Don't be Fooled - A Must Read

Remember that you only get one chance at your wedding day and cheap work is cheap for ever. 
It's not like something you buy from a retail shop, you can not take it back and get another one if it's defective.

I have been speaking to many couples recently who have lost thousands of dollar being fooled by a company that promised the world in a office/warehouse that looked fantastic with highly trained sales people.  Some of these people came to see us and when we followed up with them they told us this company gave them a better deal with a lot more inclusions.  Well the deals have all gone bust, and that's what happens when you give to much away the business can't make a profit,  can't afford to pay staff and suppliers, then can't service the promises they made to clients.  These guys weren't even cheap, the average loss I'm being told is $3500 to $7000 the higher including video.

Some time ago I spoke to a couple and they were very kind to tell me why they chose the photographer they did.  This couple had been in for an interview with us and to cut a long story short told us our work was just what they were looking for, quality and style.  As we do with all our potential clients we keep in contact to see how their decision making is going.  To my surprise they booked another studio, my dismay was not that they booked a college with similar quality, but a photographer with a better sales pitch, cheaper package and lot's of freebie's.

Now this is only my opinion, but this other studio is not of the same calibre of ours (I wish I could tell you who but it would be unethical).  The question I ask is, was this couple taken by a polished sales pitch, cheaper prices and enough freebies to sink the Titanic?

Unfortunately this couple could not see past the $$$ and freebies to really see what they were getting.  They rang us very upset and disappointed about their photos and asked us for help, they said what they were shown was not what they got and the person they meet didn't even shoot the wedding.  The morel is "the photo paper we print on is not that expressive and all photographers basically use the same, but the imagery we place onto the paper is priceless and not always the same.  You are not buying a piece of paper but rather a priceless image."

Don't be fooled by the sales pitch, cheap prices and freebie's it's only a smoke screen, ask your self these questions.

1. Is the work of the photographer what I want?
Forget the price for a moment.

2. Does the photographer personality click with us?
Remember you have to spend the whole day with them.

3. Cheap prices = Cheap photography.
"I will give you the same thing for $$$$ cheaper should ring alarm bells..... what's the catch, Is it really the same, is this photographer even making enough to stay in business and will they still be in business for my wedding.

4. Freebies can mean two things:
A. The photographer does not believe in the quality of their work and  feel they have to give things away to attract people.
B. They are more often than not already loaded into the price.  This is common.
My personally favourite is $5000 packages for only $3500. That is a very big discount and I start to think, is the $5000 a fictitious number to begin with - YES most defiantly, they probably have never sold it at $5000.

5. Are you a photographer or a sales consultant?
It's becoming common practice these days to put a professional sales consultant as the face of the business.  These people are experts at getting sales results, not photography.

6. Can you show me more work other than what is on display i.e. a full set of proofs from a current wedding and if possible clients albums.
This will show you what their work is like on a day to day basis and not just the best of the best.

7. Do you have any formal qualification in photography.
Many cheap photographers start because they think it's easy money and they have a good camera.  I hate to burst there bubble but it's not the camera that makes you a good photographer, it's being able to paint with light and being able to predict what is going to happen and being in the right place at the right time.  Well composed images is a real skill that has taken all professional photographer years of practise and knowledge to master.

There are a lot more questions to ask, but these few questions will give you enough to see past the smoke screen.  I often liken our industry to stories you hear about dodgy used car sales people, sounds and looks great on the outside but once you get in the whole thing falls apart and you have brought a lemon.

Please don't get me wrong, you have to feel like you are getting a good deal, the trick is not to sacrifice quality of photography.  The product is self is the same in most cases, it's the photography and the character of the photographer that is different and is what you are really paying for, you just need to look past the material facts to see what you are really getting.  If I only had $1 for every time I was told "this photographer gave me extra extra extra", but is that ultimately worth it is the result are not what you expected. 

The moral of the story is that we might all uses similar products, but we don't all have the same ability, skill and personality to help make your day spectacular.  Get a photographer with sold prices for a great product and most importantly confidants they will deliver a fantastic end result.

Now with all this said, if you make a decision to go with a photographer based on price and you are able to identify the true quality of their work/product and know what you are getting, you will have made the right decision.  The point is to avoid paying for something you will not get.