When Your Friend IS the Professional….

When Your Friend IS the Professional…. 

I hear a lot from potential Brides that the most important thing to them in their wedding planning process is finding the right photographer to fit all the every last dream and vision. I also hear a lot that someone, a friend, a family member, or someone in the Bride’s inner circle has offered to do their pictures but this isn’t usually an option that the Bride is comfortable with. Let’s face it, we all know at least one person who has a decent camera and takes nice little pictures of their kids, but does that translate to great wedding pictures? Sometimes working with friends and family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but then, sometimes it is. 

Let’s just pretend for a moment that your cousin Joe is a photographer, professionally, of course, and you sorta kinda like his work, and you know he’s probably going to cut you a deal because he’s family, right? I mean, it’s kind of a no brainer, save a few bucks and give him more shots for his portfolio…STOP RIGHT THERE I SAY!!! Why in the world would you put the task of capturing your WEDDING portraits in the hands of someone who’s work that you only kinda sorta like?! Saving a buck now is going to cause you heartache down the line when you’re looking back at what were supposed to be the most amazing photos of your entire life, but frankly, they’re just so-so. Now, let’s say, on the other hand, that Joe is the most-amazing-splendiferous-phonomenal-photographer-in-all-the-land-kind-of guy, and you just L.O.V.E his work, only THEN can you proceed. If Joe is fabulous, then that, my friend, is a no brainer!

Great Expectations

So you find yourself, just for giggles, checking out Joe’s website and you happen to run across the “Investment” tab. You think, “I’ll just peek over and see what EVERYONE ELSE is paying, surely, these won’t be MY prices!” You pop over and you see that for a basic day of coverage, around eight hours, two photographers, and printing rights to your images, Joe starts his service fee at $2500.00, you’re thinking, “Wow, WHO would pay that much money for some pictures?!” You follow up that thought with a phone call to Joe, great news, he’s available…. But he wants to do a consultation. Seems strange that Joe wants to do a consultation, I mean, you love his work and you know that you get along great so what really is there to consult about? ??…… 

Three Days Later… You meet Joe at the coffee shop that is much closer to your home than his, and he greets you with smile….and a folder full of paperwork and information. Silly, your thinking, we don’t really need to be this formal, but you’ll go with it, you’re a good sport after all. So as Joe carefully pulls out each packet of information, one for you and one for himself, you sit, your mind in a million other places, sipping your latte that Joe so generously purchased for you. He begins to tell you about his style… (You’re thinking about the new Private Practice coming on tonight) he lists his credentials… (You’re thinking about how good a hot ham and cheese sandwich would be right now, it is, after all, almost lunch time) and then he tells you about his prices… WHAT? Back up the bus sister, did he just say, PRICES?! As in, you’re payin’ his REGULAR RATES? NO DISCOUNT?! What about the whole “family” thing?!? (This is the part where you nearly choke on your latte!) ::: Joe carefully reaches over and flips the page in your info packet as you’re staring at him like a deer in the headlights and can no longer seem to function: You compose your face, and look down at this new page of information, and this is what you see:

Joe Smith Photography: Wedding Related Fee Schedule

 Consultation & Client Communications            8 billable hours

Initial consultation

Phone/E-mail communications

Miscellaneous planning            

Final Wedding meeting                            

 Travel & Related Fees                                                 11 billable hours + mileage

Roundtrip trip travel for consultation

Roundtrip trip travel for engagement session

Roundtrip trip travel for picking up e-session pictures from lab

Roundtrip trip travel for delivering e-session pictures

Roundtrip trip travel for final wedding meeting

Roundtrip trip travel for rehearsal dinner

Roundtrip trip travel for wedding

Roundtrip trip travel for second shooter to wedding

Roundtrip trip travel for delivery of finished wedding photos

 Engagement Session                                                   20 billable hours Total

Prep & planning                                                             2 hours

Actual shoot time                                                         2 hours

Time spent retouching Images                              16 hours

 The Rehearsal                                                               3 billable hours

Time spent shooting the rehearsal                       90 minutes

Time spent after the rehearsal uploading and correcting any color or lighting issues in the ceremony venue                                                                                                    90 minutes

 The Wedding                                                                16 billable hours

Actual Coverage by photographer Joe Smith

Actual Coverage by photographer Mary Jones, assistant to Joe Smith

The Retouch                                                                    48 billable hours

Actual time retouching images          

Miscellaneous                                                                  4 billable hours

*Additional Expenses                                                     8 billable hours

 Total Billable Hours………………………                      121 billable hours

 Travel Fee’s, Consultation & Communication, Planning, Miscellaneous, and Additional Expenses billed at a rate of $10 per hour x 25 hours= $250.00

 Creative Hourly Fee’s, Shooting, and Retouching billed at a rate of $25.00 x 85 hours=$2125.00

 Estimated Mileage for this event 250 Miles x .50 per mile $125.00

 Total Cost for Example Wedding $2500.00

*Additional Expenses cover a pro-rated percentage of the following expenses, as well as others not listed, incurred by your photographer:

-Website and Maintenance

-Accountant Fees

-Office Supplies

-Internet & Phone Bills

-Retouching Software and Updates

-Batteries, Memory Cards, and Equipment Updates

-Continued Education Fees

 Joe looks at the overwhelmed expression on your face and starts to explain the fee schedule to you. You realize, as he’s going over it, that this IS your rate, and he’s not cutting you a deal. But, as he explains where each of your hard earned pennies will be going to, you realize that this isn’t personal, and while yes, he does love you, he has expenses to pay if he takes on your wedding. The expenses never change, only the Bride and Groom. Now, they may change by a few hours, depending on the coverage and time needs of the Bride and Groom, but for the most part, every wedding is billed the same way in Joe’s business. You also realize that Joe takes his job very seriously you start to see that he puts 110% of himself into EVERY wedding he does, not just the ones for people he may know. You get a sense that Joe is going to be working very hard and earning everything you’ll end up paying him so your shock is starting to fade and excitement is the starting to creep back in. You see, Joe not only values your time, he also values his, which means that he charges for it. In the long run, Joe won’t cut corners or get burnt out working on your photos because he didn’t devalue the experience by pretending that it was “no big deal” to shoot your wedding for free. Joe sees a value in your wedding photography and his work, and by charging you the same thing he charges everyone else, he hopes that you will see the value too. And you do, you see the value now, the attention to detail, time, creative processes, and the whole she-bang. You value the quality that you’ll be receiving OVER the price you’ll be paying, and you know from previous life experience that in the end, value beats price almost any day of the week. You jump up, hug Joe, and realize that his prices are peanuts compared to his ability to give you the amazing photography you’ve always imagined.

Now, we’ve got the pricing thing out of the way, but there’s one last part of the Great Expectations section that we must discuss, the expectations (minus the financial, we’ve covered that) of each you and Joe.

 Since you’ll be paying Joe’s regular rates, you have every right to expect his regular timely services. You should also expect to sign his contract. The contract should outline all of the things that can be expected of him, as well as deadlines and service fees. The contract may also state what is expected of you the client. My best advice to you is to walk into the transaction with the thought in place that you’re doing business with someone new, not someone you know. Respect the fee deadlines, business hours, and business related practices of Joe Smith Photography, not Joe Smith Your Cousin, because you’re doing business with the photographer, not the family member. Helping to build a business relationship based on mutual respect for you as a client and Joe as a business owner will make your transaction smooth, productive, and rewarding.

 In The End

 Wedding photography, as well as any other custom photography, has a much greater value than the amount you’re writing your check for. You will cherish your memories for a life time, you’ll smile when you think about pulling out that old album in 40 years to show your grand children, but most likely, if your value is in the right place, you’ll forget how much you actually paid, because in the end, memories are priceless.

 ~LK~

http://www.lindsaykingphotos.com