Wedding Photography Is Dead

hark

Administrator
Staff member
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Contributor
I don't shoot weddings so I don't know how much of an impact is being felt by wedding photographers. What I do know is there are a lot of newbies who buy cameras and lenses then advertise themselves as wedding photographers. I'm in a couple of Facebook groups and am surprised by some of the questions they ask. Questions such as, 'What settings should I use?' :eyetwitch: 'I have a ______ or a _______ lens. Which will work best?' (and typically the lens choices aren't fast glass). Or the ones who don't know they should format their new cards then wind up losing their images.

And it's a shame. There is so much to know about posing yet many newbies don't have a clue that what they shot really isn't good. Everyone's got to start somewhere, but there's a lot to be said for education/knowledge. Here in the USA, there aren't any certifications required to become a photographer. How is it in other countries? Are certifications required?
 

Nero

Senior Member
I think it's pretty much the same in Canada. I'm not sure if there are any countries with actual certification involved with photography but I haven't exactly researched the subject.

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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I know wedding photographers in my area (Southern California) are still getting several thousand for a full wedding shoot. I know this from having recently looked for a wedding photographer in my area for my own wedding happening later this month. We wound up hiring a local pro who's not a "wedding photographer" but whose style and vision we really love. We're not your typical couple and we don't want the typical wedding photos... But that's beside the point. More to the point: we hired a three-person crew, for a full-day, at a location that's a three-hour drive away and we're being charged $1,500.

Anecdotal perhaps, but there ya go.
 

Mark F

Senior Member
I think a lot of couples now look for less expensive wedding accessories/ Family members have a point and shoot or cell... good enough. I don't think the preservation of memories is the priority these days.
Most marriages end in divorce in 5- 10 years, Sad but true. The wedding photos I had with my last marriage was burned in the burn barrel by my ex wife
 

pforsell

Senior Member
The whole wedding business is ridiculous, imho. Inflated expectations and huge spending with venues, wedding planners, food, bands, costumes, rings, photography and whatnot for something very mundane. I hear that people actually get a loan to pay for their wedding, which is not a good start for a marriage. :cool:

I am not anti-wedding, anybody can get married in the low earth orbit if they want and can afford it, but I can and do understand that some reality is seeping into new couples' minds. I've also heard that Instagram and the like are changing the expectations of what wedding photos should look like, hence many couples are actually happy with a ton of phone pictures.

I believe these are "fashion" things. The trend now is the phone and Insta, but I'm sure 10 years from now it is something entirely different.

Even in this forum we get time to time posts asking: "I'm shooting a wedding the day after tomorrow. What lens should I buy?" This signifies to me that the couples want something entirely different than the classic professional wedding pictures. The customer is always right.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
Here in India, wedding photographers do a good business at the top end of the market (a three or four day shoots with multiple photographers commands upwards of USD 3,000/).

At lower or middle end it is practically dead, as no one is interested in an album of printed photographs - it is mainly Facebook and Instagram. This segment is mainly serviced by friends and relatives using cell phones in general and in rare cases a camera (if some has one).

I have shot a few weddings/receptions for friends, and there is always a professional engaged, but they take their time to deliver, hence it is mostly the friends and relatives whose images are available fast for posting on the net.
 

aroy

Senior Member
The whole wedding business is ridiculous, imho. Inflated expectations and huge spending with venues, wedding planners, food, bands, costumes, rings, photography and whatnot for something very mundane. I hear that people actually get a loan to pay for their wedding, which is not a good start for a marriage. :cool:

I am not anti-wedding, anybody can get married in the low earth orbit if they want and can afford it, but I can and do understand that some reality is seeping into new couples' minds. I've also heard that Instagram and the like are changing the expectations of what wedding photos should look like, hence many couples are actually happy with a ton of phone pictures.

I believe these are "fashion" things. The trend now is the phone and Insta, but I'm sure 10 years from now it is something entirely different.

Even in this forum we get time to time posts asking: "I'm shooting a wedding the day after tomorrow. What lens should I buy?" This signifies to me that the couples want something entirely different than the classic professional wedding pictures. The customer is always right.

In India, if you can afford, you splurge on weddings, especially daughters. The budgets are huge (by our standards) anywhere between USD 30,000/ for upper middle class to USD 200,000/ for the rich, going up to millions of dollars for the Politicians and Super rich, even more if the wedding is held at exotic venues around the world (Steel Tycoon Sunil Mittal is supposed to have spent USD 100 million on his daughter's wedding). With a billion+ population even the top 0.01% mean a huge business - Wedding Planners, Fashion Consultants, Catering Consultants and of course Wedding Photographers.

With this king of spending, a few photographers and videographers make no dent on the budget, and I have seen a crew of a a dozen or more at weddings, (including booms and motorized carriages for birds eye view), which host upwards of two thousand guests.
 

Nero

Senior Member
Yeah, time to start a wedding photography business in India. Haha

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Blade Canyon

Senior Member
One point made in the article is that experienced photographers do give away a great deal of information for free, thus training their new competition. There are so many great Youtube videos (i.e. Jerry Ghionis at the B&H Event Space), I'm sure a lot of newbies start out with more confidence because of all of the free training that is online.
 

Daz

Senior Member
Whilst I agree that there are lots of people putting information out there, it is the task of the photographer to make sure they stand out in the crowd of mediocrity ...

Look at any of the lower end photographers, they have 99% "natural light only shots" and not anything of the evening or using light, thats because they rely on natural light.

Its all about marketing, When I did my one and only wedding fayre I purposely got a booth as close to the entrance as I could so that the couples see me first before wading through standard shots, I also made sure I showed the reception shots, the couple shots, the stuff that didnt rely on natural light and made the shots stand out to the clients, I took on 6 weddings from that day and the lowest was £1500 ...

Most photographers these days dont realise they need to hats, the photography hat and the business hat, most of photography is marketing yourself and getting out there...

Just like when DSLR took over from film, the dinosaurs that will not adapt will go out of business :)

The reason I only did one wedding fayre is because at that time I moved across the country to pursue my full time job :)
 

aroy

Senior Member
One point made in the article is that experienced photographers do give away a great deal of information for free, thus training their new competition. There are so many great Youtube videos (i.e. Jerry Ghionis at the B&H Event Space), I'm sure a lot of newbies start out with more confidence because of all of the free training that is online.

If that was the case, then any one could become a high end chef or a leading sportsman. Having a DSLR and going trough a pile tutorials is just the beginning. Rest is perseverance and talent.

What differentiates a successful photographer (or for that matter a businessman) is the ability to learn from what ever material is available, apply it towards satisfying clients and at the same time promoting the business.

Apart from that talent helps a lot, as that will differentiate you from the herd.
 

Mrorange002

New member
You should be proud. You're basically paying three people minimum wage, and screwing professionals. Good work. I really, truly hope you get what you pay for.
 

Texas

Senior Member
I had an ex-wife who went to a 'name' professional for a haircut and new style. This was 30 years ago and cost $160.

She came home looking the same and I asked what happened. She said he is a professional and this $160 was only for the initial consultation.

Gotta love 'professionals' !
 
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