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.