Wedding Togs Listen Up - Rant Alert ;)

candlestick

candlestick

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A wedding photography rant to all you wedding togs out there (actually, one in particular!! ;) :D ) - If are a professional tog, and you are going to tut and pull faces at me when I'm taking very average shots (with absolutely no understanding of manual flash) at my brother & sister in laws wedding, please make sure of the following

1) You know how to expose pictures properly - there shouldn't be a mixture of over exposed and underexposed pictures in your finished set.

2) You understand that not using flash in low light might result in camera shake, and result in blurred pictures, especially in some of the critical bride/goom shots.

3) Photos of the back of people, or in unflattering poses, probably shouldn't make the final cut that you give to the couple, even if they are at an unnecessary 'arty angle'.

4) Shooting your group shots, with a bright sunny window behind the group, might result in difficult lighting.

5) When taking a photo of the cake, and photos of the bride, try to get them all in frame, and not with 1/2 the decoration missing, or the brides veil cut in half. A suggestion might be to use a full wide angle lens and not a 24-105 on a 40D.

6) Finally, if you are going to charge for a full day, at least turn up at the brides mothers house like you were supposed to, instead of relying on my missus with a p&s camera to capture the atmosphere.

The above should result in you actually producing better shots than a crappy amateur tog like myself (and I am seriously amateur, not a even a 1/2 decent tog!!). Even the missus, who knows absolutely nowt about photography, thinks this might help!

Thanks for listening! :D :D
 
Ouch, sounds like a rather unpleasant experience was had mate. I hope all turned out well and the B&G still had a fantastic day?
 
ooooooo...lol

There are some right charlatans out there masquerading as pro's though...lol
Do your research and only book phots that you can get personal recommendations for...that's my advice...
plus you get what you pay for - a guy charging £500 isn't going to be as professional as someone charging £2k as a general rule of thumb...no guarantee, but that's where I'd start from - the top and work down...rather than the other way round - it's expected that a wedding should be a once-in-a-lifetime event (we all know it isn't but let's not break thier hearts, shall we?) - so why skimp on the photographer?
 
Rob - they had a fantastic day, but had complaints about the food afterwards which upset them somewhat, so I'm not going to tell them their shots are crap and stick another boot in. I'm sure they must know that they're poor though.

Fabs - not sure if he was a part time pro or not, but he was definitely advertising himself at prices running well into the late hundreds I think, and had a rather camp neckerchief if that makes you a pro?? :D
 
I know what you mean Arkady, but £2K!?

We are getting married in Aug and thats double what we are paying and double most of the quotes we got. Even if we could have afforded £2K I would doubt I'd pay that much. I know a lot of work is req'd by the photographer etc but thats a lot in this climate!
 
ouch - that doesn't sound a happy experience - infact if its as bad as that I'd be pushing for money back.

Hugh
 
candlestick said:
Fabs - not sure if he was a part time pro or not, but he was definitely advertising himself at prices running well into the late hundreds I think, and had a rather camp neckerchief if that makes you a pro?? :D
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I would expect a full time pro to be advertising in the thousands to be honest. As for the neckerchief................................best not go there! :lol:
 
I'd suggest that boyfalldown, but I don't want to upset them. If they're peed off, and ask for my opinion on the other hand.....:D
 
Rob.Marsh said:
I know what you mean Arkady, but £2K!?

We are getting married in Aug and thats double what we are paying and double most of the quotes we got. Even if we could have afforded £2K I would doubt I'd pay that much. I know a lot of work is req'd by the photographer etc but thats a lot in this climate!
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I used to charge £1200 for a standard shoot on 5x4 and 6x7 film about 20 years ago...I got twice as many jobs charging that as when I'd been charging £500 when I started doing weddings to pay for food at college...there's a perception among a certain class of people that more expensive = better...and rich buggers will always have the cash handy...

It was also a lot easier shooting 'expensive weddings' - for a start, the venues were often more luxurious and photogenic - the couples tended to be better-looking (but not always). Also the people paying tended to treat you like an adult more - my opinion was respected and my timetable was adhered to once it was all agreed...
I can honestly say I never had any dramas with drunk guests or irate fathers-in-law like I did when doing the 'budget' end of the market...

Aslo I tended to put more work in - with several visits to the family to organise the different part of the shoot - aside from the wedding-day itself I would often do a couple of additional shoots with bride and bridesmaids and groom and best-man, pages etc...
 
We paid about £800 for 1 part time 'pro' and a 2nd tog who was learning when we got married 18 months ago, and even with my now slightly more trained eye, I still think the photos they took are superb!
 
Mebbe we were one of the better looking couple, eh Arkady!! :D :D
 
I see what you mean. We are paying around £1K for photos. I can see your logic.

I am pleased to say though that we based our choice on research and style preference, along with our percieved quality of the photographs.
 
Everyone knows that you're not a professional unless your sporting some form of neck-wear. All the pros on that programme with Rankin had a cravat or something similar.
 
I'd look at price first, then look at the guy (or Girl's) work to see if it matches your vision of how the day should look... It has to be a record of an event so a combination of reportage and formal is essential and it's how the photographer marries (sorry) those disciplines that counts...
 
i am rushing out now to by some neckware maybe it will help me focus better :bonk: :lol:
 
Big Gay Cravats are de rigeur if you want to look like Lord Lichfield...or a photographer...
 
It's either Cravats or facial hair a la Dean Collins. It used to be lens hoods were the mark of a pro.
 
Yes you can but you have to wear Dickie Chapelle Horn-rim glasses as well...she was a real star...a proper photographer - just went and did it...

0102000091-l.jpg
 
candlestick said:
A wedding photography rant to all you wedding togs out there (actually, one in particular!! ;) :D ) - If are a professional tog, and you are going to tut and pull faces at me when I'm taking very average shots (with absolutely no understanding of manual flash) at my brother & sister in laws wedding, please make sure of the following

1) You know how to expose pictures properly - there shouldn't be a mixture of over exposed and underexposed pictures in your finished set.

2) You understand that not using flash in low light might result in camera shake, and result in blurred pictures, especially in some of the critical bride/goom shots.

3) Photos of the back of people, or in unflattering poses, probably shouldn't make the final cut that you give to the couple, even if they are at an unnecessary 'arty angle'.

4) Shooting your group shots, with a bright sunny window behind the group, might result in difficult lighting.

5) When taking a photo of the cake, and photos of the bride, try to get them all in frame, and not with 1/2 the decoration missing, or the brides veil cut in half. A suggestion might be to use a full wide angle lens and not a 24-105 on a 40D.

6) Finally, if you are going to charge for a full day, at least turn up at the brides mothers house like you were supposed to, instead of relying on my missus with a p&s camera to capture the atmosphere.

The above should result in you actually producing better shots than a crappy amateur tog like myself (and I am seriously amateur, not a even a 1/2 decent tog!!). Even the missus, who knows absolutely nowt about photography, thinks this might help!

Thanks for listening! :D :D
Click to expand...

We must have been at the same wedding !

The wife's nephew got married a few weeks ago & was asked by him to do a slideshow using photo's supplied on a CD by the Tog.

Tog gave permission for any images to be used on CD for non commercial use.

Looking at the pics the other night I could not believe the poor standard of photography, again professional tog and assistant. The number of photo's not horizontal was incredible.

This is NOT a criticism of pro togs, I know most are very professional and stay in business working on recommendation alone.

I think the wife's nephew hired this "Tog" not knowing anything of his credentials, in fact I took better pics with my LX2, thinking if there's a pro tog doing the wedding I can leave the DSLR at home.

The second/assistant tog's pics were even more diabolical !

So it seems you pay £1200 and get rubbish if you are not careful.
 
Arkady said:
...
plus you get what you pay for - a guy charging £500 isn't going to be as professional as someone charging £2k as a general rule of thumb
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You think then that what someone charges is a guide to their competance?

Personally I don't charge £500 for an all day wedding (without an album), I have 30 years of photographic experience, 25+ of them doing weddings and 10 of them previously as a full time social photographer. I attend on time, dress in a tux (with bow tie and polished shoes) and have the necessary insurances.
 
we start at £515 for a register office wedding. and we do the job properly.
price isnt ALWAYS an indication of quality.
having said that, i would expect good quality at any price from a supposedly pro tog.

oh Ed. a bow tie?
perilously close to a cravat mate.:D
 
inaneredstripe said:
oh Ed. a bow tie?
perilously close to a cravat mate.:D
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Maybe, but not as gay looking? :lol: Benefit of a bow tie is that it does not get in the way and flap around. It has been commented on more than once how professional it looks, much better than bermuda shorts and flip flops
 
As I said inaneredstripe, it's not a pop at wedding togs, but at this one in particular - it's the same in any business, you get good suppliers and bad suppliers. Fortunately for the tog in question, he didn't do my wedding, or that cravat would have been turned into a noose!!! :D :D I'm happy in a smug kind of way that I've already got 2 of my wedding shots on display in their house - I bet he hasn't :p

I'm also kinda hoping that the tog in question comes on here, because they'll know who they are by this, and it might shame them into getting some practice or learning a bit more before they do get lynched!! :D

I'd love to do a 'compare and contrast' between my shots and his for you all, but it wouldn't be fair on him or the bride & groom! :(
 
EdBray said:
You think then that what someone charges is a guide to their competance?

Personally I don't charge £500 for an all day wedding (without an album), I have 30 years of photographic experience, 25+ of them doing weddings and 10 of them previously as a full time social photographer. I attend on time, dress in a tux (with bow tie and polished shoes) and have the necessary insurances.
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Yes.


Without knowing you, I'd start by what you charge then look at the images you produce...

If my budget was the primary factor i might go about it differently...

Plus, I couldn't care less what the guy was dressed like as long as he was reasonably presentable...it's the images I'd be more concerned about...
 
This sort of thing really rubs my goat. Yes everyone has to start somewhere but what we all need to remember is that the images we as wedding togs produce on the day are going to be with the couple their whole life and will hopefully be shown to the grand kids one day. Producing sub standard imagery for big bucks should not be tolerated in the industry anymore, especially as every tom, **** and Mary with half decent DSLR is having a go at wedding togging these days.Owning a camera, flash gun and smart suit does not make you a wedding photographer.
Is there anything anyone can do to help the couple, edit a few images to try and salvage something of the day? Possibly?
I pay tax on my income from photography, I also have professional insurance in place. Does the wedding tog in question have those things?? If he has insurance then should be no problem making a claim against him, if he don't then I doubt he will be declaring his extra earnings either. I have a number somewhere of some people in a office that love to hear about things like this.
 
2 grand for some photos!! what does the rest of a wedding cost then?

Utter madness, never understood the need for a big church turn out especially when the couple aren't even religious

Don't pay the bloke if they are rubbish, unmerchantable quaity and all that
Get some good snaps from friends, the OP sounds like he will have some

That big old book will only end up covered in dust on a shelf anyway
 
Well my wife and I paid 2k when we got married last year. I must add, however, that for that price, we got 3 album volumes of excellent photos, as well as all the negatives, and a DVD containing all the photos.

We were delighted with our photos and feel it was money well spent. :)

I should add, that the reason we used this photographer was personal recommendation!
 
This is one of the reasons I distanced myself from the wedding scene. I did weddings but to be honest, the stress involved was more than I wanted. Plus the never ending battle with part timers, using other photographers work in their portfolio and then undercutting them.....YES, so be careful when you do your research that photographer you see is the one who took the pictures.

One of the venues I worked with on a regular basis displayed albums of mine there - so couples could see the kind of thing available to them. It was symbiotic thing, the venue got a "free" portfolio of their venue, I got the publicity of potential couples booking the place seeing my work. This was 20 years ago, nobody else had albums there, but they were happy to let them. My albums were lifted, one by one, and another photographer used SOME of the pictures in his portfolio at home. Took me ages to find out who and where, but eventually someone we know was looking....and was at one of the weddings portrayed, so we were abe to take action.

That was me out of that game, despite the £1500 tag we put on an album, even back then. We only used Acerboni albums too - none of the Hallfield cheap rubbish. Hand made, Italian leather albums - Royalty and dignitaries use them, just to give you an idea of the quality of these. Nothing finer on the market. Cheaper copies now though.

Good luck with putting something together for them. Might be worth getting all the guests to donate their pictures, then go through them and select from them and put an album together from yours and theirs combined.
 
tijuana taxi said:
2 grand for some photos!! what does the rest of a wedding cost then?
Utter madness, never understood the need for a big church turn out especially when the couple aren't even religious

Don't pay the bloke if they are rubbish, unmerchantable quaity and all that
Get some good snaps from friends, the OP sounds like he will have some

That big old book will only end up covered in dust on a shelf anyway
Click to expand...

10 - 20+ K? maybe.
2 grand sounds a lot but with some albums costing more the £500 cost it's easy to get to that sort of figure.
 
I'm definitely not going to put any photos up, however if anyone wants to PM me, I'll happily email you some. I've only got access to the one's they've uploaded on facebook, but even with Facebook's insistence on oversharpening everything, a lot of them still aint sharp!! :D
 
I am dreading having to pick someone to shoot my wedding, it might be easier if you lot just express interest :lol:
 
Betty said:
I am dreading having to pick someone to shoot my wedding, it might be easier if you lot just express interest :lol:
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Sounds like an excuse for a TP meet - prize goes to the best individual portfolio on the day...?
The Couple get the pick of all the images taken...?

Yes? No?
 
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