#5274304 - 12/30/10 02:40 AM
WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
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BobBarker
BobBarker
Unregistered
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"$600 for up to 8 hours of coverage!"
Craigslist in Washington DC is swamped and overloaded with these poor souls. Someone that can shoot 8 hours of pictures and then take the memory cards home and edit 8 hours worth of pics shot for $600, simply has no confidence and reeks of desperation, IMO.
I'm of the opinion that a higher price will set someone apart from the rest, since lots of clients instinctively relate price to quality, and one may actually get some work vs. presenting himself as yet another craigslist posting trying to undercut the next guy.
On Monday, I took about 2 hours of photos for a person I work with here and there, who had a civil wedding ceremony at the courthouse, and it took me almost 3 days to do basic edits on 125 (out of 219 total) frames and get them onto DVDs for him. Maybe it took me so long because I kept going back and forth on a general editing "scheme" for these pictures, and it may get faster with more experience as I learn what I like. I told him I'd just do it for free, since I'm not missing any work this time of the year, and I knew they wouldn't want to pay what I'd really want for the work, but his mother slipped me a couple hundred, so woo first real money made as a still photog.
After this experience, I'd say that for a full-blown wedding with reception, $2000 as a very bare minimum, and I'd have to have a helper with a decent Canon/L lens/flash to help get the 2nd angle and cutaways that maybe I pay $300 or something for their time.
Shooting it is actually the easy part, and maybe these craigslist people are ONLY shooting and handing over the pics, but to do it right, it's an unbelievable amount of work to clean these up for documenting someone's big day. Ever shoot someone wearing a black tux that has lint and hair stuck all over it? UGGGGHHHHH, it's a tremendous amount of work to remove all these little white specks from their first kiss slash putting the ring on her finger photos.
Not sure where I was going with this posting here...the wine has kicked in and I felt like sharing what's on my mind, but I just wish there weren't as many people out there that are not really into photography trying to make a buck at it.
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#5274361 - 12/30/10 07:31 AM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: ]
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mrbeefhead
mrbeefhead
Unregistered
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I am guessing those CL photogs do one wedding then call it quits.
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#5274595 - 12/30/10 09:44 AM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: Senor Eduardo_82]
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scootergeek
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 07/24/00
Posts: 46248
Loc: East of St. Louis
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If you want to make money you find cheaper ways to do business or you find ways to differentiate yourself.
Much like there's no way to compete price-wise with chinese slave labor, there's no way to compete with Suzie Snapshot and her Digital Rebel killing time while hubby's at work. There's only one choice for anybody serious about photography and that's selling skill.
_________________________
Still pissy after all these years...
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#5275024 - 12/30/10 12:32 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: scootergeek]
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iParker
iParker
Unregistered
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If you want to make money you find cheaper ways to do business or you find ways to differentiate yourself. Much like there's no way to compete price-wise with chinese slave labor, there's no way to compete with Suzie Snapshot and her Digital Rebel killing time while hubby's at work. There's only one choice for anybody serious about photography and that's selling skill.
however, weddings don't necessarily get budgeted for photographers like they used to. it's just not important to them or they know it won't be very much. When they find a good photographer and see the price, they are willing to sacrifice that quality to get a decent price.
It's pretty sad actually.
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#5275026 - 12/30/10 12:32 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: scootergeek]
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jsmonet
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 11/13/99
Posts: 154982
Loc: So. Cali
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to preface:
fuck weddings.
continuing: there's a new york times article about some fat idiot cunt with a jr body and kit lens bragging about being a PRO PHOTOG and how people ABSOLUTELY LURVE HER PHOTOGS because they're so good OMG.
the article continued on to say that the real defining trait between an educated pro and some idiot like that cunt was the ability to deliver the goods consistently.
<!--to abuse a cliche, i'm throwing boulders in my glass house-->
the problem is that these idiots will take so many pictures that 1% of their "portfolios" will end up selling, encouraging these idiots to continue ripping people off, continuing the cycle of market dilution and mutation.
on the one hand you have to honor the "art is what you make of it" aspect of photography. on the other, you have to be willing to say shit is shit, even if it is hypocritical to say in the context of "art".
when saying that discount CL photographers undervalue their work, you have to think about how much work they actually put into it. they go out, machine-gun 10k photos, apply auto levels/color/curves en masse, and export. a select few are truly undervaluing their skills because they probably haven't found someone to work with or haven't attempted to approach a professional to leech skillz from.
the nice thing about wedding photography is that it involves brides. brides do like spending money, and do consistently place far too much value on that singular 8 hours of their lives. this means that a good wedding photographer can charge a lot more--yet still very fair price--for the same services without coming off as an asshole.
one of the many reasons I don't want to do weddings is because I'm not consistent. I know better.
_________________________
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#5277329 - 12/31/10 04:43 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: ]
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Nate047
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 03/03/03
Posts: 28558
Loc: La La Land, CA
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these craigslist people are ONLY shooting and handing over the pics
Most likely, this. Find out though man, email one of those people and ask what it includes and ask to see a portfolio... See who you're up against. 
Nate 
_________________________
natehasslerphoto.comFlickrFacebook"Nate047 > NateSTL" - TenTwelve "As long as I have a face, you'll always have a place to sit." - SlowBlackCar *insert picture of stock Fit here* 
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#5278809 - 01/01/11 11:42 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: Nate047]
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Billy Bibbit
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 03/22/02
Posts: 15835
Loc: Indiana
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I post on Craigslist basically because right now i dont have a better/free way of advertisement. I will however step it up in 2011. Most of the "competition" in my area is horrible! NO really! I dont get emails weekly right now due to the "off season" but in the warmer months i get more activity.
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#5278830 - 01/02/11 12:00 AM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: ]
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Lafora
Post Master Sr
Registered: 12/16/01
Posts: 4623
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If you want to make money you find cheaper ways to do business or you find ways to differentiate yourself. Much like there's no way to compete price-wise with chinese slave labor, there's no way to compete with Suzie Snapshot and her Digital Rebel killing time while hubby's at work. There's only one choice for anybody serious about photography and that's selling skill. ding ding ding. however, weddings don't necessarily get budgeted for photographers like they used to. it's just not important to them or they know it won't be very much. When they find a good photographer and see the price, they are willing to sacrifice that quality to get a decent price. It's pretty sad actually.
Exact opposite of what I've been telling my female friends who are looking for photographers. Spend the money and get a proper one. I actually told two of them to dunk the budget for the video guy into the photo, so they could get a better photographer instead of having two mediocre ones.
As far as craigs shooters go, no point competing with them if that's your genre. Go after the bigger fishes in the pond. I'd rather 2nd shoot for 300 bucks than primary for 800.
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#5279440 - 01/02/11 04:27 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: Senor Eduardo_82]
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BobBarker
BobBarker
Unregistered
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wow, bottom feeder.
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#5279454 - 01/02/11 04:37 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: ]
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Nate047
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 03/03/03
Posts: 28558
Loc: La La Land, CA
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Well look at her stuff man, it totally sucks. So... Does it really matter?
Nate
_________________________
natehasslerphoto.comFlickrFacebook"Nate047 > NateSTL" - TenTwelve "As long as I have a face, you'll always have a place to sit." - SlowBlackCar *insert picture of stock Fit here*
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#5279909 - 01/02/11 10:24 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: Senor Eduardo_82]
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iParker
iParker
Unregistered
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these craigslist people are ONLY shooting and handing over the pics Most likely, this. Find out though man, email one of those people and ask what it includes and ask to see a portfolio... See who you're up against. Nate Not always: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/evs/2138432800.html"our $950 package provides unlimited wedding day coverage, a complimentary engagement shoot before, or 'Trash the Dress' session after the wedding (Toronto only), all digital negatives on disc, slideshow, and a generous print package"
She's using iWeb for her website...
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#5283065 - 01/04/11 11:52 AM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: busfare]
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iParker
iParker
Unregistered
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Yea...not a fan of the hours of post work, culling through thousands of photos for dirt money. I don't advertise weddings, but I do get requests. I usually give a quick cash deal w/ post processing for 3-5 of their choice on a cd. Everything else is batched. If they want more, the price goes way up.
Exactly...I already can't stand going through 200-300 photos, but 1000's of photos is just torture.
I also will only do weddings if it is a last resort. Last request, I flat out told them I don't care to shoot weddings but will if they can't get someone in time. I'm always honest...they are better off going with someone who knows what they're doing rather than someone who just knows how to take photos.
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#5286197 - 01/05/11 03:54 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: CivicBabe]
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LNXGUY
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 08/06/00
Posts: 108293
Loc: Barrie, Ont,
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I guess the thing to do would be to suck at the photos a bit and make some extra $$$ off of post? 
_________________________
-Bill The GN would OWN you, your children and your children's children. Left foot, right foot, just keep moving!!! -Jeffrey P. Murphy 
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#5286273 - 01/05/11 04:26 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: LNXGUY]
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phatcivic97
Post Master
Registered: 03/09/00
Posts: 2150
Loc: Joliet, Ill.
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the biz side of weddings are more stress than the wedding itself.
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#5286292 - 01/05/11 04:38 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: LNXGUY]
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scootergeek
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 07/24/00
Posts: 46248
Loc: East of St. Louis
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I guess the thing to do would be to suck at the photos a bit and make some extra $$$ off of post?
There's no un-suck filter, so I don't think that would work. When I think of photoshop, I always think of a quote by Ansel Adams: "I've always said that the negative is the score, and the print the performance." These days the RAW file is the negative.
If you look at any prints made by others of Adams's work, you can appreciate his composition, but they all seem a little flat and lifeless. Then one day you see a print that he actually made, and angels come down and play Mozart in your ears. Wedding photos, even of beautiful people and shot by very talented photographers, aren't going to have that same grandeur, but the idea of score vs. performance stands - which would make the jpeg straight from the camera comparable to having a robot orchestra: technically correct, but without soul.
_________________________
Still pissy after all these years...
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#5286313 - 01/05/11 04:46 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: scootergeek]
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phatcivic97
Post Master
Registered: 03/09/00
Posts: 2150
Loc: Joliet, Ill.
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well said!
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#5286336 - 01/05/11 04:59 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: phatcivic97]
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flyEX #1
Man in the Box
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 01/05/00
Posts: 26631
Loc: Down in a Hole
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un-suck filter 
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#5286456 - 01/05/11 05:54 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: flyEX #1]
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Nate047
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 03/03/03
Posts: 28558
Loc: La La Land, CA
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Nate
_________________________
natehasslerphoto.comFlickrFacebook"Nate047 > NateSTL" - TenTwelve "As long as I have a face, you'll always have a place to sit." - SlowBlackCar *insert picture of stock Fit here*
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#5286961 - 01/05/11 09:29 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: CivicBabe]
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BobBarker
BobBarker
Unregistered
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I enjoy doing weddings and it can be very lucrative if you're good.
I'm kind of with you on this.
It could obviously be a lucrative business if you're semi-decent and have enough time to handle the business end of things. As a current freelancer, I could totally work this sort of work into my calendar if it presented itself to me, when the pay is right.
While sifting through over 1000 shots might be daunting, I will admit that I do enjoy post-processing more than a lot of others might. It's work I could get used to, since I already spend lots of time doing that sort of stuff for fun as it is. It took me about 2.5 days of going through 219 people shots last week, but a lot of that time was trying to figure out what looked right without over-doing it, and keeping an eye on the highlights and histogram. I bet I could nail down a full-tilt wedding in a week if I put effort into it.
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#5287152 - 01/05/11 10:37 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: CivicBabe]
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iParker
iParker
Unregistered
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I guess the thing to do would be to suck at the photos a bit and make some extra $$$ off of post? Giving only the digital negatives and charging for post on specific photos is commonplace in wedding photography.  I've just been putting in the extra work for less money thus far.
Wait, what?
You're saying you charge them per photo the ones you edit then give them the rest unedited?
Oh no....oooooohhhhh no no no no no.
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#5288375 - 01/06/11 11:53 AM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: ]
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Lafora
Post Master Sr
Registered: 12/16/01
Posts: 4623
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You're saying you charge them per photo the ones you edit then give them the rest unedited?
Oh no....oooooohhhhh no no no no no.
+1
No way in hell do I hand anything over that I'm not completely satisfied with. I hope your market isn't a competitive one lol, because from my personal experience, sometimes even your BEST stuff isn't good enough, nevermind letting people see the "not your best".
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#5288476 - 01/06/11 12:29 PM
Re: WTF Craigslist Wedding and Event Photographers
[Re: Lafora]
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CivicBabe
Post Master Supreme
Registered: 03/02/01
Posts: 41414
Loc: CA
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You're saying you charge them per photo the ones you edit then give them the rest unedited?
Oh no....oooooohhhhh no no no no no.
+1 No way in hell do I hand anything over that I'm not completely satisfied with. I hope your market isn't a competitive one lol, because from my personal experience, sometimes even your BEST stuff isn't good enough, nevermind letting people see the "not your best".
That's what I thought too until I started reading a lot of wedding photographers and talking with some (good ones) who give the digital negatives with little editing.
http://www.stacyreeves.com/pricing/
That's the first one I can think of
Seems kind of dumb to do, right?
Edited by CivicBabe (01/06/11 12:30 PM)
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