Apr
15
2013
Some weeks ago, I have been contacted by Simply Bridal. I saw an interesting infographic on their blog which inspired me to write this blog post on what I think the different types of wedding photographers offer with their pros and cons. You comments are appreciated on the subject if you have any opinion or past experiences on the subject.
Wedding Planners:
A company specialized in the whole organisation of a wedding. They will send you one or multiple professional photographers and they will then take care of the post-production and products themselves.
Pros:
+ Simple and easy solution
+ Usually work only with experienced professional photographers
+ Production is usually fast
Cons:
- Usually much more expensive than finding your own photographer
- It is usually impossible to meet your photographer before the wedding
Full time professional wedding photographer
A professional photographer that shoots exclusively weddings.
Pros:
+ The most experienced wedding photographers
+ Production is usually very fast
+ Usually offer many high end products such as albums, prints and frames
Cons:
- Usually expensive since they base all their revenue only on wedding photography
Week-end wedding photographers
A wedding photographer that has another non-related full time job.
Pros:
+ Usually inexpensive because they do not rely on wedding photography to pay for their cost of living
Cons:
- Production may take a lot more time
- If the photographer does not sign a contract, your remedies in case of any problem are very limited or impossible
- Communications and service after the wedding may be limited
Professional Photographer (not only weddings)
As in my case, a professional photographer that also shoots events, landscapes, commercial, products, etc.
Pros:
+ Usually offer reasonable prices because they do not rely only on weddings for their revenues
+ Usualy have about as much experience as wedding photographers that do only weddings
+ Production is usually fast and of good quality
Cons:
- Experience in weddings may vary widely from photographer to photographer
- Offered products may vary widely from photographer to photographer
Shoot&Burn Photographers
A photographer that will give you your picture extremely fast after the wedding.
Pros:
+ You get your pictures very fast
+ Usually very affordable
Cons:
- No retouching and adjustments at all
- Greatly limits your possibilities for large prints (albums, frames, etc.)
- Very few professionals work that way, experience and competence is to be checked cautiously.
Aspiring Amateur
An amateur photographer takes pictures more for pleasure than for revenue.
Pros:
+ Very affordable or even free since they do not base their revenues on photography
Cons:
- Don't own a registered company and rarely sign a contract which makes it impossible to have any remedies in case of problems
- Experience and competence may vary widely
- Equipment and reliability are usually limited
- Usually do not offer any products
- Production may take a long time and results will vary according to experience
Friend or Relative
A friend or a family relative that is well equipped for photography.
Pros:
+ Free!
+ Easy to contact for organizing things
Cons:
- No contract,so you have no remedies in case of problems
- May cause interpersonal problems in case of issues
- Usually lack experience
- No warranty on the results
- Will usually work in competition for a viewpoint with other friends and family
since no particular photographer is assigned the job
- Do not offer any products and retouching
Some advice
- If your budget allows, avoid relying on a friend or relative to capture the souvenirs of the most important day of your life. A wedding is a very rare opportunity to reunite all family members and friends in a beautiful and joyful environment. Don't waste this opportunity to make memorable souvenirs if you can afford it.
- Si your budget allows you to get a professional (no mater what type), make sure you have a signed contract to make sure the photographer you met will be present at your wedding, as well as all the conditions involved.
- If you choose a professional, make sure he is the owner of a registered company. You can search the Registraire des Entreprises du Québec website. This will inform you on how long the company exists and will confirm the head office address; good indications of the reliability of the chosen photographer.
- Unless you really have no time for it, make sure to meet the photographer that will be present at your wedding in person before signing any contract. It is crucial to get along well with the person that will follow you all day more than anyone else on your wedding date.