can be looking at over 1000 images to choose 100 for your album…

How many photographs in the album? – depends on the size of the album you want! The larger the size the more photos and the greater the cost

Is the cost of the album included? – In all my packages it is

Is travel included? – in all my packages it is, unless there is an over night stay or you are some place really really fare away like Fort William (last November – I charged travel at cost and didn’t charge for travel time)

Will you need to provide food or drinks? – you don’t have to, but it is a nice gesture seeing as though I am working a 14+ hour day!

Is image manipulation included? – basic stuff yes, removing / adding people then no!

What size will the photographs be? – With my kit what ever size you want to print them at….

How many photographers will there be on the day? – just the one unless you want to pay for more…

Who keeps the proofs? You do, on a CD. I call this a Facebook CD

Is there an option to buy the copyright for the photos? – yup. The more images you buy the cheaper the copyright cost is.

Have you photographed the venue before – there are hundreds and hundreds of venues, so possibly possibly not.  This is a pretty silly question as the images depend on the guests, weather, times etc.  If you want YOUR photos the done the way YOU want then the venue is irrelevant – the photographer is more important.

Are you a member of the SWPP? – no, gave that up. I paid £100 to be a member last year and wasn’t asked to provide any proof of being a professional at all. Anyone can join – even you!

Are you a member of any other photographic societies? no, I really don’t have the time to put together the required portfolio, mount them, send them away, get the feedback, re-submit etc etc.  I just want to take your wedding shots!

Do you make the brides breakfast? Yes. (Actually that isn’t one I have seen on the directories but I have been known to make an outstanding scrambled egg!)

Do you do a pre-wedding shoot? Yup – and you get a 12″x16″ print from the shoot as well. For Free.

At the end of day (when it gets dark) choosing a wedding photographer shouldn’t be about the money. It should be about the you and the photographer. Do you get on, do you like the photos and do you like the price.

Say yes to all three and book straight away. Professionals get booked up quickly, just like venues. I have weddings booked for 2012 and now being asked for dates in 2013…

Thanks

Andrew Miller