Last Updated on 10/27/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
Wedding photographers are still trying to justify this to their clients at times…
It’s very sad, but photographers who shoot weddings are still trying to justify their prices to folks. It’s not unusual to hear, “Oh, we have a budget.” or, “We really can’t afford to pay a whole lot.” And on top of that, it’s also sad that many people aren’t able to understand the difference between what their phone does, and what a proper camera in the hands of an experienced professional with a creative vision can do. Unfortunately, it’s too easy for folks to say, “I can do that.” until they realize that they can’t. Plus, they actually like Uncle Bob.
And that’s why it’s so amazing that this almost 10 year old meme about wedding photography is still true.
If you’ve been in the photo world for years, you’ll probably remember these videos popping up around the web. They rang so true back then and they still do today. If you’re newer to the world of photography, then just know that even “back in the day” photographers were trying to justify their prices to customers.
The exchange is obviously a satire of what happens in real life wedding photography conversations (at least I’d hope they’d be much more civil). But it’s more or less what is said to the 10th degree. The marketing of “this is so easy” has ultimately made people misunderstand the other, much bigger part of wedding photography – that there is a whole lot of creative vision and planning on top of extra work that the photographers need to do.
“Do you offer any discounts?”
“Does it come with a CD of the photos?”
Of course, none of this happens if you have the portfolio to really back up your work. In addition to that, there are places like SnapKnot and the Knot that help brides and grooms find the photographers they really want to work with.
If you’re looking to understand more about what wedding photographers do, take a look at some of these interviews that we’ve done: