Photographers I need advice

[JulieG]

Alright, can you tell me what you think of this photog's work.

 

Her fee is to pay for the flight for her and her assistant and she takes the pictures for free and charges $400 for all the digital negatives. Its a great fee. So, I want you to be honest about what you think about her work.

 

Wedding Portfolio :: Owen Sound Wedding Photographer :: Photography Grey/Bruce

 

Thanks guys.

 

(Tammy, I did not know where to put this thread, so I hope this is okay)

[A10CalGal]

Julie,

 

Wow! What a great deal!

 

OK, so my honest opinion...I think her work is decent to good. I tend toward the photojournalistic style, so I may have a more favorable opinion than other girls. I think that there are some stunning & not so stunning shots on her website. That said, I think the not so stunning shots were because of the location...wood paneling? Ewww!

 

You are getting married in Cuba, right? I would imagine that is a difficult place to find photogs or to get photogs to travel to - American's have to circumvent the system by flying to Mexico first to get to Cuba last I checked.

 

And, in Cuba you are going to have a stunning backdrop. I honestly think that was the only problem I had with some of the photos on her site - because on here we are used to seeing the ocean & the beach & such. I really don't know what your expectations are, but I think you could make this one work to your benefit!

[JulieG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A10CALGAL Julie, Wow! What a great deal! OK, so my honest opinion...I think her work is decent to good. I tend toward the photojournalistic style, so I may have a more favorable opinion than other girls. I think that there are some stunning & not so stunning shots on her website. That said, I think the not so stunning shots were because of the location...wood paneling? Ewww! You are getting married in Cuba, right? I would imagine that is a difficult place to find photogs or to get photogs to travel to - American's have to circumvent the system by flying to Mexico first to get to Cuba last I checked. And, in Cuba you are going to have a stunning backdrop. I honestly think that was the only problem I had with some of the photos on her site - because on here we are used to seeing the ocean & the beach & such. I really don't know what your expectations are, but I think you could make this one work to your benefit!

Thank you, I was thinking the same thing. If you look at her other galleries, like bride & groom and I think wedding day or something like that, those all look nice as well. I think for that deal, she might be worth trying out. I agree, some of the pics are not the best, but I am thinking she was doing what she could with what she had to work with. She also does another day of free photos as well, say welcome dinner or something like that, its our choice.

[jthrasher]

I think her B&W's are nice but her color shots need work.

 

To be honest, I'm VERY leery of photographers that charge that little. It's usually for one of two reasons.

 

1. they have no experience and are trying to build their portfolios.

2. they can't charge more because they aren't any good.

 

I've been around photographer forums for a long time and I see this ALL the time. When it comes to photography DON'T look for a deal. Especially one's that look "too good to be true" because more often than not, they are.

 

These are the photos you are going to have FOREVER Jules. I'd hate for you to get back and be disappointed and regret something. If you're going to save money on something, do it with your food, or flowers, or something that you won't have a lifetime. trust me, I hear this time and time again from brides about their photography. "I hate my photos, I wish I would have paid more and got what I really wanted"

 

nothing's a "great deal" if you aren't happy with the results. If it were a stereo or something you could return if you didn't like it, I'd say go for it.

[Jackie]

I feel the same way Christa does. In my opinion she is good but not great, although still better than a lot of photogs I have seen. OK that was confusing. I also agree with Johnathan overall to but the only thing I disagree with is that if she is trying to build her portfolio and is charging less because of that then I see no problem with that. Ofcourse if she really isnt that good and is charging less because of that then I would definitly look around more. Juan just in the past 6-8 months (ish) has raised his prices but I believe a few of the first brides to use him got him at a pretty low price, because he just simply wasnt in high demand yet. Didnt have a huge portfolio, Or his talent hadnt been discovered like it obviously has now.

I would maybe ask to see more pictures....Just to reasure yourself that she hasnt put up the only good shots she has ever taken. If all the shots are similar to the ones on her website, than you may want to definitly consider her. Hope that helped even a little.

[Christine]

Jules she does mention going to Cuba on her site so if she has done a lot of weddings in Cuba that would be a good thing. I understand what Jonathon is saying, however I think her pictures are really nice and if you feel comfortable with her that is all that matters.

[jillhiggins]

Hi,

 

Like the others mentioned, she has some good shots and then she has some not so good shots. It does make me wonder why she would put some not so good shots in her portfolio.

 

It is always important to see a few sample weddings - meaning all of the photos. Personally, I think every photographer should offer this access on their site. You need to see more than just their "best of" shots.

 

With that said, everyone has a budget. Ask to see an entire wedding or two of hers. If you think they look good, then you're probably fine.

 

On a side note, just because photographers have a low price doesn't mean that is a bad thing. You do need to be a leary though. If you check them out thouroughly and you really like their work and they have solid, full wedding examples, then maybe you are getting a deal b/c they are new.

 

On a side note, a poor location is not an excuse for poor photos - at least it shouldn't be for a professional photographer. Photographers with a really good eye should be able to make a great situation out of an ugly spot. For example, I often meet with a group of photographer friends at Panera Bread in an ugly strip mall. One evening we took a few minutes and challenged ourselves to get some great shots even though we were at an ugly strip mall. Some could do it, some could not. I posted about that and included some pics on my blog. I was about to provide a link but apparently my blog is down. If you're able to get on, it's under either September or October. I'll try to find it later if I can figure out why my blog is down.

 

[*JillD*]

Jules, I agree with the others, some really nice pics, other not so nice.

 

And I agree with Jackie, about Juan, a lot of girls got him at a great price when he was starting out, and this could be her situation as well.

 

Also, I understand about having a budget and no matter how much you may want to spend (for example) 5000 on pics, if you only have 1000 to work with, theres not much you can do, you can only cut back in other areas so much. Good Luck, I hope we helped a little bit!

[LCBride2007]

I can't add much to help here - everyone has made some great points. I don't think a low price alone means she's bad - maybe she's just trying to get into DW photography. I've seen some great photogs that were offering deals just to build their portfolio - it works out great for everyone! Everyone has to start somewhere - even the best of the best.

 

I will say though, if you're not comfortable with her, that's the biggest thing - YOU need to like what you're paying for!

[EDYTA]

My honest opinion.....I think that wedding pics are one of the most important aspects of your wedding so I dont think you should cut corners on that... but if you are working on a budget I guess having someone that has less experience is better than not having anyone at all

 

I would ask her if she can send you any pics of destination weddings that she has already done and also call her up talk to her and see how you feel with her...I think that is so important to feel comfortable with your photographer if you get a good vibe and you like her work than I say give her a shot

 

let us know how it turns out...btw let me know if you need anyother help looking for a photographer from the toronto area