Is this the death of Wedding Photography?

<p>I thought carefully about whether or not I should post this question, as I am not currently a wedding photographer, although some years ago I did quite a few weddings for friends and family, which all turned out well. I did charge for some of them, so I am making the perhaps audacious assumption that I can claim to be a one-time professional wedding shooter.</p>

<p>My primary question is about what I perceive as a complete breakdown of client-photographer relationships in the wedding photo business. What has happened over the past ten years? So many of the posts here are about seemingly disastrous wedding engagements that leave everyone involved angry about the outcome, and that leaves the photographer and the bride/groom pitted in a life-and-death battle over prints, albums, digital files, dvd's, copyrights and on and on.</p>

<p>When I performed some of these services in the last century (not all that long ago really...) it was by and large a very pleasant, even joyous experience, working with these young people and their families, helping to immortalize one of the most important days of their lives. Now, it sounds as though it has been reduced to a form of combat, from the "Bridezilla" syndrome to the interminable contract fulfillment arguments I read about here every day. Some enterprising software developer may soon introduce a violent new computer game called "Wedding Photographer."<br>

<br /> What is happening here? Is there any chance that we can ever return to civility and reason and good client relationships??</p>

<p>Gee, nothing like over-reacting!</p>

<p>Did you ever think that the reason that the bad situations are mentioned here is because they are rare and the photographer needs help?</p>

<p>Contract problems have existed since contracts were invented.</p>

<p>There's no going back...</p>

<p>Seriously, I don't post about how successful a wedding went, or how well the client relationship is holding up... no one is interested in that part.</p>

<p>"Hi all, I am posting to ask what I should do about my great relationship with my clients. I mean, its beyond a joke how well we got along and how everything I did seemed perfect to them. Not to mention that they are a great looking couple who want me to use their images any way I see fit, etc., etc.?"</p>

<p>See what I mean?</p>

<p>It's called "sampling bias." People post to ask advice (and vent) about problem clients; they almost never post about all the relatively problem-free clients and weddings. What has happened over the past ten years is that photographers have acquired a worldwide, public forum to complain about their problems; there has not been "a complete breakdown of client-photographer relationships in the wedding photo business."</p>

<p>John:</p>

<p>Fair enough. Perhaps I am over-reacting. But I simply have not experienced any of this stuff in 30 years of contract work.</p>

<p>My apologies if I have offended you or anyone else. However, I still stand by my position on the troubled state of wedding photography. I have seen ample evidence beyond the web to give me cause for concern.</p>

<p>Rick, I'm not offended. I've avoided wedding photography, but used to do quite a bit of portraits. What I found is that the better my contracts, and the better I made sure my clients understood what they contained, the less problems/misunderstandings occurred. I would guess that a lot of the problems we hear about are due to ill-prepared contract discussions by inexperienced photographers. If you talk to the most experienced wedding photographers here, I would guess that they have had similar experiences.</p>

Also, "last century" the internet was not nearly as ubiquitous as it is now. It has made this (excellent) site as well as many others readily available fora in which to express one's views, seek opinions or simply share experiences.

<p>I do suspect, however, that clients are becoming more savvy and thus placing more demands on photographers. They are also perhaps becoming more picky, with the advent of digital capture.

<p>Rick,<br>

People will always get married and will always want their memories captured. However, <strong>the way</strong> it'll happen is a different story. About 10yrs ago, during good old film days, photography wasn't taken as lightly as it is today. Now for under $3000 one could get a dslr, a relatively decent lens, a flash and call him/her self a wedding photographer, google few photoshop tricks and UNDER charge what real photographers do charge. These are the people, in my opinion, who give wedding photographers a very bad reputation.<br>

Clients are also getting, I don't want to say smarter, but in a sense lazy. With film, they kind of understood that it has to be developed in the lab and that takes time, with digital, b/c the way some photographers present their skill, clients see these photos less of an artwork and thus expect thousands of pictures for a wedding.<br>

Terminology has also changed. With digital you have folks calling them selves pure photojournalists who don't use lights, only natural, yada yada yada. Last I checked, when you set your flash on the camera and have your assistant either light up foreground or background or don't even use an assistant, it is called candids. But photojournalism sounds <em>exotic</em> thus clients byte into it.<br>

There's no question that business has changed in the last 10yrs. And those folks who can't adapt (unfortunately) are hurting. But wedding photography will not die out as long as there are weddings.</p>

<p>Adam</p>

<p>If there is any genuine concern, it is the form of western style wedding ceremonies that are so costly on both people's wallets and planet resources, there is nothing romantic about it beyond the skin deep surface. Photographers shoot for the money, the brides spent for a moment of flame, and the grooms wanted to get it done asap. Who really gives a xxxx about genuine relationship in this age of materialism?</p>

<p><strong ><em >"I do suspect, however, that clients are becoming more savvy and thus placing more demands on photographers. They are also perhaps becoming more picky, with the advent of digital capture."</em></strong><br>

And also, some are being dumbed down, doing less work, merely scanning web-pages of who knows whose images, citing the “investment page” without any face to face to sort out their Wedding Photographer . . . <br>

but rather being drawn in by the many and various "What you must have for your wedding and don't forget to ask the Photog how many “megapixels” if he provides a “Full res” and has enough “back-up” . . . <br>

rather than sorting the wheat from the chaff face to face over a few weekends . . . <br>

<br>

WW </p>

<p > </p>

 

<p>Crikey! Alan, I though I could be cynical. <br>

That's a full on point of view you proffer.<br>

<br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

<p>In addition to the comments of Mike Dixon and David Wegart, etc., you also have to consider the flood of new wedding photographers who get a digital camera and kit lens and are now "wedding photographers". The barriers to entry have been drastically lowered and Uncle Bob may or may not be up to the task of teh "business" of wedding photography. IMHO.</p>

<p>I'm not even going to try to out cynical Alan...</p>

<p>In the pre-digital days - it required a significant investment in time, money and expertise to be a wedding or any kind of a photographer. For weddings - you needed a Medium Format Camera (between 2 and 5 thousand dollars US); a couple of lens - $1,000 each; a couple of film backs $200 each or so...and the knowledge / training how to use them. You needed to know which film to use and when to use it. You needed to know which lab to go to get the best results... None of that knowledge came easy or cheap. </p>

<p>Today - you can buy a $400.00 DSLR w/ Lens; Flash - $200.00 and 10 memory cards $200 or less - and viola - you're a wedding photographer.</p>

<p>My take on it is that there are a lot of photographers - wedding, sports, etc... that got or bought a digital camera and said - Crikey! This photography thing is easy... What they failed to realize is that the business end of it is the hard part...</p>

<p>Where there bad weddings and bad contracts back in the day? Absolutely - but there also wasn't the interweb to share all the horror stories. Back then - the bride / groom either said the heck with it or took the photographer to court to get a refund. I don't think they spent a lot of time negotiating settlements and albums etc...</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p><em>"What has happened over the past ten years?"</em></p>

<p>You and everyone else found the internet. Before 10 years ago you would have had to personally know the couple or photographer, or someone close to them, or you would have never heard about it. I worked in a full service lab 20 years ago, and I heard a lot of the same customer relations problems I see posted on the web. The popular canard is that digital technology lowered the quality bar, but trust me, there were plenty of film wedding photogs that inspired groans from everyone in the lab when we saw them approaching, because processing and printing their film was always a pain-in-the-butt salvage job.<br>

Beyond that I also agree that people don't post "Hey, another wedding went great!" They ask advice when they encounter problems.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Today - you can buy a $400.00 DSLR w/ Lens; Flash - $200.00 and 10 memory cards $200 or less - and <em><strong>viola</strong> </em> - you're a wedding photographer.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>You don't need an oversized violin. Unless you're playing in the band as well!</p>

<p>Times have changed. Mom & Pop shops on Main Street have closed and been replaced by malls and Walmart, many malls have since closed and Walmart's trying to stay competitive with online shops. In my area, I've watched three professional camera supply shops that catered to the pros close in the last 10 years. I've also watched several brick & mortar portrait & wedding photography studios close. Interestingly enough, membership in WPPI keeps growing while photography appears to be becoming less & less a full time gig.</p>

<p>What's been really sad IMO is the lack of esteem that the profession appears to be held in by many of it's own. Read some of the threads and the opinions expressed toward large successful studios, check how much newcomers value mentorship/apprenticeship with established pros, scan craiglist to see how much the community at large values film and video work. BTW, no,..... shooting some weddings for family/friends and charging them something does not make you a professional wedding photographer.......but then, standards have changed, and times have changed.</p>

<p>I agree what many said above regarding the fact that people use forums to help with conflict situations and they don't often post good stories since no one will respond.<br>

But for me, I found that the more I give to my client, the happier both of us are. I know some photographers who don't release the images for printing use so the bride has to pay per print. This makes the bride unhappy. I know many photographers don't like when a bride posts their image on facebook or myspace. I encourage that for brides. Why? Because only good can come out of it. I'm often friends with my brides on facebook and when they post a picture of mine, everyone asks "wow who took that! Which photographer did you use"... Since I recently got married, I feel like I have a better understanding of what brides want.<br>

Basically, I listen to Tony Robbins a lot and Wayne Dyer who are motivational speakers. They say that if my purpose is to serve my client, instead of thinking what can I get out of this, then the client will be happy. I just think it's a good lesson on how to avoid any type of conflicts.</p>

<p>As Mark Twain might have observed in reference to the "death" of professional wedding photography......."news of my death has been greatly exaggerated". However, the evolution and change continues. "And so it goes......"</p>

<p>I am at a loss for words. Perhaps because this posting is such a non-issue. </p>

Come now, Art. You've managed to muster an impressive 16 words ;-)

<p>Does "non-issue" constitute two words or just one word? ;-)</p>

<p>One and a half.</p>

<p>That Wedding Photographer computer game sounds like a great idea!</p>

<p>Is that a first-person shooter, or more of a strategy game?</p>

 

<p>Like with any calling, there are bums and stars. Then there's everyone in-between.</p>

<p>It's the bums and stars that get all the press. </p>

<p>Nothing's changed, except the delivery system.</p>

<p>: -)</p>

<p>1. The economy. 2. E-mails/new form of less personal communication 3. People are less polite to each other.</p>