The BIGGEST MISTAKE A Bride Can Make Regarding Photography

What's the biggest mistake a bride can make when it comes to wedding photography?

Ask any photographer who has been working professionally for a while and I'll bet the answer is: "Choosing a photographer solely on price over the phone."

I know I get a lot of calls that start out with, "How much are your packages?" I often cringe whenever I hear that because I know this bride will not be coming in to see what I can truly offer her. I can honestly say that no bride who has ever led with that question has ever come in to talk to me in person. Not only will she not be able to see the quality of my work in my albums, but she won't be able to see if my personality fits with hers. She's looking just for a price and that's it.

So if I were to say, "My packages start at $500" would that mean she will be coming in to see my work? I doubt it. I'd be too cheap and that might throw a red flag up that I'm not a serious photographer. So if I were to say, "My packages start at $2000" would that mean I'm a profesional? I could simply be over inflating my prices... So you see, what difference does it make what the photographer says on the phone?

Of course, you may have a limited budget, so you really can't go above a certain price. That's reasonable. But often you'll find that if you "weed out" certain photographers who quote over your price, you might not be able to discover what he can really do for you within your budget.

Any photographer who is offering a full-service business knows that there is a lot more work done before and after the actual wedding than simply photographing the wedding. Shooting it requires perhaps 8-12 hours (depending on the wedding.) But add in the time for pre-wedding consultations, post wedding consultations, post-production Photoshop computer work, getting prints made, designing a professional looking album and other administrative work and you are easily into 30 to 40 hours for one wedding. No way can a part-timer do this and hold down a job as well. Of course if the photographer only accepted a few weddings a year, it's possible.

Is it necessary to hire a full-timer instead of a part-timer? Well, no. Some part-time photographers can do a great job. But many have to juggle your wedding around their full-time job and that can be a real problem sometimes. You may find that they are not able to offer certain services that you might like. Can they give you a professionally designed album? Are all of their images fully Photoshop corrected for color and exposure? Can they offer special retouching if necessary?

Too often we hear the horror stories of brides receiving poor photography or worse yet, no prints or albums from the photographer after the wedding! So choosing the right photographer is critical to avoid these problems. Looking for experience, reliability and a good reputation may be worth more on the long run than simply looking for the right price.

So before eliminating any photographer who may be slightly over your budget, I suggest meeting with the photographer, explaining what you can afford and what you would like to receive and seeing what he can do to accomodate your wedding. Often you will find that by modifying some of the packages offered, you can get the photographer to work with you at the price you need to stay within. Everyone wins in this situation!