"The one thing I DON'T do is Weddings!"

Recently, I was introduced to another photographer while at an event I was covering. So to make small talk, I asked him what kind of photography he did. He replied, "Well, all sorts... but the one thing I DON'T do is Weddings!"

"Oh, really," I said, "Why not?"

He said, "I just hate them. And, I really hate taking photos at the reception."

Now I'm getting a little irritated... so I had to press on... "Really? Why?"

His answer, "You take all these photos of people and nobody ever orders any pictures from that. You can't make any money from it and it's just such a waste of time."

Well there you have it. It boiled down to how much money he was earning... or in this case, not earning.

I have little tolerance for photographers like this, so I smiled and walked away. Too often it seems that photographers are hung up on reprint sales and other things that will make them money on top of their fee to do the job they have been hired to do.

I learned early on at the start of my photography career that if you price your services fairly to both your clients and yourself and take out the issue of reprint sales from your bottom line, everybody is much happier. This is one reason I give my negatives and digital files to my clients. The other reason is that those things are better safeguarded by the client than by me! Years from now, should something happen to your wedding album, you can simply take the digital files and have your photos reprinted... at a fraction of the cost that most photographers would have charged you to do it.

The comments of the other photographer also showed that his concern was to himself and not to his clients. It was apparent he did not enjoy taking photos... he enjoyed making money first. I think if I ever got to that point, it's time for me to get out of photography.

Many photographers I know do it for the artistic satisfaction first... the fact that they get paid to do it is just icing on the cake. That's the kind of photographer you want at your wedding. Photographers that put the photos first create art. Photographers who put their wallets first aren't looking out for your best interest.

Ok... enough for today... I'm headed off to my first wedding of the season!