Good day all!
Today is my last day working at the gallery for a while, because I get married on Saturday! YAY me! Or should that be YAY us from now on??
Anyway, as a wedding photographer myself, as far as my wedding photographs were concerned, I knew exactly what I wanted, and exactly who to see to get it. But when I awoke to this story this morning I wondered, how do other people perceive wedding photographers and wedding photography?
A photographer in the UK has been ordered by a judge to reimburse a couple £1,450 after describing the wedding photos as "woefully inadequate". Out of the 400 photographs taken, only 22 images were actually approved by the couple.
Among other things, the cutting of the cake was missed, images were taken that chopped off peoples heads, were poorly lit or with people not looking at camera. And to top it off, the thank you cards made by the photographer had the wedding couple's names spelt wrong.
This story raises a discussion very commonplace among photographers, in that, the evolution of digital photography has created cheaper and more accessible high quality cameras. Couple that with the ability to see straight away whether one has captured an acceptable photograph or not and the market has opened up to a whole new group of "digi pops". So-called professional photographers who pop up shortly after purchasing digital SLRs and believe they have the ability to capture someone’s wedding effectively. After all, how hard can it be to get good photographs of happy people on the best day of their lives, possibly looking the best they will ever look?
Answer: EXTREMELY DIFFICULT! Ask any seasoned professional wedding photographer and you will get a list as long as your arm, and then some, as to why shooting a wedding is so hard:
- the pressure of the capturing the biggest day of someone’s life
- having the ability to keep the bride and groom from getting swept away with the emotion of the day and forgetting they have 4 photo locations to get to in an hour and a half
- organising 100+ guests all at once to look and smile for one nice group shot
- making sure you get all the "basic" shots to keep parents and grandparents happy
- all the while keeping one eye open for that split second moment, that one child blowing bubbles, that quick sly kiss from the couple, Aunty Jane wiping tears away from her face; all the moments that if captured, will make sure the emotion of the day is kept forever, and if missed then those beautiful moments in time are lost. Forever.
Combine this list with the fact that the wedding album delivered by the photographer to the couple will be the ONLY thing they will have to remember the day by, and one of only a handful of things they will pay for on their wedding day that will actually be around after the day is done.
This is what you pay for when you hire a professional wedding photographer, what any professional photographer WILL be able to do for you, and what every "digi pop" will be lacking. It comes from years of training, assisting and shooting at weddings. Gaining an understanding of how weddings work and what happens on the day.
As a photographer, I hear a lot of horror stories regarding wedding photographers but I wonder how many average people get wind of these stories? As it appears, the only way a bad photographer can be picked is if someone is going for the cheaper option or if they have been fooled by someone who is a far better salesman than photographer. Either this, or simply not enough research was done in selecting a wedding photographer.
So how do you avoid leaving your wedding day memories in the hands of a hack with a nice suit and a nicer camera?
Answer: Research. Most, if not all wedding photographers will meet with you and show you their work for free. So you have good reason to see more then one, compare their work, check their website and choose your favourite. Perhaps they have a blog or something similar that doesn’t just show you their favourite images, but show real photos from real, recent weddings.
This will give you an idea of how many weddings they shoot and if the quality of their shots is consistent.
Don’t be afraid to quiz them about things you don’t understand; a good photographer will give you a straight answer off the top of their head. Finally, ask around. Word of mouth is important; clearly if someone was really happy with their work then chances are that photographer can’t be that bad!
If one looks hard enough for the right wedding photographer, the best will always stand out from the pack.
Glen Edwards.
