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Wedding photography.... Who really needs it?
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Feb 25, 2021 09:28:17   #
gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast
 
If it needs to be done at all, set strict limits on what the photographer will provide, half a dozen or fewer key moments. Then gather snapshots from those attending who are willing to share.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 09:34:02   #
Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV
 
Photography is a unique world. You may think wedding photos are a waste but I doubt anyone is going to sit and look through hundreds of photos of birds and wildlife taken around my property. I think the difference is who takes the photos. The person taking wedding photos cares little about reviews down the road but the person taking wildlife photos always gets a charge when reviewing old photos.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 09:41:28   #
Chan Garrett
 
Rongnongno wrote:
If you think about it, wedding photography is a rip-off from beginning to end.

Folks are spending a large amount of money to 'create' memories' but really, what is left after a few months?

Very little, possibly an image or two on walls that will never be looked at again, a couple of albums that will gather dust until lost during a move.

In a few years the images will be yellow, desuet on some piece of furniture among other equally old and part of a scenery some call home.

Years later the album may be reopened one day by a kid who was snooping around and sees images of a wedding they do not relate to. “Is it you mom? Dad?” Then the album is placed back into a dark corner and forgotten again.

Nostalgia lasts only as long as someone remembers.

When reopened next, it might be when someone cleans out an attic and finds a trace of an event, does not know who is in the pictures, guesses about it for a few moments. The album is placed on a pile, 'keep' if the person wants to look at it again but probably will forget that too. With a little less luck the album ends in an estate sale and those that did not make the cut, the greatest majority, in a literal bin disposed up in a field full of trash... Who wants a cracked, dried up book made of people no one knows?

So thousands of $$$ to fill the dumpster, historical or real...

Those here who speak of the 'ethics' in pricing should stop and think about their 'commodity' offerings and realize that they are ripping up folks who need their revenues toward something more useful than spit in the wind.

Now, yes there is a market so why not profit from folk's gullibility? You must have a photographer because the Jones had one.

At the very least, now, be honest about it when you work, at least in your mind.
If you think about it, wedding photography is a ri... (show quote)


Some years back, My wife and I started our own wedding photography business in Atlanta, GA. The market was very good and very competitive.
We had a number of "high end" weddings and our customers expressed great satisfaction with our work.
Many times we heard stories from around the country of families who experienced fire or other disasters concerning their house or apartment where their first thought was to rush in and save their photographs, especially their wedding album.
Times may now have changed with the advent of cell phone cameras where now everyone is a photographer and photography has lost some of its value due to over saturation, but many still value "good" photography and the memories it records.
I suspect that the older one gets, the more the photographic memories are valued. My wife and I still keep a framed image from our wedding (62 years ago) on display in our bedroom.

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Feb 25, 2021 10:08:34   #
Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana
 
BebuLamar wrote:
I do not have to think about it. I didn't want any pictures of my wedding.


I hope the bride agreed.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:09:07   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
I'm not sure about this, but I have a theory. I think that when people are getting married, they want pictures of the entire day so they can look back on what was one of the biggest events in their lives.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:17:46   #
BebuLamar
 
Rab-Eye wrote:
I hope the bride agreed.


No she didn't agree with that so she had 2 of her friends taking the pictures. When it was done the friends gave me the films and I take it from there. I had the film developed and making the prints myself in my own color darkroom.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:18:24   #
alexol
 
Rongnongno wrote:
If you think about it, wedding photography is a rip-off from beginning to end.

Folks are spending a large amount of money to 'create' memories' but really, what is left after a few months?
...
{big snip}...

.......


Next up, funeral expenses. Now THERE'S a total rip off!

Reply
 
 
Feb 25, 2021 10:20:22   #
DebAnn Loc: Toronto
 
Rongnongno wrote:
If you think about it, wedding photography is a rip-off from beginning to end.

Folks are spending a large amount of money to 'create' memories' but really, what is left after a few months?

Very little, possibly an image or two on walls that will never be looked at again, a couple of albums that will gather dust until lost during a move.

In a few years the images will be yellow, desuet on some piece of furniture among other equally old and part of a scenery some call home.

Years later the album may be reopened one day by a kid who was snooping around and sees images of a wedding they do not relate to. “Is it you mom? Dad?” Then the album is placed back into a dark corner and forgotten again.

Nostalgia lasts only as long as someone remembers.

When reopened next, it might be when someone cleans out an attic and finds a trace of an event, does not know who is in the pictures, guesses about it for a few moments. The album is placed on a pile, 'keep' if the person wants to look at it again but probably will forget that too. With a little less luck the album ends in an estate sale and those that did not make the cut, the greatest majority, in a literal bin disposed up in a field full of trash... Who wants a cracked, dried up book made of people no one knows?

So thousands of $$$ to fill the dumpster, historical or real...

Those here who speak of the 'ethics' in pricing should stop and think about their 'commodity' offerings and realize that they are ripping up folks who need their revenues toward something more useful than spit in the wind.

Now, yes there is a market so why not profit from folk's gullibility? You must have a photographer because the Jones had one.

At the very least, now, be honest about it when you work, at least in your mind.
If you think about it, wedding photography is a ri... (show quote)


That's pretty sad - I feel sorry for you if you believe what you wrote. If it was true that people don't want to look at photos of people throughout their lives, no-one would be visiting art galleries to look at pictures of people. Think about it. Mona Lisa would stop having any value at all and everyone knows that will never happen.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:34:05   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
alexol wrote:
Next up, funeral expenses. Now THERE'S a total rip off!

Riiiiiiight!!!!!

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:38:04   #
sailorWB
 
Considering the cost of weddings and how long some marriages last, I have long proposed the following. The wedding should be simple and cost no more than $1,000. If the couple is still married 10 years later, then you have the big party.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 10:51:05   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Rongnongno wrote:
If you think about it, wedding photography is a rip-off from beginning to end.

Folks are spending a large amount of money to 'create' memories' but really, what is left after a few months?

Very little, possibly an image or two on walls that will never be looked at again, a couple of albums that will gather dust until lost during a move.

In a few years the images will be yellow, desuet on some piece of furniture among other equally old and part of a scenery some call home.

Years later the album may be reopened one day by a kid who was snooping around and sees images of a wedding they do not relate to. “Is it you mom? Dad?” Then the album is placed back into a dark corner and forgotten again.

Nostalgia lasts only as long as someone remembers.

When reopened next, it might be when someone cleans out an attic and finds a trace of an event, does not know who is in the pictures, guesses about it for a few moments. The album is placed on a pile, 'keep' if the person wants to look at it again but probably will forget that too. With a little less luck the album ends in an estate sale and those that did not make the cut, the greatest majority, in a literal bin disposed up in a field full of trash... Who wants a cracked, dried up book made of people no one knows?

So thousands of $$$ to fill the dumpster, historical or real...

Those here who speak of the 'ethics' in pricing should stop and think about their 'commodity' offerings and realize that they are ripping up folks who need their revenues toward something more useful than spit in the wind.

Now, yes there is a market so why not profit from folk's gullibility? You must have a photographer because the Joneses had one.

At the very least, now, be honest about it when you work, at least in your mind.
If you think about it, wedding photography is a ri... (show quote)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have had the displeasure of reading some ill-informed, ignorant, repugnant, inflammatory, disrespectful, and unnecessarily hurtful and scathing posts, responses and attacks on this forum but this one is simply disgusting!

And of course, this is gonna attract the usual entourage of MISOGAMISTS (marriage haters), disgrunteled or failed former wedding photographers, and an onslaught of people who never were involved in professional weddg photography, don't know what hell they are talking about but just like to inject nasty comments.

I've been professionally photographing weddings for well over 50 years. It can be hard and demanding work at times- it's HONEST work that requires skill, patience, empathy and sometimes the willingness to sweat and put in long hours! I don't know of any serious professional who sets out to "rip off" his or her clients. Personally, I have great respect for my customers and do not consider them gullible, stupid or frivolous. People of certain backgrounds and cultures place great importance on the celebration of their marriage and will invest large sums of money in the event, oftentimes photography is the least of it. Some folks do not prioritize such celebrations and expenditures.

Word of mot referral is important in every business and people asking others to recommend a good photographer is not "keeping up with the Jones''. I suppose, however, that you can find something foolish or sinister in just about anything.

Perhas people do spend money on lots of non-necessities and at the peril of their financial integrity. Chen out the forum- there are lots of talented photographers and I assume they can afford their hobby or luxuries. There are others who invest significantly in high-end photographic equipment and yet have absolutely no talent, can't expose or compose a decent picture to save the life and yet carry on. I fear many of these incompetents have taken on wedding photography for "fun and profit" and although they were well-meaning, the customer ended up "ripping thyself off" by not seeking out recommendations, and finding a good professional.

I have photographed thousands of weddings. I'm sure some of my clients were divorced, others never look at their album, perhaps a few have intentionally burned them. For the most part, I think not! I still get occasion re-order from old customers. I have replaced many wedding albums that were water-damaged or lost in house fires. Many of my long-time customers tell me that in months following their wedding they frequently enjoyed their albums with friends and relatives and later it kinda went into storage in a closet or the bookshelf. Now, however, much time has passed, many of the elders and loved-ones are gone and they absolutely cherish those images. I have received many albums for re-binding because the album itself is worn out- somebody's been enjoying their old pictures.

The pandemic has caused many business failures for family portrait and wedding photographers. Some are struggling and trying to survive so they can see some recovery going forward. This is a fin time to post your disgraceful diatribe.

What hell is wrong with you- man!

Reply
 
 
Feb 25, 2021 11:17:21   #
Pixljockey Loc: Southeast Pa.
 
My wife had our brother-in-law do our wedding, with his Mamiya 645. I later borrowed it to shoot 2 of my brothers weddings. We both enjoyed shooting the weddings and the pictures came out fine. We do look at them from time to time, not only to remember the day, but also the relatives who are not among us these 40 yrs later. I’m glad we took the time to document it. Maybe now, with many marriages ending in divorce a few years on, it’s always in the back of their minds, that it’s not that important. I guess I’d have a hard time explaining why I’ve kept 2 very large cardboard boxes full of pre digital pics and negs...

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 11:25:54   #
David Martin Loc: Cary, NC
 
Rongnongno wrote:
If you think about it, wedding photography is a rip-off from beginning to end.

Folks are spending a large amount of money to 'create' memories' but really, what is left after a few months?

Very little, possibly an image or two on walls that will never be looked at again, a couple of albums that will gather dust until lost during a move.

In a few years the images will be yellow, desuet on some piece of furniture among other equally old and part of a scenery some call home.

Years later the album may be reopened one day by a kid who was snooping around and sees images of a wedding they do not relate to. “Is it you mom? Dad?” Then the album is placed back into a dark corner and forgotten again.

Nostalgia lasts only as long as someone remembers.

When reopened next, it might be when someone cleans out an attic and finds a trace of an event, does not know who is in the pictures, guesses about it for a few moments. The album is placed on a pile, 'keep' if the person wants to look at it again but probably will forget that too. With a little less luck the album ends in an estate sale and those that did not make the cut, the greatest majority, in a literal bin disposed up in a field full of trash... Who wants a cracked, dried up book made of people no one knows?

So thousands of $$$ to fill the dumpster, historical or real...

Those here who speak of the 'ethics' in pricing should stop and think about their 'commodity' offerings and realize that they are ripping up folks who need their revenues toward something more useful than spit in the wind.

Now, yes there is a market so why not profit from folk's gullibility? You must have a photographer because the Jones had one.

At the very least, now, be honest about it when you work, at least in your mind.
If you think about it, wedding photography is a ri... (show quote)


Sorry your wedding was not memorable. In my case, it most certainly was. And we look at our wedding photos from time to time, and have one hanging on our wall. Same for my 3 daughters' weddings. They cherish their photos, as they cherish their marriages.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 11:27:36   #
DebAnn Loc: Toronto
 
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have had the displeasure of reading some ill-informed, ignorant, repugnant, inflammatory, disrespectful, and unnecessarily hurtful and scathing posts, responses and attacks on this forum but this one is simply disgusting!

And of course, this is gonna attract the usual entourage of MISOGAMISTS (marriage haters), disgrunteled or failed former wedding photographers, and an onslaught of people who never were involved in professional weddg photography, don't know what hell they are talking about but just like to inject nasty comments.

I've been professionally photographing weddings for well over 50 years. It can be hard and demanding work at times- it's HONEST work that requires skill, patience, empathy and sometimes the willingness to sweat and put in long hours! I don't know of any serious professional who sets out to "rip off" his or her clients. Personally, I have great respect for my customers and do not consider them gullible, stupid or frivolous. People of certain backgrounds and cultures place great importance on the celebration of their marriage and will invest large sums of money in the event, oftentimes photography is the least of it. Some folks do not prioritize such celebrations and expenditures.

Word of mot referral is important in every business and people asking others to recommend a good photographer is not "keeping up with the Jones''. I suppose, however, that you can find something foolish or sinister in just about anything.

Perhas people do spend money on lots of non-necessities and at the peril of their financial integrity. Chen out the forum- there are lots of talented photographers and I assume they can afford their hobby or luxuries. There are others who invest significantly in high-end photographic equipment and yet have absolutely no talent, can't expose or compose a decent picture to save the life and yet carry on. I fear many of these incompetents have taken on wedding photography for "fun and profit" and although they were well-meaning, the customer ended up "ripping thyself off" by not seeking out recommendations, and finding a good professional.

I have photographed thousands of weddings. I'm sure some of my clients were divorced, others never look at their album, perhaps a few have intentionally burned them. For the most part, I think not! I still get occasion re-order from old customers. I have replaced many wedding albums that were water-damaged or lost in house fires. Many of my long-time customers tell me that in months following their wedding they frequently enjoyed their albums with friends and relatives and later it kinda went into storage in a closet or the bookshelf. Now, however, much time has passed, many of the elders and loved-ones are gone and they absolutely cherish those images. I have received many albums for re-binding because the album itself is worn out- somebody's been enjoying their old pictures.

The pandemic has caused many business failures for family portrait and wedding photographers. Some are struggling and trying to survive so they can see some recovery going forward. This is a fin time to post your disgraceful diatribe.

What hell is wrong with you- man!
--------------------------------------------------... (show quote)


Well said Ed - and consider yourself chastised Rongnongno!

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 11:28:57   #
Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb
 
I don't even need the camera any more, I'm on Social Security.
I my list my junk (junk now as I don't need it) but, I don't need to as I get Social Security checks.
Yep I'm a vegetable and I just need water and sun

Reply
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