Cheap Wedding Photography
C H E A P Wedding Photography !!!!
Grabs your attention ah. Everyone, including myself, are always looking for a bargain or a deal of some sort. Wedding Photography is no different. I have been photographing weddings for nearly 8 years and have learnt a lot in that time. I have spent hours upon hours watching tutorials, practising and practising the many skills required to not just be a photographer but a competent wedding photographer from day through until the night.
Have I made mistakes along the way? of course. Mistakes will occur, we are all human after all and no one is perfect. However, when this has happened then I always look at what I did wrong, why I did it and how I can stop it happening again. Unfortunately, there are some really bad images online that I have come across and will shock you. I am unable to say if these were taken by a “cheap wedding photographer” or someone who was charging a lot more but mislead the couple and provided these really bad images.
These questions I hear getting asked all the time,
1. Why are some photographers so expensive
2. I am on a budget, would you do my wedding for “X” amount.
3. Do you work alone
4. I think I can get my friend to do it
5. My friends, cousins brothers stepdads son is okay at photography and has done a course he bought on WISH :)
Jokes aside, but the reality is true. If you want a cheap wedding photographer then there are plenty out there but please be prepared. Below I have put together a few of the images I have found online and also placed one of my images, as similar as possible in set up, so they can be compared and allow you to see what booking a cheap wedding photographer could mean to you on your wedding day.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS BLOG
I recently met up with a previous client whose wedding I shoot a few years ago. During our conversation, it was brought up that a photographer had photographed their friend’s wedding and the couple was majorly disappointed with the images. This was a photographer that charges £1k plus for weddings so not a “cheap wedding photographer” I was shown the images and was totally taken back by them. So so bad. From the edit’s to the quality and other issues such as the exposure, composition. A glance at the photographer’s web site told such a different story. It was easy to think that those images on the website were not taken by the photographer, maybe taken/stolen offline or taken by someone else. This is totally misleading to any potential couple.
It is very important that any couple who search through a photographer’s website look for consistency in their work. Look at customer reviews both online and social media. If the photographer is not on social media which this particular photographer isn’t and this makes it difficult for any bad reviews to be left.
SUMMER WEDDINGS
Always an issue, well for some. The bright harsh sunlight that creates nasty shadows and causes people to squint. No consideration of the placement of couples or groups during family group photos. Take a look at this image below.
On the left (dark image) was an image I came across online. I seriously cannot believe what I was seeing when I saw it and although I don’t know the couple I still felt sorry for them. What was the photographer doing?
To the right of this is one of my images taken during a very hot summers day. Bright sunlight. and nowhere to go for shade. Through experience, I have gained the knowledge and understanding of dealing with such situations and looking at them both, it’s clear to see the difference.
Below is a similar scenario but sadly on this occasion, the image has been totally overexposed or “blown out” as we call it and just like the first image totally unusable.
CAKE CUT SHOT / FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY
Traditionally at a wedding, a couple will have photos taken whilst cutting the wedding cake. To the left is another real poor image that I found online. Certainly looks more like it was taken on a phone but this was from the photographer and which was taken to court or such poor quality images.
To the right is one of my images of a cake cut moment. Using knowledge and experience, and using artificial lighting I have been able to create a nice clear and good quality image for the couple.
GROUP SHOTS
As per the first post above, group photos should be thought of just as much as the bride and groom images. The image to the left is a style that you don’t see much of today with its “colour splash” although it’s still used, again mostly by inexperienced or someone new to photography wanting to try this out. Consideration of the location is also important . If I was to bring the group in my image to stand more forward than they were then they would have the “dappled sun” across them which looks terrible.
CHURCH WEDDINGS
A traditional church wedding are becoming less these days. Personally I love a church wedding but it has its own challenges some of which we as photographers have no control over. The lighting in a church is more often than not very poor and pushes our cameras to the max. Experience and knowledge will help greatly in this environment.
The image top left is one I again found online. With no indication, if it was actually taken by the photographer or a guest although being in the centre of the isle I would guess the photographer. One of the many big moments of the day ruined.
SUMMER / HARSH SUN
Touch on the first part on this post as its a big problem especially as the majority of weddings are during the summer period. Take a look at the image on the left. I would like to think that this was just an image to show a bad example and not one that was provided to the couple. The “harsh” summer sun can be very enjoyable for an experienced photographer, knowing how to best to take full advantage of it. The three images show this.All shot on a very warm day that I was able to provided my couples with high quality images from the day. It may take a few extra minutes finding these perfect spots on the day but would you rather me do this or would you be happy with images like the one on the left.
FIRST DANCE
Towards the end of the night couples have their first dance. The dance floors are dark and the lights from the venue or DJ do not help in anyway for creating such nice clean images. Every first dance I do I set up my own light to take full control of what is taking place.
To the left, you can clearly see that the at couple are very badly lit. The brides dress is covered in coloured spots from the DJ lights and both are underexposed. To the right is an image I took. I asked the DJ to turn off a few light and using my own I was able to create such an image. The pink and blue lights in the back ground are also mine. A total of 5 lights used. Some may say that seem like a lot of work but thats what Im there to do during a wedding, work hard.
And finally, would a “cheap wedding photographer” be able to create images like these. Does their website (if they have one), contain a good selection within their portfolio.
REMEMBER………Your wedding day is special so if would you rather be paying more for your cake than a photographer then wow you must like cake.