Monday, January 30, 2012

Value...

I have had clients who have come to me and book a session after they had a session with another photographer or a big chain studio, and they were not happy with the experience or the results.  It breaks my heart when a bride comes to me wanting to do bridals because she was extremely disappointed with her first session with someone else.  I do value my clients, and I put that value into showing them to value their images.

One huge thing to consider when booking a photographer, whether it be for a wedding or a portrait session is Value. Not value as in price tag, but what you get out of the experience, the quality, how your photographer made you feel. Will you feel like a number being rushed through the line in a big chain portrait studio? Or will you and your family have your photographers dedicated time and attention? Is your photographer someone that you feel awkward with? Or someone that you become friends with before your big day, and are still friends with after? So again, the price is one thing, but value the whole entire experience and how you feel before, during, and after your pictures.

Back in December, I took my daughter to a portrait studio (name will be withheld), because I received an email for a free session.  And from the moment I stepped in, it was a nightmare.  We arrived 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time, only to be told that they were running two hours behind.  Thankfully my daughter is a calm baby, and doesn't mind being out and about.  Finally when her session started, there were at least 5 other parents with their children there waiting also, and some of those children were crying.  Well you know what happens when one kid starts crying...ALL kids start to cry. It was a chain reaction of baby tears and unhappiness.

Now I'm not going to blame the person who took her pictures, but I was not happy. There's a basic rule in photography, the rule of thirds. And while I am all for being creative and sometimes bending those rules (which I do quite often), her pictures were just plain bad.  The top of her head was cropped off in many pictures, and in the final selection of pictures there were many images in which her eyes were closed, she wasn't looking at the camera, things like that.  I didn't catch his name, there was no personal connection, and we were rushed.  He didn't take the time to do the session the way it should. His attention was elsewhere.  Overall it was not a good experience.

So again, when choosing your photographer, think of the value. Not the price, but everything you get out of the experience. It's important!

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1 comment:

  1. It's pretty interesting that the mainstream media has changed the way it looks at this recently dont you think? Now it seems that it is discussed thoroughly and more in depth. Overall though I'm looking for a change.

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