Photography Special: The Uptick in Mistrust
The Money Hungry Industry
The wedding industry designed and built its empire off of price gouging a variety of services & goods, then disguising it as an "essential" to the big day. In turn, this pushes a lot of multi faceted companies to be born. Companies that harvest talent into one "house" to gain as many clients as possible. Many of these companies fail to follow through after hiring and do the one thing necessary, nurture the talent, and talent integration.
It sounds attractive, at first
With the continuing rise of photography & wedding companies alike, the gamble on who to rely on begins in the early stages. Many companies offer attractive (starting) costs & "discounts" to reel you in. They begin with offering a standard package, a preview of photographers available in the region, and the rest is assured to be taken care of. It sounds easy & simple but this is where the disconnect starts.
Camp Wing Day Camp - Duxbury, Massachusetts
“You cannot force people to give a shit. Passion is from the soul and can either be destroyed or be nurtured.”
You don't get to choose, not really
Just like your local photographer, if the availability of the "best" or your top choices are scheduled out, the choices begin to slim down as well. In most cases, standard packages come with a random choosing of a photographer that is open (you do not get a say). Some upgrades can open the access to whomever is in the region, IF they are open that is. This gives you the option to choose from a given list.
Mountain Top Resort - Chittenden, Vermont
Not everybody is wedding driven
Bear in mind that whom you are getting may or may not have wedding experience or enough drive to learn on the field. The access to these photographers range from:
- experience in other fields of photography but not in weddings (real estate, landscape, etc.)
- no experience whatsoever
- money only brain
- bare minimum "giturdone"
Davis Farmland - Sterling, Massachusetts
The bare minimum
With heavy protection from the company, most photographers can get away with doing the bare minimum on the field. What I personally call, "the point n' click folks". This means getting the most important key points of every event, without putting much more effort to seek out more moments missed by the couple.
LaBelle Winery Derry Event Center - Derry, New Hampshire
Constantly Hiring
Many hired contractors scoff at the "little" pay offered when working with these companies. It greatly sways the overall attitude on how clients are treated. Many do not stay long to develop a relationship with the company, while others develop an attitude problem that is taking the industry by the hair.
The pay is a major driving factor
The photographer's pay is subjectively lower than what the average local photographer would charge. What we fail to understand is that a local photographer manages the entire business themselves including but not limited to: bookings, marketing, advertising, editing, etc. The responsibilities of a contracted photographer is to: show up, photograph, upload and send off the photos to the company.
The fine line of every contract
I think it's rather surprising how many clients DO NOT carefully read their contracts that further lead to great disappointment. The bare minimum of every standard package could mean:
- "no editing" (BUT this is not entirely true)
- you do not always get the highest resolution
- you can lose your photographer at any point and have them replaced
- you do not get access to all the images, images have to be culled
- you may not receive digital downloads
No Editing?
I had mentioned prior that it's not entirely true to receive your photos without any editing. In fact, upon hire, photographers are requested to go through the photos and make sure the standard is done:
- exposure check (fix too dark or too bright)
- color correction (i.e. anything that may look too "yellow")
- cull the photos so that they rid of any out-of-focus images or technical failures (i.e. where a flash did not go off, resulting in a black/dark photo beyond saving)
The confusing part
This is where the topic of editing gets confusing. While the bare minimum should be done to every event, many photographers get away with not once looking through their photos. This could result in:
- inaccurate representation of how the day looked
- seeing photos that are too dark and/or too bright
- no color correction means photos could look too yellow/blue/green
Why are things run this way?
We are under the impression that when companies like this exist, we are to feel confident that there will be consistency. Consistency only exists if the hired contractors know what they are doing. That includes the sales team, the photographers, the CEO/owner, and everybody in-between. The more money they can grab, the more money it will go into the pockets of companies. Companies like this continue to grow, leading to slip-ups and loopholes.
They don't always get along
Companies are designed to create a team so you do not need to look further for vendors (i.e. DJ/entertainment, videographer, photo booth services...). Often times there will be a Lead Photographer followed by a second photographer for extra coverage (if you so choose to add-on an extra photographer). Dependent on the upgrade, you do not exactly get to choose in this aspect either. This often leads to clashing of styles and the possibility of the inability to work together.
What needs to change?
With the lack of being taught discipline, being taught simple techniques on how to handle client's stress, and the lack of having a very strong technical background in photography, I firmly believe that this will continue the downfall of the wedding industry and it will contribute to the lack of trust in photographers and companies as a whole.
Being Adaptable
With a variety of backgrounds, education & experience levels, nobody checks or confirms if hired contractors are technically sound. With wedding photography, the person NEEDS to be adaptable and willing to go outside the comfort zones, to ensure that the day is captured the way it should be; a story. It is few and far between that every single person hired is this way.
Minimum Requirements
Depending on what the company requires, potential contractors upon interview are asked if they have the required equipment needed to carry out the job. This does not mean the person actually knows how to use said equipment. This isn't verified either as the experience requirement is low, ranging from a single wedding done to years worth. Portfolios shown are typically the very best photos captured. This never leads to seeing full galleries of a few weddings.
What could go wrong?
Without knowing who your photographer really is as a person, the day of your event can feel like a mystery. This is what could happen that can make the experience frustrating:
- inability to pose people for the formals (very common)
- inability to accept weather changes (not willing to go out in the cold)
- failure of preparedness
- does only the bare minimum
- does not even like weddings
- or too chatty (not focusing on capturing candid moments)
What should every client ask for?
Before hiring any company/person/entity, remind yourselves that there is too much at stake to settle for this single day that cannot be re-done. Here is what you need to consider, request and ask so you can assure yourself that you will be taken care of:
- request the company for a FULL list of who is available (including nearby states)
- ask how well trained/experienced each person is
- request to see at least 2 FULL galleries of each potential photographer
- request AND push for an introduction phone call BEFORE you book
- pay and schedule for an engagement session to see if you click AT ALL
More to consider...
Never settle nor accept a company that does not let you speak to the potential photographer (or any talent) sooner; that does not have a clear contract, and does not include basic edits. Skip all the bullshit by asking these questions:
- What does EACH package entail?
- What are my restrictions with each package?
- Is there any editing? If so, what is included?
- Is your editing outsourced? If so, how can I know MY wedding day will look exactly how I remembered?
- Can I change my photographer if I am dissatisfied with the initial conversation?
- What is the protocol if the original photographer cancels? Will I be informed ahead of time? Will the backup be of equal quality?
My personal experience
I had started to inquire for these companies between the years of 2019 to 2022. My business was (and is) continually stable, but as the tedious office side began to wear on my mind & body, I wanted to offer my services to a company while they handle the nitty gritty shit. By 2022, I had been taken on by a company that was structured different than most.
Wildly Different
I felt the disconnection very early on upon my first year with the company. The clients that I took on never quite understood how the process went, and what they could expect afterwards. As a few contracted jobs came and went, I very quickly understood that there were changes that needed to be made.
The people make it bad
Within the company, they offer DJs/entertainment, videographers, photographers & Photo Booth services. I've worked with at least a few from each category and most (if not nearly all) do not have the same mindset as I do:
- Many will do the bare minimum due to the lower pay
- Many were wildly in-experienced technically & lacked decorum
- Personal boundaries were severely lacking between vendors (i.e. inappropriate texting unrelated to work)
- A lot of self-boasting