Last Darwin wedding season I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a wonderfully sweet 10-hour wedding.
I arrived early and set about doing my thing… You might not be able look into the future to see how I deliver in my work or if you've had no prior experience watching a wedding photographer at work for any length of time- you can be forgiven to think the photographer just snaps the wedding photos- then their job is done.
Really, once we get home from the wedding only a fraction of the work is done & realistically, many wedding photographers do not outsource the hardest part -The Culling & Editing.
A 10-hour wedding you can have up to 4000 photos to sort through… and even a small intimate wedding I tend to overshoot to ensure I have enough photos to gain a comprehensive storyline for my client galleries -which for 2 hours job I could have 1500 photos to cull & edit from.
Oh, I hear you say…’I want to see all these photos’…but really they’re all same-same, you just see the ones with the most corresponding wedding expressions- one’s of you blinking or making a ‘not so funny faces’ are in the -no need to see photo section!
Anyway, back to this lovely 10-hour wedding of Ben & Robyn and their amazing family & friends.
The wedding reception was well set in, dance floor was getting hectically fun for everyone and I was still doing my thing (photographer/wedding planner) Yes, most of the weddings I have photographed unfortunately haven't had a wedding planner- so I naturally take on the role of communicating with MC- maid of honour to keep the wedding timeline on track....The sparkler exit needed to be discussed.
When I approached Anika the amazing MC (Robyn’s bestie) she said the most wonderfully inspiring thing…
“I’m getting married next month in Sydney and watching you doing you work has made me realise that good wedding photographers are worth every penny of what they charge”.
Deep down I was hoping to be flown to Sydney to be her photographer, though she ends up telling me a story of which I truly think values our time & skills.
A story about the woman who excitably approached Picasso in a restaurant and asked him to scribble something on a napkin for her and stated she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and hands the napkin back to her & then said, “That will be $10,000, thanks.”
“But you did that in thirty seconds,"the astonished woman replied.
“No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.”
Yeah, I know I'm no Picasso…but it’s just a reminder that within this profession, it isn’t just about rocking up with - “You must have a good camera” (a comment regularly heard by photographers) - it’s years of dedication, pre & on-going education, pre-wedding communication- wedding day photo taker (& the many other hats we wear during your special day) – 50+ hours of post editing- & the unseen weekly business costs , just to name a few; insurances - equipment $$$$- marketing - website - gallery - communication & all the editing platforms….etc. etc..
Yeah, sure we could potentially over price ourselves out of business (my prices are reasonable) but my best advice for you in choosing your photographer is:
If you understand & love their style of work & you like them and the way they deliver their service, then invest and trust in them- as they will deliver more than you will ever expect!
Rach xx
