Robert's rant about bad photographers.

OK.. so your friends tell you "You have a great Eye", you post your favorites to flicker, strangers say "cool photo man..." your Dad hires you to photograph the company picnic, your Mom lets you hang a paper background in the laundry room....

NO! NO! NO! you are not a professional photographer.. DON'T print up a wedding photography price list. You Will Get Sued! Not by the Photography Police, but by the distraught bride when she finds out that you don't know how to photograph such simple things as the Bride and her new Husband IN THE CHURCH! 

That's right, this is the first of June and already two couples have brought their desperately inadequate Wedding Photos into my staff to perform "Photo Rescue". One couple tried to save money by hiring a "new, funky, up-and-coming" photographer with a dramatic wedding photography web site and a $600.00 fee. She claimed to shoot in a journalistic style with creative lighting. Well this really translates into: she was actually shooting with a $700.00 Canon Rebel using the kit lens and the pop up flash built into the camera, she had no experience organizing or posing large groups of people and her entire experience with weddings involved being a brides maid in a wedding that took place on a sail boat. We were able to piece together an adequate wedding album by combining photos shot by four of the guests and photos taken by the Brides mother. The paid photographer didn't take any photos in the church (thinking that she would just be in the way), and all other interior photos had terrible shadows because the photographer didn't know how to shoot inside.

To be honest, there was one lovely whimsical photo of the Bride and Groom running through long grass with the setting sun beautifully back lighting them. (and that photo is on her web site) There was no appropriate photo for hanging on the wall with the Bride and Groom full length,with flowers and with the Groom's coat on. We had to make one from Photoshopping three other photos together.

In the end, The Brides father paid my company $980.00 to fix 11 photos so that his daughter could have a decent wedding album.

A Professional Wedding Photographer MUST have:

A professional camera, a back-up professional camera, High Quality Professional Lenses (Not the plastic kit lenses that come with amature cameras), Professional portable and studio lighting along with reflectors, umbrellas and tripods.  A PROFESSIONAL wedding photographer must have at least 25 weddings under their belt as an assistant and then be able to demonstrate that they have the photographic skills to achieve any photo in any situation. They must be good communicators and be able to organize large groups of guests and all the time keep everyone motivated and happy.

In this day-and-age, everyone owns a digital camera. These cameras have auto exposure, auto focus, auto colour balance and auto scene settings. Just because someone owns a camera and can take some nice pictures doesn't mean that they qualify to be a Professional Wedding Photographer.