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Why I cut my photography budget

August 3rd, 2012 in Photography by


9 Comments »

The response to my blog post Learn from my mistakes has opened up so many discussions with people who read it and it got me thinking – why did I make the decision to skimp on my photography budget?

If you know me, you know this decision doesn’t make sense at all. I’m a blogger for goodness sake – I love photography! So why oh why did I decide to tighten the budget on the photography of the most important day in my life?

I think it came down to two things:

1. I was looking to spend money on the things that were instantly gratifying, rather than looking at the big picture. Eg – I was happy to spend more on the aspects of the day that would be immediately noticeable – the flowers, my dress, the food etc. Because in my mind I was thinking the wedding photographs are (for the most part) only going to be seen and enjoyed by my husband, myself and our families. So instead I focused the budget on making the day the best it could be, forgetting that the photography would help me remember that day more clearly for the rest of my life.

2. I asked the wrong question. My husband and I never searched high and low for a photographer, we knew we had a tight budget and had been told this guy was affordable, so the only question we asked was ‘how much do you charge?’ We never asked how long he could stay at the event for, what photographs, prints and albums we would get back (we got one CD of images), whether he would bring a second photographer or if we could show him examples of wedding pictures we liked.

Whether you’re the one planning a wedding or the one taking the pictures, you’ll draw your own conclusions. I know I should have approached it differently, and thought a little more about how I would feel when the day is a distant memory and the photographs are what I have to remember it.

My photographer should have acted differently too, especially if he wanted me to spend more. Just because my only question was ‘how much’, doesn’t mean that should have been his only answer.

- Amanda

P.S Although we don’t have the greatest record of our wedding day, we are lucky that our friends A Couple Of Night Owls  took some beautiful pictures of us together (e.g. the picture above). It doesn’t make up for the wedding day regrets, but it does help ease the pain.

  • http://twitter.com/ArmstrongMillar JohnArmstrong-Millar

    I think if he conversation starts with how much? Then they are probably looking for another type of photographer. It’s a bit like food. You go to a good restaurant because of the Chef but if you are not a foodie you just come away thinking you paid too much. I try to limit my work to customers who “get” what I’m about. Good photography like good good is not a commodity but an Art

  • http://stephenbaugh.com/ Stephen Baugh

    Hi John. On one level I agree with you but on another I don’t; and even wonder if it is a trap for Photographers to think that way.

    The point is we don’t make a decision on which restaurant to go to just on price, we make the decision on reputation, look of the restaurant from the pavement, what we read about it and the chef, and of course a whole lot of personal choices such as what type of food I like.We’ve all been making meal choices since we were born, but the Bride and Groom when choosing their photographer don’t have that sense of perspective. This is often not just the first time they’ve got married but also the first time they’ve even spoken to a photographer.Amanda chose the Photographer on a personal recommendation, but she didn’t know she should dig deeper and understand exactly what was on offer or how to confirm if the person was up to the job.

    In my mind; even if it is a clumsy first question, it’s just the start of a conversation. Price is important too, for example we deal with Photographers that charge anywhere from $1k to $100k and from their website it might be hard to tell the difference.

    To be successful, we need a bride that is serious and hopefully curious in her investigation and a photographer that acts as her guide and helps influence her to make the choices that feel good; not just today but tomorrow to.

  • MiltonGan

    Thanks again for sharing Amanda. You’ve raised some great points that both parties should have considered when making such an important decision. I’ve shared my take out from your story with my LinkedIn community so they can consider if they are managing their clients’ expectations in the best way possible.

    I’m glad you managed to get some photos that you love, this one is gorgeous!

  • Photography Zero Eight.

    How much seems to be on many people’s mind’s these days, and I cannot blame them. Research is the most important thing when finding a photographer, three things that I tell my clients: style, price, guy. Do you like the style, is the price saying the right thing and do you like the guy/gal? A high price tag does not always mean you get amazing results. There are plenty of us out there delivering what a high-end photographer does at half the price. If you just want someone to turn up then get uncle Bob to do it, if you care about your images then get a decent photographer in for the job.

    These days it is very common to show complete wedding day portfolio’s on our sites, check them all.

    Did you receive a pre-wedding shoot, to test the waters? I do think the image above is amazing they should think about taking it up.  

    Regards

  • Nathan

    You found a cheap photographer and surprise surprise, he doesn’t give you the input you wanted. Nowadays if I get a client asking more about price than anything else, I explain that I’m probably not the photographer for them and suggest they look on Craigslist for an amateur inn their small price range.

  • http://acoupleofnightowls.com/ Danelle

    Hey Amanda!

    First off, we were absolutely honored to be able to give you an encore shoot that you love! You and Jeremy were such a pleasure to work with and it was such an awesome way to start our new business off with a bang! :)

    This topic is so important in my opinion. As a photographer, and as a huge wedding nerd, for me it’s especially important. I found it really interesting seeing the different ways people go about contacting us about wedding photography. More often than not, how much does it cost is the first question, and in some cases only question in the initial contact. I often feel like I’m the one probing for info about the actual day, like the date (it’s amazing how many people don’t tell us the date!), the venue, the styling, more about couple. I like to get to know the couple a little beforehand, especially considering I’m going to be spending around 12 hours with the couple on one of the most special days of their lives. But some people just aren’t interested in that. They just want to know how much, what they get and then make a choice based on that alone.

    I actually think personality is really important. I couldn’t imagine spending one of the biggest days of my life with a stranger, who doesn’t get me or my personality, with them right up there with me the entire day. I think getting to know the couple and their personalities really helps with what you actually capture on the day too. So important!

    Anywho… now I feel like Im talking for no reason haha.

    - Danelle of A Couple Of Night Owls

  • Pingback: Communicating with Clients | Alien Skin Software

  • Charmaine Cooper

    The best decision we made was to pay for Mike Hill to come over to Raro and take out photos for our wedding. I didn’t realise how awesome it was until we got back and that’s what we have to look back on. You are so right…. my advise to others would definitely be to never skimp on wedding photography!

  • Leonora Hourani

    beautifully shot, beautifully posted

    portrait photographers hull


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