Wednesday 8 February 2012

Wedding Photography – Do you get what you pay for?

It is clearly a buyer’s market and people are more prepared to shop around for the cheapest quote than ever before.

If you are buying a TV or a computer it makes perfect sense to get it from Ebay or some other online trader if you can save a few pounds over your high street shop. OK, you may be taking a slight risk in terms of reliability of service, but you still have the manufacturer’s guarantee and the bottom line is that you know the product you get is identical wherever you get it from.

This is not the case with photography. If two different photographers cover an event like a wedding, the end results they produce will inevitably be totally different. These differences will be a product of differences in their skill sets, how hard they work or their creativity. Despite this, people are now applying the same “hunt for the cheapest price” approach to a creative service just as if it were an "off the shelf" commodity.

Like many photographers, I take a great pride in the quality of my work and if I think I can improve on a good shot by taking a few more from different angles, I will do that even though I know it will cause me extra editing later. If I think I can get a nice effect by using natural light rather than flash, I'll try it even though I know I may have to do some extra editing to sharpen the image or "clean up" some image noise.

I now find that the prices I charge, which I believe to be very good value, are now being undercut by photographers who offer packages that look very similar. However, unless they are working below the minimum wage, I know they cannot deliver the same quality as me without significantly cutting corners.

Of course standards vary considerably, but there is some truth in the idea that you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to a service that involves skill and creativity.

To see my wedding portfolios visit: http://rogerdayphotography.com/weddinglibrary.html


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