One question I am asked all the time is:”How can one photographer charge $700 for an entire day and another photographer charge $3500?” Do you get what you pay for? Does more expensive mean better? Does less expensive mean bad? Lets start with some basic information on how the photography industry has changed in the past five years.

Digital SLR cameras have become somewhat mainstream in the last couple years. Many people are purchasing 12 MP camera for under $1000 and instantly becoming “photographers.” There is no minimum education level or licensing required to become a professional photographer. Many of these novice photographers are starting part-time wedding photography businesses to help supplement their income. To them, $700 is alot of money for a days work. In this category many of the photographers are using photo-journalism as their approach and also providing CD’s as the finished work
product. While not all photographers in this novice level are bad photographers, you should have a certain amount of buyer beware.

I recommend meeting with several photographers within different price ranges at least 6 months in advance of your wedding. Be prepared with a list of questions. Record your feelings when you first meet; sometimes first impressions are the most important. Make sure you will feel comfortable working with this photographer during your wedding day.

Here is a list of questions you should be asking.

1. How long have you been a professional photographer?
2. How long have you been photographing weddings?
3. Do you have an assistant who works with you?
4. Do you bring a back-up camera in case your main camera has mechanical failure?
5. What is your style of photography?
6. Do you photograph more than one wedding per day?
7. Are you the photographer or do you hire someone else for the day?
8. If you provide a CD do you provide a reproduction release for all the images?
9. If you provide a CD are the images full resolution?(as opposed to sized for the web)
10. How long does it take to receive the images?
11. Are the images that we order retouched?
12. If I want certain poses with relatives, how do I make sure those will be taken care of?
13. Could you provide us with 2-3 references?

Do not neglect asking any of the question above. You will be amazed at the differences in answers and will soon see why there is a huge difference in pricing. I have known many couples who were surprised to find someone else at their wedding as the photographer because they forgot to ask question 7. Do not assume anything and get everything in writing.

On your wedding day you want to make sure you have a photographer you can trust. If someone is charging under $1000 for a wedding, most likely they would not pass the test when answering the above questions. If you are trying to save money than you will have to accept that sacrifices will have to be made. Are you willing to trade experience for price? Are you will to trade piece of mind for price? How about quality for price? You are the only one who can make that decision.

There is some skepticism about photographers who charge too much for wedding photography. How can one justify $4000 for days work? In reality, a photographer’s fee covers more than just the hours spent at a wedding. First the photographer has a cost of sales for the end products they are delivering to the client. Add to that insurance, marketing fees, consultation time prior to and after the wedding, computer time retouching images, assistant fees, photographer salary. And when all that is paid out, there should be enough left for entrepreneurial profit.

Professional photographers love what they do, but are also business people, who know that their fees must cover all of their expenses and provide a profit so they can continue to succeed in the business. The photographers who do not cover all their expenses by charging low fees, will not be in business long enough to succeed.

Be prepared when you start meeting with photographers. Do some research in advance to find out what weddings cost in your area. Look in magazines for the styles that you like. Every photographer has a their own style and some are sought out just for their own brand. Know what your budget is and what you want. If a CD with 400 unretouched images fits in with your budget than be prepared to accept an unfinished product. If portraits, and an album are what you desire, be prepared to be top dollar. Your wedding day only happens once in a lifetime and your portraits will help you cherish the memories especially as the years go on.

Mary Buck is a professional photographer with Lightscapes Photographic Artwork in Duluth, GA. She is available for weddings in the Metro-Atlanta area. She also photographs infants, children, families and high school seniors at her studio in Duluth.
You can view her work at http://www.lightscapesphoto.com/

Author: Mary Buck
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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