6 Misconceptions about Wedding Photographers/Vendors

(From a Husband’s Point of View)

I remember the first time my wife told me how much cash she wanted to drop on our wedding photographer…the amount would’ve been laughable had she not presented it so seriously. We were paying for our wedding by ourselves and were doing everything we could to save and she wanted to drop almost a ¼ of our budget on pictures? After cutting costs on food, the cake, the bar, the DJ, and couponing throughout the year just to make some extra costs it didn’t make sense to me. How hard could it be to take photos? We weren’t rich! I was 25 at the time; I am now 31. And it’s hard for me to confidently say that if I now weren’t married to a photographer I still really wouldn’t understand all of the work they actually do before and after their event. So with that, here is a list of things that I have actually learned about that I used to make common misconceptions for, things I never knew wedding photographers/vendors typically went through…

1. They Are Just Taking Photos-My wife’s main argument for spending so much on our photographer was the fact that she knew we’d be keeping those photos for a lifetime. She did not want to cut corners on memories we’d be holding onto for the rest of our lives. Well she was right; 5 years later and we still love every image Amanda took. It really is a great reference point to how young and energized we looked before having kids (we joke about it all the time- sorry GK and Madds). And I can’t tell you the amount of friends that got married around the time I did or after that are soooooooooo disappointed in their photos due to not investing in the right person. I’m glad my wife put her foot down with this one. Amanda truly did a priceless job.
2. They Just Whip The Camera Out and Wing It– I am sure there is an art to playing the events and shoots by ear to an extent, but a solid photographer/vendor has already been to your event site and picked the best photo spots; they game plan a ton of variables to get you the best product and typically go out and practice before bringing clients there. They know what spots your pictures will turn out the best. I can’t tell you the amount of times my wife has been put into lose-lose situations because she has set a plan for certain shots at certain times and sunsets and she gets grabbed by someone, typically a mom (no offense to mom’s-their hearts are in the right place), to shoot a la carte.   She doesn’t mind doing this obviously (she’s getting paid) but when she goes to take that photo she had planned for you forever ago that was going to make a great memory and product, and it doesn’t turn out how you expected…. Well it’s bad for everyone…nobody wins.
3. Photographers Are Expensive- Yes they are lol. I guess this really isn’t a misconception. But there are tons of hours unseen that go into your wedding shoot or family shoot or engagement shoot or whatever. WAAAAAAAAAAAAY more editing than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t even know editing photos could take as longs as it does. Culling, lighting, zapping out that pimple or sweaty armpit….the list goes on….even sometimes after completing the album and closing out the deal, photographers get their finished products returned back to them with even more special requests. It’s a lot. So although they seem expensive in terms of dollars, the right person should be spending a lot of their time after your event to deliver a great product.
4. It’s Glamorous- This is a funny one because you can go search all of these photog and vendor pages via social media and they have these “headshots” that make them look like life is so fabulous haha. I mean I get it from a professional prospective needing that good look and they are typically smoking hot pics, but these people are out there grinding! I feel like 25% of my wife’s business is actually spent behind the camera, maybe even less than that. And even then, her time spent behind the camera is a lot of time on her feet, squatting in funny positions, in the weather elements both good and bad; it’s almost like she is out there coaching field hockey again at times. Then there is all of the offstage stuff people don’t see: blogging, fighting bad reviews, balancing budgets, workshops, networking, early mornings and late nights—the list goes on. It can be a lot of up and downs on one person. Anyways, it’s not as sweet looking as that profile pic.
5. They Make a Living off of Referrals and Social Media- This one couldn’t be more false. These wedding people do a ton of work outside of marketing on social media and referrals to just make a living. Well, if they want to be successful, they have to. Income is not that simple; although it would be pretty sweet if it was (I’d be a great stay at home dad). A lot of them are working steady jobs for maintenance and not truly “living the dream” just yet. Bookings are not as consistent as some would think, and people cancel more often than what you’d expect. I have seen my wife host workshops, mentoring sessions, and contribute as a second shooter in events just to try to make a monthly dollar goal. It’s a hustle, uplifting and defeating at the same time.
6. Higher Price Photographers/Vendors Are Always Better- Getting a great photographer or vendor is not like buying a cell phone where the most expensive is usually the latest and greatest. It’s more like going to the grocery store and deciding if you want to buy the topline brand cereal or the store brand. SOMETIMEs the store brand can be really good, kind of like a diamond in the rough. I’ll crush some Cinni-Mini Crunch from Harris Teeter in a heartbeat, and so will my kids and nephew. You can catch a great growing vendor with all of the latest and greatest skills if you really do your research and just give them a chance. And they’ll charge you thousands less than the mainstreamer. Although, at the end of the day, that mainstream name has done a lot to get where they are, and can rightfully charge to their consistency and great product too (I gotta give those people a shoutout! Hustle!). Hopefully everyone gets to live on both sides of the fence one day…

I didn’t know how long this list would go, but I think six is a pretty good stopping point. 6 points for 6 years after the time my wife presented me with Amanda’s “expensive” price tag. FYI, its pennies compared to what she charges now. So we made out pretty well for ourselves (see point 6- we caught Amanda at the right time! Boo-yah!) I’ll catch you on the flipside….

Peace and Carpe Diem!

Photos of our wedding by Amanda Hedgepeth 2012