sunnyography

<p>Agreed all above- i'll use this info with the perspective that this is a great opportunity to further distinguish myself, and I definitely want the more discerning brides- not the price tag shoppers :)</p>

<p>I just learned that a certain national wedding dress chain (we'll call them Dav-idal) is in the planning and recruiting stages of offering wedding photography and videography to brides as they are shopping for their wedding gowns. The email I received explained that they will be selling a contractors work directly to the bride and paying for time of service only to the contractor. They even included an application for being a contractor.<br>

My *initial* reaction is that the Wally-world (BIG BOX STORE) chain is honing in on brides who are already there to shop for gowns before they get a chance to sit down with local, independent, talented photographers. This bridal gown chain already has 1/3 of America's brides and parties and families walking down the aisle in their dresses according to "The Knot". Their selling point to me the photographer is I only have to show up and take the photos, and they do all the marketing and selling- this tells me they don't know exactly what I do, or simply don't care. I can also see the dark side of this- They go from supplementing my business and other locals business' to being our stale bread and moldy butter. I'm a loca-vore on purpose, so this doesn't sit well with me and motivates me to get face time with brides even more so I don't become the servant of another national Chain.<br>

Thoughts?</p>

<p>I have an acquaintenance who is an art teacher, and hobbies in photography. That's great. <br />But- she has since made a professional photography website, a professional photography facebook page, and blog complete with pricing for sessions and prints and other services. <br />In my eyes she is competing with professionals if she is selling her goods and services, yet she states right on her site that she loves kids and photography and "i'm not trying to compete with professional photographers, and I am not trying to make a career out of it". She doesnt see the truth I see, which is if she charges $30 (yes- only $30) for a 'session' and charges for prints, etc- she IS competing with me, a professional photographer who IS trying to make a living. <br />***How can I make a living with my degree and experience if this is happening around me?</p>

<p>I think the biggest problem is just what the original poster stated: There is an obvious difference in the quality of photography between the $500 CL poster and the $3500 Educated, Experienced, Professional Photographer. <br />I as a bride 5 years ago had a wedding budget of $2,500. I wasnt going to have the reception catered so I could afford a decent photographer, but I ended up getting a deal with a photographer *friend* who does stills for a living so he just did my wedding on the side as a favor for $400. I KNEW I wasnt getting the works with this arrangement, and even though I didnt get the full blown lighting and props and posing I got what I needed, pictures of everyone there and of the ceremony. <br />But as a photographer I know the difference. THAT is why we need to make it a point to show clients the difference in product that accompanies the price. I ALWAYS show/send my pictures to a B&G before prices because I want them to see and appreciate the work FIRST without the price factoring into their decision. The $500 CL lister needs to be UP FRONT about what they are (and are NOT) providing with this price. <br />*It does bother me though that the $500 'professionals' are popping up everywhere because I live in second cheapest place to live in the country and people look at the price before the pictures. It is VERY hard to make a living doing this when people around here compare you to WalMart or the CL lister and havent even seen your work because of the prices. <br />The true professionals will weather the cycle though- and I'll be one of them. :)</p>

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<p>Doesn't matter one way or the other if you agree with the priest or not. It's a sacrament and not a photo-op. They chose the church and the preist, it's not up to the B/G or to you to pass judgement on how the priest performs his calling/duties.</p>

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<p>The <em>marriage</em> is sacred between the B&G and GOD (if thats what they believe); the <em>ceremony</em> is HUMAN tradition- no matter who's getting married or where they're getting married. IF the parishoner doesn't allow respectful, professional photography during the ceremony he is simply dampening the GOD given talents the photographer was hired to use to produce timeless memories of this special moment between the B&G and GOD. AND- IF the parishoner doesnt allow photos to capture the beauty of this God given moment, he/she should consider that it could be a bad witness for people of (that type of) faith. Parishoners, <em>in my opinion (as a person of faith first)</em>, should be focused on helping the B&G set a good foundation for their future instead of hindering a few minutes of precious photography (an art based on LIGHT- the first creation in the Bible).</p>

 

<p>I read your ancillary note about handing over the memory card. As a professional photographer, this is to me confounding. This is your original work- you absolutely must make sure you keep originals- figure out how! This is as you noted a casual wedding- no contracts or money exchanged- and the casual comment of "you can use whatever you'd like" is demeaning to a photographer who is the only one in the situation who can create these keepsake photos! And, if you do decide to do more, and people want to see your work- its not going to sound good when you tell them your past wedding only gave you a few of the pictures or none at all cause they forgot or lost them or accidentally deleted them. I can see only cons- no pros- for you and them if you hand over the only originals and don't keep all of them yourself. I hope you take this as a concerned fellow photographer who has seen how taking someones word for something turns out badly even when you have no reason to believe it will- and how handing over the only originals will in the future doom the existence of the pictures themselves. bring a laptop and save them is my minimal advice. Hope this helps!</p>