Try Ebay for your photographer!**UPDATED NOW WITH PICTURES!**

lucylucky

Just out of curiosity why does the price say £49.99 and then he charges £50?

Nice camera he uses, not a professional one but takes some really good pics.

o_t_e

Kitty1 wrote: »

says he is a member of the swpp

But search his name here

http://www.swpp.co.uk/find_photographer.htm

Nothing.

The swpp member list gets scraped by listings/SEO spam merchants all the time - some photographers choose not be listed to avoid having there time wasted with repeated sales phone calls.

POPPYOSCAR

shellsuit wrote: »

This is the one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wedding-Photographer-West-Midlands-50-No-hidden-charge-/250646709907?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_Celebrations_Occasions_ET&hash=item3a5bb54693

That is a different one to the one I found.

He says he will attend wedding rehearsal etc and by the sound of things be at the wedding all day.How on earth can he make a living on £50.00?

lucylucky

Trying to build up a portfolio - it is a lost leader.

POPPYOSCAR

But he says he has been doing it for 10 years surely he must have a portfolio by now?

lucylucky

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

But he says he has been doing it for 10 years surely he must have a portfolio by now?

One might have thought so - and that he had bought himself a professional camera.

But obviously not.

o_t_e

Only a few years ago, if you booked a canon snapper, chances are they'd be using a xxD body; jobbing photographers upgrade cameras when there is a business need not simply because there is a new model for sale - nothing wrong with a 40D/500D combination in my opinion. Having the right lenses is more important.

The pictures are clearly all from the same wedding and he doesn't claim to have 10 years of experience of wedding photography so the stated aim of building a portfolio seems reasonable. If it's all you can afford it's better than nothing.

sarah_elton

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

But he says he has been doing it for 10 years surely he must have a portfolio by now?

No, importantly it says he has been "into photography" for 10 years. Looks like he's been into photography as a hobby for a long time and now wants to turn it into a business.

Nothing wrong with that, my H2B is an amateur photographer who often talks about doing a bit more one day.

This guy comes across as genuine; it's a good way to get photos on a budget. The risk you take is that he's still learning when it comes to wedding photography, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Re pricing of £49.99 vs. £50, I think you pay a higher eBay listing for listings priced at £50+ compared to £49.99 and under so he's just saving a couple of quid.

brianhodgkinson

Hi,It's funny what you can turn up on the net..
The e-bay listing for £50.00 Wedding Photographer is mine. I have read all the threads and felt that maybe I should clarify a few things. I won't put quotes from people because I feel that all the comments are valid and one of the benefits of forums such as these, is people having the confidence and their right to voice opinions. I may go on a bit so please be patient with me.
Arran Wright - the e-bay ID selling the package is my wife's brother. My name is Brian Hodgkinson. Feel free to do a search on the SWPP website. I have not been a proffesional photographer for 10 years but rather a very keen amateur. I was a driving Instructor up to a couple of years ago but I had a stroke. Decided it was time to do something I was pationate about rather than just paying the bills - life is way to short. The problem when deciding to do something like photography for a living is having a portfolio to show clients.
There are a number of ways round this.
1) show pictures that you have built up over time.
2) Either hire models to do fake wedding shoots or use models who are looking to increase their own portfolio who will do it for free
3) Google wedding images, copy them and paste them on your website.

Option 1 is no good - thats why I charge £50 - sorry £49.99( e-bay prices do go up once over £50 and my brother in law was paying the fee.
Option 2 - have a look at a photographers website, there are many out there who have used models to get that perfect shot. Question is how long did that shot take? There are many things I would take into account if I used a model. The models themselves,Location,Lighting etc,etc. - You get great shots but no experience of a real wedding.
Option 3 - bit naughty this one, but it can happen!

The option I chose was to try and be honest with people. The pictures on the listing are from the same wedding - ok I cherry picked a few but I have a meeting with Claire later this week where she can see all the pictures from that wedding.

It's wrong to tell people I have alot of experience when I don't and charge them accordingly. I would love to to charge people £1500 for wedding photography, but these people have years of experience and that is what you are paying for.
Ok the Canon 40d is not a pro camera - but it is not a basic entry level DSLR either. Having a pro camera worth over £2000 does not make the person behind it take any better pictures. I am trying to build a portfolio so therefore it is my interests to ensure that I take the best pictures I can possibly take and ensure that Claire is happy with her pictures.
I will not make a fortune charging £50- but I am not trying to. I want good photographs to show to other people who will then want me to do their wedding.
There are no other charges involved. 75 images of the bride and grooms choice all high res images. Of course if somebody wants something extra like prints, storybook album or a canvas print I will charge extra - but that is entirely up to them. But again, surely it is in my best interests to take good quality photographs that somebody may want to have printed up - and no I wouldn't charge £200+ for an album of prints and hope to make my money that way or £150 for a canvas print or the same again for a storybook photo album.
I more than understand people's comments about trusting a stranger - you shouldn't and when I meet with claire if she is not happy then of course she can have a refund. But I will have a pre wedding meet, attend any rehearsals, go to the venues and if possible do a pre wedding shoot as well ( you up for that claire!!!lol) I am not only trying to build a portfolio but a reputation as well.

Thankyou for having the patience to read this.

POPPYOSCAR

Brian Thank you for posting on here.You obviously understand why some of us had our doubts when we know that wedding photography costs hundreds of pounds.

Sorry to hear about your stroke and hope you are ok now and good for you embarking on this new venture.

It seems that Claire may have found herself a real bargain here apart from the price, she may have in you, someone who may take more care and time over her pictures than someone who is just 'doing another wedding'.

I wish you well in your new career.