Weddings are back in full force - even amidst a pandemic. Bride's face new & added challenges today. Not only do most brides work full time while planning a wedding, but now they are dealing with Covid issues. What are they? Rescheduling your wedding multiple times, creating a split-wedding with 2 dates (micro wedding ceremony and a reception later), stress with family members attending, etc.
I have also noticed that brides are making their weddings extra special with all those details and DIY projects. Creating your dream wedding whether big or small... do not forget that the person that captures your wedding day is of utmost importance. So this leads me into my Quality vs. Quantity speech...
Most brides are completely shocked (I mean "deer in the headlights") when they are quoted photography. Some have expressed their budget restrictions, or that they opt out of professional level photography and choose to go with a friend or family member who takes great pictures and owns an expensive camera. So my goal today is to educate people on what goes into professional level photography service.
I spend countless hours prior to the wedding day creating a wedding day photography schedule and a list of family formals so nothing gets overlooked. My team meets and discusses the wedding day so they are all aware of where they need to be and when, I explain any sensitive situations to them so they don't upset anyone, etc. etc. At every wedding (big or small) we arrive with professional level equipment, back up equipment, lighting, light stands, radio slaves, etc. A pro level digital camera body cost between $3-$6000 each. Lenses, memory, cards, tripods, you get the picture...
Technology as it improves forces us to upgrade equipment and computer systems to keep up & not get "outdated". Keep in mind that most "semi-pro" photographers do not know how to use off camera lighting, they do not have back-up equipment, & their quality will be much less than the overall quality you will receive from a pro-level wedding photographer.
Does your photographer advise you on wedding day timeline? hair/makeup tips (very important). Do they talk to you about your wedding dress/veil length? Do they have the required insurance to access your wedding day venue? Do they deliver you a full set of high resolution images or do they give you unedited images and have you do the work and select 50 for a final edit? How long do they take to deliver the images? A general guide is that if they are taking months to deliver they are spending hours and hours fixing images that weren't shot properly out of the camera. Are you confident that your photographer will back up your images on separate hard drives so they do not loose anything in a crash?
I offer what I like to call the "Rosina experience". From the initial contact you will experience my quick response time. I educate my brides and give them feedback on things even if not directly related to photography. I care about my client's wedding day photography experience and want to keep it stress free for the couple so I can for-see problems that most likely will arise on wedding day. I will hire extra staff if I know the maid of honor is not going to fulfill her duties so that my bride can still have that extra needed help. I guide and help my couples choose the perfect location and outfit selection for their engagement session. I have had brides just call me to talk things out or get my advice on family situations. I have guided and helped brides pick their wedding venue. My staff has fixed bouquets, set up candy displays, wiped down chairs that got soaked in the rain, assist the videographer (if he comes solo), help the venue staff with issues... we do a lot of behind the scenes help/work that mostly goes unnoticed. My price point varies from $3500-$6500. I do quote micro weddings (as per the details provided) to my clients. Overall be sure you are willing to loose quality and service if you are NOT willing to pay the quantity. When coming up with a wedding day budget be realistic on how much you should be paying for a qualified wedding photographer. You can save money by getting married on a Friday or Sunday or even off-season. With all those horrible nightmare stories out there it's not worth it. And I will add this: if you are starting out as a wedding photographer do NOT take on jobs that you are not qualified to shoot, it's not fair to the client. Wedding photography is the highest level of photography that you can reach because it does require that you have to work in different lighting situations and at a very fast pace, you have to know how to pose every body type, keep the client stress free so that doesn't show up in the photo's, and overall do a good job, every bride deserves that.
