Everyone loves a bargain, but when it comes to your photos you don’t want to skimp on a cheap wedding photographer.
This is an investment, these photos you will look at for the rest of your life. I know weddings aren’t cheap, especially here in Maui (we live here so we know how much this place costs). When you’re already investing money into such a momentous day, why skimp on the photography. It will be the only lasting memory you have. Your images are something not only your friends and family will see but your grandchildren too.
Wouldn’t you rather have someone who captures your day perfectly?
EXPERIENCE
This one is obvious – With time comes experience and therefore raising our prices. If you are choosing a cheap photographer, they inevitably don’t have the same level of experience as someone who charges more.
I’ve been shooting weddings for around 10 years now, yes I started out cheap. I advertised on Craigslist and that’s how I got my first simple weddings, there’s nothing wrong with that. BUT it is worth considering how much your wedding photos mean to you? Are you prepared to take a risk on someone less experienced?
When I started out my photos had a sepia / purple hue and a slanting horizon! Hey it’s all good if you like that kind of thing. Ask your photographer, how many years have they been in business? And see if they have a good reputation?
REVIEWS
Checkout their reviews. An experienced wedding photographer will know how to handle any situation that comes their way. The time that goes into wedding photography is often underestimated. There’s not only the wedding day picture taking and people-rallying, weather reading. There’s multiple emails back and forth, planning, also the post wedding editing, and making sure the finished files will be good to print.
EQUIPMENT
A photographer that is charging more has invested in thousands of dollars of equipment, usually upwards of $20,000. And that’s not including the hours of training and courses they have attended. This equipment has to be serviced and cleaned multiple times a year at a high cost. Does your cheaper photographer have backup cameras incase one stops working (this happened to me at a wedding recently. Thankfully I had extra camera bodies with me, it DOES happen) Different lenses to suit different situations, a good lighting system for after dark? The gear does not make the photographer, having the RIGHT gear, backups and knowing how to use it all does.
BACK UPS
This is similar to experience, in that your photographer should be backing up their files and taking precautions about equipment failure. I had a power surge blowout my computer and drives a couple of years ago, thankfully I’d backed up all the important stuff, but I did lose some personal files that I’d forgotten about. I back my wedding images up three times and don’t delete off the cards until the wedding has been delivered. How would you feel if your photographer lost your images? That’s worth the extra investment alone and you can bet that someone who is just starting out has not invested in having three different backup sources.
QUALITY
Yes you can have uncle bob take your photos, but the skill with which he takes them may be lacking. The posing might not be flattering (that’s a common one). The pictures may be under or over exposed, he may miss important shots or moments. And they may get edited in a way you don’t really love. Why have your most important memories captured this way ?
The bottom line, is you get what you pay for. If you want someone that has invested in you and your wedding day, then you have to invest in them. If you’d like to get a quote for Maui wedding photography contact me here.
