Post # 1
Member
371 posts
Helper bee
I don’t know which photographer to pick… so I’m hoping you can tell me what your preferences are. Here are my two options and both are within $50 of each other for basic sessions and CDs, so they’re equivalent:
#1
Pros: gorgeous pictures (love the vibrancy in both the colour and the black-and-white shots), gives around 1200 shots from the day on the disc (colour corrected), reviews seem to counter balance the worries that I have (other than the air brushing one)
Cons: a bit arrogant although he seems to get along well with everyone, shots on the disc are not corrected for any blemishes or bags under eyes (I’m not looking for magic), albums are more costly than the other choice
#2
Pros: I really like him, his pictures are very very nice (photojournalistic style), fits in well with everyone, has no constraints on us for time/# locations, etc., albums are about $200/ea cheaper than the other photographer and are gorgeous, pictures on the disc are colour corrected AND any obvious blemishes, etc., are removed
cons: only 500-600 pictures for the day, I don’t like his pictures quite as much as the other photographer’s
Feel free to tell me who you’d pick, or to give me some advice too!
Post # 3
Member
3769 posts
Honey bee
- Wedding: August 2013 - Brookfield Zoo
What is it about Photographer #2’s pictures that you don’t like as much as #1’s? I think making sure that your personalities click is important, but so is photographic style. In some cases you can just tell your photographer “I’m looking for more photojournalistic photos than posed shots” or something, but in some cases of style, it’s just how their personal shooting is (ie composition, framing, etc.) and is not easily changed because it is ingrained in them.
Post # 4
Member
371 posts
Helper bee
@elysion: I love the vibrancy in the first photographer’s pictures and I have the utmost confidence that I will like what I look like in his pictures. Whereas the second photographer has a more journalistic-feel to his shots, which sometimes works and sometimes I feel it is a bit “off” and could have been better in terms of composition. Maybe I’m just scared that the first one will make me look better but I don’t want to hurt the second one’s feelings because his work actually is really good and I’m just self conscious!
Post # 5
Member
2077 posts
Buzzing bee
I could have written this post.
We met with 2 photographers and had to weigh almost the same exact pros and cons. The first photogs were nice enough, but the whole meeting felt very forced and a little uncomfortable, despite their gorgeous, color rich photos (which is really FI’s style). The second photog we met with instantly clicked with us and was so genuine and nice. Her style is more photojournalistic (which is more my style) with slightly softer colors. We decided to go with the second photographer almost entirely because we felt so comfortable with her.
I would go with the photog who’s personality you like best. Dealing with arrogance on your wedding day, despite the amount of pictures/editing you get from them, isn’t something I’d want to deal with.
Post # 6
Member
1314 posts
Bumble bee
Only 500-600? How many photos do you think you need?
Post # 7
Member
1916 posts
Buzzing bee
If you’re concerned about the number of photos, I would consider asking about a second shooter. My photographer shoots about 500-600 photos at an eight hour wedding. The second shooter added about an additional 300 photos. That being said, I don’t think you want your photographer giving you a bunch of crappy photos just to get to 1,200 photos, because that is what he promised you.
Post # 8
Member
371 posts
Helper bee
@continuumphotography: I guess I thought that 500-600 didn’t really seem like a lot given the number of hours he will be there (about 12 hours). But maybe I’m out to lunch, given the last two replies. haha
Post # 9
Member
1314 posts
Bumble bee
@jivet: Well 12 hours is a lot of coverage, no doubt. I guess what I mean is we get asked the “how many do I get question” a lot and I don’t always quite understand the reasoning. I mean if he’s providing 500-600 images how many more do you feel you need to be satisfied, and is it just a number thing that is equated to a perception of value? My peers that operate as we do in two person teams tend to deliver about 100/hr. But it’s just a number. Some people on this board get way more than that, or feel the need to see every single image the photographer took. We are more focused on quality over quantity and I feel like if I am going to deliver beyond my normal process I need to start charging more. Depending on the level of processing involved sometimes 500 quality photos may be a much more time consuming process than 2000 that don’t receive the same level of attention in post production.
Post # 10
Member
190 posts
Blushing bee
Our photographer we picked because we liked her shooting and editing style. her pictures are journalistic with a vintage feel – which I adore. We get our best pictures of the day (450, if i recall correctly) for half what we were going to spend for someone who took very posed, very staged pictures (half his portfolio was staged shots).
We just took our engagement pics with our photographer and I am beyond thrilled to have her working our wedding.
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