Our last post about saving money on wedding photography discussed how eliminating the pro photographer can lead to disappointing images. This time, we’ll compare the cost savings of the “Friends and Family” method with the value received from pro photographer services
“Friends and Family”:
Your wedding guests are just that-guests, and once they get caught up in the celebration that your special day deserves, they may be too distracted to capture the important moments. And, you are gambling that they know how to use a camera properly in the varying light that churches and reception halls are notorious for. Lighting for ambiance creates real challenges in capturing properly exposed images. The usually come out too dark, or if they are well-lit a slow shutter speed means blurry pictures. But let’s look at your actual costs-disposable film cameras cost about $5 to buy, and another $10 to develop the film and make the prints. If you have 100 guests, you’ll have about 10 tables, and most likely 2 cameras per table with 27 exposures each.
Total Cost: $300
Total Prints: 540 4×6 prints-if all exposures are printable.
That’s right, you’ll get the good, the bad and the ugly. So you may get 540 prints, but you might only get half or less that are truly keepers. There will be many that are too dark, too light, poorly composed (chopped off head, a thumb in the lens), out of focus or just plain indecent. Yes, your guests may also share some very nice digital images, but there is no guarantee that they will suitable for enlarging-especially if they are taken with a camera phone.
Professional Photographer:
Proper coverage of a wedding or special event is a big job. We anticipate the action and then snap the shot at the decisive moment with the camera and lighting at the proper settings. We make sure that there are captures of the details, such as the flowers, invitation and place settings, the special moments before, during and after the ceremony, and the festive atmosphere of the reception. And we have contingency plans in place in case of bad weather or other unexpected occurrences. No matter how many there are in your wedding party, we will pose them so they look their best in the gowns and tuxedos that you selected specially. We’ll make the rounds at the cocktail hour and the dinner to make sure that everyone is included in the photos, so your record of the day includes your specially selected and invited loved ones.
The total cost depends on the options chosen, but let’s match “Friends and Family” and go with just coverage, processing and proof prints, based on Vivid Visions Photo current price list.
Total Cost: $575 for 5 hours of coverage and unlimited images captured in that time frame
Total Prints: 200 usable images guaranteed and mounted in proof album with typically 100 to 200 additional prints provided
Extras: Password protected online gallery, DVD or CD of all proofs delivered formatted in print and email resolutions. All images presented will be keepers. They will be properly lit, optimized for color and dynamically composed.
When you have put so much effort into making sure your special day is as perfect as it can be, you’ll want to remember it in photographs that are the best they can be.
