Wedding Photographer - free but sucks

[ryan7783]

My fiance and I are engaged to be married later this year and have naturally been looking for a photographer that fits our style and budget. I'm in my 20's and she is in her early 30's so we have the same basic sense of style that we want - edgy and "youthful" (modern) I think would best describe it.

Anyway my mother suggested a woman she works with to do it for us and we both agreed that she would probably be fine. After all she is always talking up how great she is and how many clients she always has. So the other night we went to look at her stuff and wow - she is just awful. Most of the photos I saw were over exposed and a lot of them were blurry. The shadows were extremely harsh in a lot of them and her flash was set much too high. They all looked like snapshots to me and I know if I were shooting my wedding, I could do a much better job.

The whole time we're sitting there looking at her stuff, she's talking about how great all of the photos were and felt is necessary to tell us wether each photo was candid or not.

I started asking her questions...

Me: what mode do you shoot in?

Her: well I shoot manual because it allows me to customize each shot and get the best results

Me: Oh I shoot in Aperture or Shutter priority most of the time

Her: Well manual is the real photographers way of shooting

Me: *silence*

Me: Was it really low lighting at this wedding?

Her: Yes it was very difficult to shoot but I think I did a great job

Me: mhmm


She agreed to shoot it for free because my mother is such good friends with her. It's a horrible feeling knowing that she was willing to shoot our wedding for free but knowing that she's so bad at it. After we left, my fiance said "it's too bad you're going to be my husband...I'd rather you shoot the wedding" to which I replied - "oh believe me, I'm going to have my camera there and I will be shooting plenty of the wedding myself". Now we need to find a photographer

Crap

just venting. feel free to comment

 

[Sw1tchFX]

if you want, you can hire another shooter, just tell them that they can't do formals becuase the other person is, and tell them to just be subtle, not to look out of place from the other people in the wedding. They can look like a friend who just has big gear.

 

[Rhys]

If I wasn't in a different state, I'd help out. I have shot weddings. I had one that was very difficult indeed - candle-lit with a black ceiling some 30' above me. No chance of ambient light and no chance of bounce flash.

 

[Big Mike]

If the photos are important to you...hire a real professional...and don't worry about hurting this ladies feelings. This is YOUR wedding and you only have one chance to have it captured in photos. If you go with a photographer that you know won't live up to your expectations...you will regret it for a long time.

Make up an excuse to tell her (and maybe your mother) if you feel that you must...but if you are already unhappy with her work, don't let her shoot your wedding.

 

[icassell]

Back in the days ...

Our wedding photographer really blew it ... we have no good images of our wedding ... Forget excuses -- just do the right thing and get someone good!

 

[Christina]

you will regret it in the long run if you dont go with your gut instict.
remember: your special day.
Your in charge.

 

[ryan7783]

oh i have 0% problem with telling her she's not shooting it. I just think it's shi**y that she charges people $1200 on average to take piss poor photos of their special day and then passes them off as gold. I talked to the guy at the camera shop she recommended to me and he said she's a nice lady but doesn't know jack about photography except what she's read in her cameras manual - knowing now what I know, I have to agree.

 

[Big Mike]

It just goes to show you...being successful is part talent/skill/knowledge....and part salesmanship. She seems to be lacking in the first part but not the second.

 

[IllegalDamage]

Me: what mode do you shoot in?

Her: well I shoot manual because it allows me to customize each shot and get the best results

Me: Oh I shoot in Aperture or Shutter priority most of the time

Her: Well manual is the real photographers way of shooting

Me: *silence*

I'm sorry but thats hilarious lol you really need to find someone who actually knows what they are doing... she's obviously not wedding material

 

[ryan7783]

I'm sorry but thats hilarious lol you really need to find someone who actually knows what they are doing... she's obviously not wedding material

yeah I thought it was funny too. As soon as I saw the first photo, my mind was made up that she was NOT going to shoot my wedding.

 

[Rhys]

I had somebody complaining that I was too expensive the other day. I offered them my basic CD only and 2 hours coverage package for $300! They then went on to say how much they were spending on their wedding and I pointed out ways of cutting a couple of grand off that - lol. Maybe I'm in with a chance?

 

[astrostu]

They all looked like snapshots to me and I know if I were shooting my wedding, I could do a much better job. ... After we left, my fiance said "it's too bad you're going to be my husband...I'd rather you shoot the wedding" to which I replied - "oh believe me, I'm going to have my camera there and I will be shooting plenty of the wedding myself".

That's going to be my approach if I ever get married. The photography, the cake, the dinner, the flowers ... all that will be done by me. I think I could do a wedding on a $500 budget.

 

[Rhys]

That's going to be my approach if I ever get married. The photography, the cake, the dinner, the flowers ... all that will be done by me. I think I could do a wedding on a $500 budget.

If all you do is make a CD/DVD of the images and the photography, your real costs are transport, food, electricity, the CD/DVD and depreciation/ wear and tear. The rest is pure profit. I doubt you'd spend more than $50 on all that. $250 for a weekend's work ain't too shabby.

 

[ryan7783]

so now we're stuck looking for another photographer on a low budget. I don't have many friends that are shutter bugs so my choices are limited.

 

[Robin]

oh i have 0% problem with telling her she's not shooting it. I just think it's shi**y that she charges people $1200 on average to take piss poor photos of their special day and then passes them off as gold. I talked to the guy at the camera shop she recommended to me and he said she's a nice lady but doesn't know jack about photography except what she's read in her cameras manual - knowing now what I know, I have to agree.

I know what you're saying - but $1200 isn't that much, in my opinion - at least for the area we got married in, it's not much. We paid over double that amount for our photographer so I wouldn't expect much from someone charging $1200.

Suggestion: are there any art/photography schools in driving distance? Student photographers can produce impressive work for affordable costs and many of them start doing weddings as students. When I was in photography school, I didn't do weddings myself (still don't - not my thing) but several of my fellow students did. They charged less than $1000 but in my opinion, produced many photos on par with good professionals (sounds like they produced much better results than this woman you describe).