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Wedding professionals knowledge and price; hand in hand?

The other day I had a meeting with a new client and they asked what the difference is between a couple photographers. One of the photographers although very inexpensive is straight out of school. The other photographer has been shooting exclusively weddings for the last 20 years. To me it's obvious. So let me help to explain. Your fresh out of school artist doesn't have the experience under his belt to really give you the money shot that every bride craves. Although if your only concern is the pocket book. You'll get what you pay for.

Then there's the photographer that has 20 yrs of experience; only shoots weddings and a total expert in his field...but you say; he's three times the price. Again... I say you get what you pay for. He's going to have the knowledge of what angles can make your face look thinner, give the soft light to make the picture look soft and romantic, knows lighting, knows angles and knows how to do it to minimize the costs of editing just by his picture taking knowledge. He not only can get a money shot but several.

Just like the vast amount of knowledge that I've gained over the last 21 years, this photographer will be invaluable to you.

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Permalink Reply by Marvin Hall Photography on May 7, 2011 at 5:47pm

Thanks Jennifer! Good post, but you can't go on years of service alone! You are right about the experiance part. A photographer who has been photographing weddings a while should know from experiance what shots to get, what angles will flatter you etc, but you always want to check out both photographers work. When interviewing a photographer ask to see a complete set of images from a recent wedding. This should give you a true picture of the prospetive photographers work. Anyone can show you twenty or thirty great images, especially if they have been photographing a while. What you are looking for is consistency from begining to the end of the wedding. Also take note of the types of venue the photographer is showing you. Is you wedding in a dark, poorly lit church? If so, ask to see work from the photographer in a simular venue.

You also what to ask what kind of recent training and seminars your photographer has been to. You will want someone who is up on the latest trends and techniques.

Lastly, you want to make sure that you and the photographer are a good fit. Do you "like" him or her. Keep in mind you will be spending a great deal of time with them so you want to work with someone you are comfortable with.

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Permalink Reply by Cara Thompson on May 9, 2011 at 6:23am

Thanks for sharing your advice. I agree it does fit in a number of situations, but you also want to make sure the photographer is a good fit for the style you want (I agree with Marvin Hall Photography below). My aunt's wedding photos were pretty much ruined even though she spent a huge amount of money on her photographer, because he insisted on posing everyone and taking an album of cheesy pictures that looked like they were from a fashion magazine. Maybe that's what some brides want, but for my family, we wanted memories of everyone enjoying themselves on a special day. For my wedding coming up next August, we're actually hiring two photographers. You can see from the pictures on http://www.gatheringguide.com/vis_ven_lst.aspx?srvt=3&state=CA&... the photographers near us have a pretty wide range of styles. One photographer will be a professional taking the "staged" photos, and one will be a student doing it for very cheap for the informal memories. That way we'll have both, and the student is hardly costing anything extra.

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Permalink Reply by Marvin Hall Photography on May 9, 2011 at 7:47am

Carla, that is another good point to bring up. Making sure that you and your photographer are on the same page when it comes to the final album. We do a blended style, old school formals and photojouralistic coverage. During the first client meeting we show some of both styles, but it is important to hear from the Bride and Groom what they want "their" finished album to look like. If you do not communicate to your photographer what you want the finish product to look like you may be in for a suprise. If a photograher you like shows you many albums with beautiful posed photos on every page and you hire him, unless you tell them something different, they will assume that you will want the same type of album that you were shown. Communication and expectations are vital!!!