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Wedding photography.... Who really needs it?
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Feb 24, 2021 20:28:03   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
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.

Reply
Feb 24, 2021 20:34:51   #
Cany143 Loc: SE Utah
 
When you come right down to it, nobody 'needs' anything more than food, clothing, and shelter. Recognizing, of course, that clothing is nothing more than portable shelter.

Something else nobody needs is somebody telling them what they do or do not need.

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Feb 24, 2021 20:38:33   #
Brenda IS Scottish Loc: GOLDEN Colorado
 
Yup! I have enough people telling me what to do. I do not need another

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Feb 25, 2021 06:00:48   #
HOHIMER
 
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)


And here is another one…...Toilet Paper is another rip-off, as long as there are corn cobs and old catalogs available.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 06:01:58   #
berchman Loc: South Central PA
 
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?



I would say the same thing about weddings running $20,000 and up. Back in 1963 my wife to be and I asked her father to please give us the money he was going to spend on a big wedding reception. (We held the line on the ceremony which was held in the rabbi's office with only the immediate family present.) He refused. All I remember of that fancy reception held in the Hotel St. Moritz was walking around to the different tables, getting envelopes of cash which I would put in my jacket pocket. The gifts came to around $900 which I used to buy an Eames lounge chair (leather and rosewood).

The only photographs taken were right after the ceremony in the office. My brother-in-law took a few color snapshots which I still have. Do I regret not hiring Annie Leibovitz or the like to take our wedding pictures? No.

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Feb 25, 2021 06:11:54   #
Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south
 
Weddings are a great rip-off. As I told my wife as we were planning our daughter's wedding. " You know we're only renting the food".

However, the memories are forever. As long as you have memory.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 06:25:09   #
Ollieboy
 
To add fuel to the fire, so are diamonds. They have no intrinsic value. A marketing strategy started by De Beers to start a major industry. Then again wives will hound you to your grave if you don't buy De Beers' narrative.

Reply
 
 
Feb 25, 2021 07:05:29   #
BebuLamar
 
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)


I do not have to think about it. I didn't want any pictures of my wedding.

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 07:06:08   #
foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC
 
Brenda IS Scottish wrote:
Yup! I have enough people telling me what to do. I do not need another


He is merely expressing his opinion. Are you feeling guilty because you forgot what you did with your wedding photos? LOL

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Feb 25, 2021 07:39:42   #
berchman Loc: South Central PA
 
Gasman57 wrote:
To add fuel to the fire, so are diamonds. They have no intrinsic value. A marketing strategy started by De Beers to start a major industry. Then again wives will hound you to your grave if you don't buy De Beers' narrative.


Agreed. When I proposed, my engagement gift was a custom made leather handbag by an artisan in Greenwich Village.

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Feb 25, 2021 07:39:56   #
Dannj
 
Cany143 wrote:
When you come right down to it, nobody 'needs' anything more than food, clothing, and shelter. Recognizing, of course, that clothing is nothing more than portable shelter.

Something else nobody needs is somebody telling them what they do or do not need.


Agree. “Needs” are often confused with “wants”.

Reply
 
 
Feb 25, 2021 07:50:55   #
sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD
 
Dannj wrote:
Agree. “Needs” are often confused with “wants”.


I want a hole in the wall, I need a drill

Reply
Feb 25, 2021 08:03:52   #
whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque
 
I'll never forget the first and only wedding I was asked to photograph. My roommate while stationed in the Air Force asked me to photograph his wedding to a young woman he met in Birmingham, England. He didn't have any money to hire a professional so I agreed even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I don't know what he did with the few pictures I took since I lost track of him when I moved to Alaska. My experience taught me one thing...don't ever agree to shoot another wedding! After attending many more weddings since, I now really understand why I shouldn't have agreed to that one either.

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Feb 25, 2021 08:40:27   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
I used to shoot weddings when I was using film. With digital I shot a couple of them and then I decided to enjoy photography and to shoot mostly landscapes. I never charged exorbitant prices and I guess my clients were satisfied because other couples wanted me to shoot their weddings.
The price photographers charge today for a wedding is simply a rip-off. What is even worse, many of those photographers do not do a job that merits what couples pay. What happens to those wedding photo albums I do not know, I guess it all depends on the couple. I do know that those albums are shared by family and friends immediately after the wedding.

I had the opportunity of meeting the late Monte Zucker. He established his photography business in 1947. His business became very successful and he was recognized all over the world as one of the best photographers of its time. He shot many weddings where his clients would pay $50 k. That was a fortune at the time but people paid him for his work. As a portrait photographer he was also excellent. Besides an excellent photographer he was a great educator and a great human being. I saw him working on a portrait with simple studio flash gear and he was indeed a master.

Many untrained photographers today do weddings because digital has made it easier. They cannot offer the quality that a well trained wedding photographer does and instead they charge a premium for their photography. Only God knows the problems such photographers can cause to the couple and the legal actions behind them. In this forum I have always recommended to those without the expertise to shoot weddings to refrain from doing it.

Yes, it is a rip-off not only when it comes to money but also in many cases when it comes to quality.

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Feb 25, 2021 09:20:33   #
Dannj
 
sodapop wrote:
I want a hole in the wall, I need a drill


Or: I need a hole in the wall, I need a drill.
Just a matter of perspective.

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