We recently read an article in Photo Focus. It is an interesting read on just what it really takes to be a professional wedding photographer. You can read an excerpt below or click here to read the entire article. We especially agree with the last paragraph of the excerpt. We really feel that your wedding day is the most important day of your life and we don’t want to see you cheated out of quality photographs that will last a lifetime. You are starting your new lives together. The article is correct when it states that your wedding album is your new family’s first heirloom.
“Recently, I half jokingly posted this Tweet on Twitter.“I’m consulting with a wedding #photog studio selling against a studio doing $500 weddings. Our new ad – “We fix $500 wedding photography.”
I repeat, I was half-joking. I knew it might be a bit controversial given the fact that people who inhabit social media tend to be reactionary and don’t always stop and think before they react. (Me included) But I guess I wasn’t prepared for death threats – again. More on that later.
The point I was really trying to make was that people who call themselves professional photographers should think about industry standards when they sell on the cheap. Denis Reggie once said, “Don’t price yourself on what you can afford. It was years before I could afford myself!”
In the example of the $500 wedding, that’s WELL under the national average for a decent wedding package. But don’t even fixate on that number. It could be higher or lower. The point is, doing things on the cheap isn’t a good business model.
Everyone who owns a camera – and that seems to be everyone period – thinks they could be a professional photographer. How many times have you heard “You must have a nice camera” after showing off a portfolio-quality image? We’re already battling a severely under-educated clientele. The client thinks ANYONE can do our job. We’re fighting mass competition and a public that doesn’t know better. The LAST thing we need is someone within our own ranks making it even harder.
Some will say: “So what’s the big deal? So what if some new weekend warrior or part-time hobbyist who shoots weddings on the side wants to make a few bucks?” Here’s the so what.
When you undercut the market so severely you accomplish several things.
a. You cheat the client. This is the worst point. That’s right, the client who’s once-in-a-lifetime special day has just been handed to the cheapo wedding photographer is not going to be well-served. A true professional photographer has skills that Uncle Harry doesn’t. The better the skills the more longevity in the business and the better the chance the client is going to get images they want to come back for.
It’s impossible to run a sustainable business over the long haul, deliver good quality and care for the client at lowball prices. I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen dozens of businesses fail using this model and more importantly (and more to the point) have seen dozens of brides’ wedding memories ruined by photographers who had no business being there in the first place. There’s no do-over on a wedding. It takes a decent budget to get a decent result. Good reliable gear with backups cost money. Training cost money. Quality wedding prints, albums, books and gallery wraps cost money. If you sell a bride a cheapo wedding album that falls apart because you couldn’t make enough profit doing the cheapo wedding shoot, how does that serve the client? These are people’s lives you’re messing with. What could have more value than the wedding album – the first family heirloom of a brand new family? Think about it…”
We also want to thank Tammy from Tammy Muecke Photography out of Omaha for posting this article. We enjoyed the read.
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