Recently their has been a viral video going around amongst the wedding and portrait photographers featuring a case from a tv court show.  I’m not going to tell you what show it was on or re-post the you tube video here because I’m sure you can find it via google search.  Both parties had their issues which I’ll further explain.

Here’s the scenario: a client hired two photographers to shoot her wedding.  The wedding photographers did a horrible job and the client wanted part of her money back.  She was still willing to let the photographers keep a small percentage for their time but wanted the majority of her money back.  The photographers were not equipped to handle the job they were presented.  They had to shoot in a church with dark lighting and flash was not allowed.  Many of the pictures were grainy and they appeared to use photoshop to fix bad photography with vignettes, selective coloring and amateur looking composites.  The tv judge immediately jumped on the photographers cases about their inferior equipment.  He asked them what kind of lenses they were using. One was a basic lens that comes with many camera kits.  The other was a 70-300 add on lens.  Neither of the lenses were usable for low light situations and the camera that was used would not have been able to handle increased ISO (film speed) very well.  The judge did know a bit about cameras and asked what f/stops the lenses used and the photographers said they didn’t know.  He also asked why didn’t they have professional equipment versus stuff you can get from Walmart.  Speaking of Walmart, the clients actually had their images printed there!  Needless to say the photographers lost their case but that’s not the point here.

Ok enough of the back story.  Here are some of my thoughts of the case.  Starting with the photographers, they clearly had a lack of understanding of photography.  Many people get into charging for services because friends tell them that they take good pictures.  Then they plan a trip to Best Buy and pick up the cheapest DSLR that they can find and now they a’re professional photographers.  Hate be the bearer of bad news but it’s just not that simple.  It has taken me many years to get to where I am today and I’m still constantly teaching myself new things.

The judge alluded that good photography couldn’t be done with the type of camera that the photographers where using.  That’s not necessarily true.  A Canon Rebel Xti is capable of producing amazing images that can be blown up to large sizes.  Lenses will make the difference on the quality of image that you can produce.  There are limitations with an XTi camera but you would have to know your gear inside and out to know if it will be the right tool for the job.

The client did not do a good job of researching this photographer before hand.  If she had she would have clearly seen that the photographers work was inadequate for her needs.  All the blame cannot be placed on the photographers! Just because you’re getting good deal doesn’t mean you’ll get good photography!  Many people don’t want to pay the higher prices of other professionals because they figure it’s just pushing a button and a picture is a picture.  Believe me it’s much much more than that!  You should be seeing a difference in quality vs quantity of images.  Pros should put a lot of time, money and hard work in their craft to deliver exceptional images.

After your wedding is over you won’t have the food, the dj, or the glitz and glamour of the day. The only memories you will have is your wedding dress and your pictures.  Wedding photography should probably be on the top of your list when it comes to spending money on services for your day.  You should also invest much more in your wedding photographer than your DJ!

In my next post, Part 2, I’m going to explain what you should be looking for in your photographer, and educate you on know if they have the right tools for the job.

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We had a great 2009 and to say our final goodbyes we created a slideshow of some of our best images of the year.  Thanks to our clients for a wonderful year. Enjoy!!

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It’s 2010 and we’re ready for another year to serve our clients.  We have some great things in the works that will be coming really soon!  This year we’ll be offering more product and print options than ever before.  New to our line up are metal prints! Don’t confuse this with metallic prints on Kodak paper.  These prints are actually printed on metal!  More on this later.  Our web developers are working hard so we’ll be able to offer picture packages as a purchase option.  We’ll keep you posted on the progress but expect some changes really soon.  Speaking of changes our website will be going through a bit of an overhaul.  Don’t be surprised if you visit one day and see it completely changed.  We wish you a safe and Happy New Year and we’ll look forward to capturing your memories for 2010.

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Over the summer we shot these twins and they were such a blast.  Jakey and Madison’s mother took advantage of our holiday cards offer and wanted to get some new pictures of the twins.  We decided to shoot at the City Center in Newport News.  It was a great place to shoot and take advantage of the holiday decorations.  While these two can be quite a handful at times we got some great shots of them being themselves.

Time is running out for holiday card orders.  Don’t wait too long and book your session today!

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Guess what!! We now offer Holiday Cards from any photo session you have shot with us this year!  We currently offer 23 Card Designs and we will have more added soon. Take a look at our sample gallery at http://photos.markwphoto.com/Cards/Holidaycardsamples/10431288_rSJPW.

You can pick any image or images from your session(s) we shot this year!

To order your cards just follow these simple steps:

1. Browse our Card Design Gallery at the link above.
2. Find a design you like and notate the Design number.
3. Find an image or images that you would like to use from your previous photosession.
4. Email us at markw@markwphoto.com with your card design number, image or images that you want to use, and a short message that you want to add to your card.  We will send you an email with the link to a gallery when the card is ready. This should take less the 24 hours. Once your card has been added to the gallery you can purchase your cards at the following prices:

4×8 Card Pricing (includes envelopes)

20 Cards   – $30.00
50 Cards   – $65.00
100 Cards – $110.00

FAQ’s

What if you don’t remember how to get to my session gallery?
Just shoot us an email or give us a call and we’ll be glad to resend you a link to your gallery!

What if we want to take a new picture for our holiday cards?
We still have a limited number of sessions available up until December 15th, 2009.  We will give you a special session fee of $75.00. Many of our clients have requested to have pictures taken at local city centers and parks to capture the holiday spirit and decorations.

How long will it take to get the cards?
Once you place your order you will be given several shipping options but typically it takes about 2-3 days for most orders.

Can we change the fonts or design?
In order to process your cards as fast as possible, at this time we are not able to change the design templates and fonts of cards.

If you have any other questions feel free to let us know!

Thanks to all our clients and we hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year this holiday season!

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This month’s topic at my photography club (Hampton Roads Digital Photography Club) is on the subject of studio lighting and portraits.  The first week we discussed studio lighting equipment, options and a little bit about portraits.  Last week we had a hands on class for the members of the club.  A few of the other organizers and myself each bought in our lighting setups to share with the class.  I bought in a simple setup of just one light and an umbrella diffuser.

We also had the pleasure of having a few models volunteer to pose for us.  Sherita came over to my setup towards the end of the night.  I only got two or three shots of her because I wanted to give others a chance to play with the lighting but that was all I needed.  Thanks for volunteering Sherita and you take a beautiful image!

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So my sister has been playing tennis for several years and because we stay so busy we rarely get the chance to see her play. On labor day she had a tournament and since I was free I was finally able to see her play a match. The tournament was originally scheduled to be outside but due to weather they moved it inside. Shooting inside the building was like shooting in a dungeon but fortunately since we use cameras and lenses that work in low light we were able to capture all the action just like we’re able to shoot weddings in dark churches. My sister ended up losing her doubles match but in the end she played a really good game. Good job sis and next time we know you’ll get them! Read more

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It’s almost time to go back to school and for some of you this will be your last year in high school. We love working with high school seniors because they always want something different from what school photography companies offer. Last week we got to shoot SueAnne and Meghan at the Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, VA. Read more

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Last week Marcy and I had to travel to Blacksburg for a couple of days. While we were there I was able to sneak away for a couple of hours to go see a waterfall. This was the first time I ever had a chance to see a waterfall in person. To get to the falls I had to hike two miles up a mountain. While the hike itself wasn’t too bad, carrying about 40 pounds of camera equipment on my back made it seem like an eternity to get to the top. Read more

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At the end of May, Marcy and I celebrated our two year anniversary. While we had a photographer at our wedding, Marcy never had a bridal shoot. She wanted me take take her bridal portraits after the wedding but with all the excitement of being newlyweds, one day led to the next and we never got around to making that shoot happen. Two years later Marcy finds out that she can still fit in her wedding dress! We decided to get up at the sunrise on the weekend of our anniversary and have our shoot at the beaches in Mathews, VA. Read more

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