Ggggrrrr - thought lining up a photographer would be simple

hannahjex

This guy seems pretty affordable:
http://www.desiredimage.co.uk/
I found him on his ebay classified ad here (it says he covers essex):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330313903182

Also look at:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120387022714

Hope this helps. xx

jonny_power

crldnll wrote: »

my weddings not until June 2010, still feels quite far away! Yeah, getting the images on a disc (copywrite free) is something we couldn't find at many places, or if they did, they would charge ridiculous prices! Although it's a while to my wedding, and I can't assure you what the photo's will be like, haywoodjones have been really good so far, Bethan has been really helpful, and very friendly

cool. our wedding is March 2010, I've inquired about their availability and will let you know how we get on

lindaatno9

I think photographers can be one of the most expensive parts of the wedding. Way above the dress. Perhaps this is because you will be looking at these images forever (with any luck)
Colleges are a good idea but it's a matter of trusting the "chosen" victim.
Have you thought about offering disposable cameras and asking for dublicate prints? How many times have you looked at someones wedding snaps and thought how wonderful they are? With photoshop and picture editing, you can scan them into the computer and edit them as you like. You can also choose to have some black and white options. What a wonderful way to reminise with your new husband over a glass of wine.
HTH x

missimaxo

From a wedding photographers point of view I can try and justify why photographers charge as they do. Most couples do want far more service than you are looking for, and as such are willing to pay more for the service. The price obviously includes coverage on the day and any extras offered by that photographer within that package, eg. developing, digital alteration, albums, website hosting etc. They also have to pay for professional indemnity and public liability insurance, the actual equipment etc.

I understand that you do not want these extras and want a very basic service, however if a photographer agrees to do a low cost deal for you they are potenitally stopping themselves from booking that day for someone willing to pay more, and as such losing out on income. (most photographers only book 1 wedding a day). This may not be as much of an issue if you are not getting married at a peak time (weekend/ summer) but even though there is a ressession we have not seen a drop in bookings.

I am not going to go into what we do or do not offer, yes we have a low cost option that covers what you want but we do not cover Essex. I just wanted to put the other point of view of why you are struggling to find someone willing to just cover what you want. You may be better with a trainee photographer (who may even do it for free - to gain experience) or as others have suggested, search ebay/ gumtree/ local ads.

lindaatno9

Excellent point missimaxo. It's like venues. They have the same dilema of only being able to book 1 wedding per day if the party wishes to use it for the duration. For the likes of cake makers, florists etc, they can bang out more than 1 per day, or me, I work in advance so make several wedding party outfits per year.

Ms_Brush

Thank you for all your replys everyone, I needed to let off steam and de-stress! I would also urge everone not to be intimidated into spending fortunes on photography, unless you want what is on offer, especially after my recent experiences.

"I understand that you do not want these extras and want a very basic service, however if a photographer agrees to do a low cost deal for you they are potenitally stopping themselves from booking that day for someone willing to pay more, and as such losing out on income." - missimaxo, I do take your point, which you articulated very elegantly, and understand completely where you are coming from, and some of the reasons why some photographers would be reluctant to do this.

However, every one of the 6 photographers I spoke to was available on our wedding day - which is 6 weeks today. Notwithstanding the fixed and variable costs which I would expect any supplier to cover with their fees, which I understand completely as a senior manager in a large organisation, it is not difficult to work out that they either dont want the work, or they are attempting to take advantage of the situation (ie the short notice and assumption that I dont understand what is involved).

First rule of business - understand your customer!! None of these people even attempted to do this.
Not one of them was prepared to embark on a reasonable conversation, all I got was a hard sell of the packages and their view of the benefits I would get, which didnt match my wants and needs. I was quite frankly disgusted with the attitude that most of them took - and even if the price was right I wouldnt have booked them anyway! I think I must be the customer from hell:D

Thankfully, the situation has been resolved, and I can relax again. A friend of my Dad's has stepped in (he is semi-pro, and OH approves of his work, which is a huge bonus!!). He is doing exactly what we want for us as a wedding present - which is perfect, but I would have been happy to pay him for his time and travel costs etc. In return, we will be asking him to join us for the meal as well - he was invited to the evening anyway!

It makes me really cross that as soon as the W word is mentioned, the price quadruples and all sense of reality flies out of the window!

Good luck to all, and I hope you all manage to escape the 'hold you to ranson' attitude that appears to go with the entire wedding industry!

Anyone want any help to do this - just PM me!!
Sx

gill_81uk

That sounds perfect for you Ms Brush. I'm so glad you've got it sorted. Hope you can relax (a little bit!) and enjoy the last few weeks leading up to your wedding.

missimaxo

I can understand your frustration and glad you are sorted. You are right in that if your wedding is 6 weeks away, and a photographer is available then thsy should have been more flexible (I certainly would be!) I misunderstood and thought it was further away!

Good luck on your wedding day and I hope you have a fantastic time xx