It has occurred to me that the same people I have the pleasure of shooting a wedding for are much the same as me and my wife. We were married at a church had a reception and photographer and went into debt doing it. We had some parental help but we had to pay.
As I look through our photo album (we had a great photographer) and re-live that day I realized that it was well worth it. It was great to have all our family and friends come together under one roof to celebrate our wedding day. It was our official first party (with help). Our music was live, the first guy was Gypsy Pete.....he was a one man band...yes the same guy you would see in a cartoon or on TV...he was great! Our wedding photographer was awesome, not many photos, he had his fair share of drinks and he did not stick around long....but all in all he gave us some great photos to remember our day.
One thing I can do, to make your new life together memorable, is document your day....create those memories you will cherish forever. I do provide many many more photos than my photographer did but, times have changed. Creating memories is important.
This fathers day was special to me....I now live about 15 minutes from my dad in Hernando Florida. On Fathers Day we played golf for the first time together....it was special to me and I'm sure my Dad thought so as well...but, this is not a story about my personal life.....
After playing 18 holes we stopped at 19 for a cold beverage of choice....I gave the bartender a discount card for use with MatchStick Photography she was thankful and walked away.....about 5 minutes later she came back over and said I really want to thank you for this card.....I have been a single parent for 16 years and could never afford to have a professional photo taken with my kids...now I can afford it....(not because of my discount).
She also told me she had just remarried last year, a friend offered to pay for a photographer. At the last minute this friend said he was being charged to much and opted to purchase a camera from Sams Club. She went on to explain to me that she had snapshots of the day, you know dark faces, out of focus, nothing of the formal photographs not even a photograph of her and her new husband together. She said to me, if I were to put my wedding dress on would you take a few pictures of me in it? How could I say no?
Photographers come in many different shapes and sizes, offer many different packages and many different levels of expertise. Being cheap has it's pitfalls, do not get caught up in the price of your memories....do get caught up in your photographers abilities, ask to view someone else's photographs. Most photographers host weddings, family portraits, senior photos, newborn photography, and events. Ask to see an entire event.
I say this because there are those who steal photographs from others and claim they are theirs. Some will also hire expert photo editors to create works of art for their website and when you see your photographs your a bit disappointed. Hidden costs are another thing you should be aware of. Creating my packages provides you with just about everything you will want and need, prints, albums, hosting, print credits, as well as a DVD.
One other thing you need to do is make sure they are registered in either Florida or New York and that they carry insurance (for your protection). Being not registered in a State can cause some huge issues if you try to make a claim against a photographer who is not registered to do business in the State.
MatchStick Photography is registered in both NY and Florida, this is where I do a majority of my business, I am insured as well. Protecting myself as well as you is just one of those things that cost but in the long run pays off if something happens.
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