| 
Caution! Many brides and grooms are
making
big
mistakes in choosing their wedding photographer – but
you
don’t have to!
Read on to see how…
|
|
The current trend in recent years is eroding
the quality and beauty of creative wedding portraiture. The
advent of the
digital camera has given rise to a new breed of photographer
who is attracting many bridal couples simply because of a very
low price. This business model is being promoted by many “weekend” photographers,
who think professional photography is simply defined as “being
paid for taking pictures”. They shoot a slew of
photos in a “documentary” style
(meaning no thought given to lighting, posing or composition),
burn a CD to give to the bridal couple, and
laugh all the way to the bank.
This business model carries with it a great
delusion – that
you’re actually getting something for your money. In
reality, there is no actual “commodity” exchange
for your investment. In addition there is nothing provided
by the photographer but a little of their time
and a $.50
CD. A well established local studio has also adopted this
business model, because even though the price is very low,
it has an extremely high profit margin. Who
is the looser? The bride and groom.
Providing classic, professional wedding photography
is completely different. Photography on
the wedding day
is only a small part of it. A typical wedding,
though only lasting 3-6 hours, typically involves over
40 hours of skilled
labor on the part of our photography studio, as we provide
exquisitely
enhanced prints, albums, and wall portraits. It’s ALL
about the commodity exchange, where you receive
classic artwork of a dedicated professional photography studio
in exchange for your investment. Couples receive a priceless
wedding album and wonderful
memories
created
by a photographic artist.
I recently talked with a bride whose older
sister hired one of these “snapshooters” for
her wedding. The price was really low and they less than
satisfied with
the CD of 700 snapshots. They took it to Walmart
for some $.29 prints of the ones they sort of liked, but basically
they had received nothing for their money.
She thought her sister had simply made a bad choice of photographer
and was out looking for a better one. When we showed her what
we provide, she saw the beauty and the quality
of what we produce, but the investment was much higher than
her sisters. She asked if
she could just get a CD.
Honestly, I was momentarily tempted
by her suggestion, because creating beautiful albums is a
huge amount of work! But what would she really have?
How could I justify the value of Walmart 4x6’s? I honestly
felt guilty thinking how little I could give her for so many
of her hard earned
dollars. Fortunately, I broke free of the “cheap
demon” and said no. I had to turn down her request,
but decided right then to share these thoughts with you, a
prospective
bride and groom.
You have a very difficult decision, but I believe
it ultimately comes down to value – what do you actually
receive for your investment? At River Street Photography, your
initial
investment may be slightly more than most other
photographers,
but the return
on
that
investment
is huge, and
that’s
where real value is. We made a decision years ago that only
the finest work would depart through our studio doors, and
thousands of our clients are the winners because of
that decision. It remains the same with wedding photography.
I encourage
you
to not make the mistakes we see so many bridal couples make:
choosing a photographer based on the cheapest price, thinking
that a CD of images has any value beyond a nice slide show
on your computer, or believing that you don't need a beautifully
created wall portrait.
Before you make such an important decision,
call us to chat
- no cost and no obligation. You'll be able to
see what experienced photographic artists can create, and
you'll be able to make an educated decision.
Some people say that you get what you pay for. I disagree – there
are many wedding couples today who are getting nothing for
what they pay. Don’t let that happen to you.
An Unbelievable Event
Deserves an Incredible Keepsake!
See
sample wedding albums - click here.
Michael Thresher - Photographic Artist
PS. We DO create wedding CD's, but only as a
small part of a complete wedding package.