Hello there,
The season is in full swing, and in addition to the weddings I cover, I schedule discovery appointments with clients who contact me as part of their search for their wedding photographer. These appointments are systematically made by videoconference, because 1) at the height of the season, I don't have the time to physically go to those appointments 2) since I now work all over France, it's impossible for me to travel for the very first meeting. Once the wedding has been signed, I make arrangements with the bride and groom on a case-by-case basis.
Some couples sometimes feel that this first exchange is pointless, superficial and useless. They 'just' want to know my prices so they can make their choice based on that and ultimately decide who to go for based on prices and Instagram feeds.
In this article, I'll give you my opinion on this approach.
The question of the wedding photography budget
Obviously, before going any further, we need to identify the elephant in the room: the budget. Every former groom or bride knows it: a wedding is a budget. You have to match your desires with your financial possibilities.
You make think considering the financial aspect, it does make sense to ask for the brochure beforehand! That way, you can compare prices directly, and you don't waste anyone's time planning a call with a service provider who's way too expensive for you!
I see your point.
Yet I disagree.
Because this first meeting isn't just about getting to know the photographer to make sure you get along (although that's obviously essential). It also allows you to understand everything the photographer includes in his or her wedding photography package.
What's included in a wedding photography package?
When I first started working as a wedding photographer, I had the impression that the first appointment was just to get the bride and groom to want to work with me 'because I was nice'. And that, I think, is the main point of the first meeting when you're looking for an entry-level photographer. It remains one of the points to check when doing that first meeting, though other essentials aspects need to be considered too.
Side note: I'm discussing the 'range' of a wedding photographer without any judgement. As I've said a thousand times on this blog, I've become the wedding photographer I couldn't have afforded at my wedding, yet I'll love my wedding photos forever. That being said, the more experience I gain in this business, the more I realize how much a photo service varies from one photographer to another and there is no other way to realize that than doing a first meeting.
The main idea here is that the higher you go (and the more you pay) when looking for a wedding photographer, the more complete your service will be: more complete upstream support, documents written exclusively for clients to help them get the most out of their images, advice and help during the preparation of the wedding, availability, possible gifts, prints and/or albums, file back-up arrangements, etc.
A price is only consistent if it's in line with the client's needs.
Let's take my own case as a study. My rates for a wedding photo service start at 3,000 euros (which is no secret since they're written on my website).
Of course, you might think “That's too expensive for me”. But does that make sense if you're basing your opinion solely on the photos on my website and my brochure?
Maybe some of the services I offer are actually unnecessary for you. Maybe you don't need any special guidance before your wedding (I personally always find the advice of a seasoned professional useful, but you're entitled not to have the time or inclination for such exchanges during your wedding preparations). Maybe you don't want some of the specific images I offer, in which case you don't need the extra accessories I've acquired as part of my photography services. Maybe you don't need to be accompanied and advised on your planning (if you don't have a wedding planner, I can tell you that this task will automatically fall to your photographer, as we guarantee the completeness of the reportage we give to our clients).
But it's hard to be sure unless you've taken the time to talk to several service providers to understand what a wedding photo service really entails for each of them.
This discussion may even lead you to reconsider the initial budget you were planning to allocate to the photo service, because it can help you better define your needs and expectations.
The quality of the images and the comprehensiveness of the photo reportage are in line with the service provider's pricing.
When it comes to photography, moving upmarket obviously implies a more complete and exhaustive photo service: more variety in shots, photos of décor, architecture, atmosphere, decoration. Posed sequences planned with the couple are also more elaborate and the photographer's style is recognizable because it has been refined over the years. You also pay for technical mastery that guarantees quality images whatever the lighting conditions, the ability to manage the problems of the big day and to take the lead on these problems effectively, etc.
If you don't take the time to have a first meeting with a photographer, you'll be depriving yourself of a good vision on his or her work. Sure, a brochure and an Instagram showcase are a good first glimpse, but you're about to choose someone who's going to accompany you throughout one of the most important days of your life, and who's going to create for you the only memories you'll have of that day. I think it's important to take the time to talk with him or her to get a complete picture of what he or she can offer you.
This is all the more true as, at the end of this first meeting, you'll be able to request complete wedding galleries. I almost never send them to the bride and groom without first meeting with them, because I always try to send reportages that are coherent with their wedding venue and their wishes in terms of atmosphere and decoration, so that they can quickly see whether or not they can relate to my work. Sending them an Italian Destination Wedding reportage set in a white villa with a dinner outside if they're getting married in a Parisian hotel makes absolutely no sense.
If you don't have this first exchange, you potentially deprive yourself of consulting a photographer's complete galleries, and trust me, you don't want to hire a photographer without ever having seen a complete wedding gallery.
The first meeting with a wedding photographer aka the key to objectively comparing service providers
I always advise brides and grooms who contact me to talk to several wedding photographers. I think it's important to compare approaches, rates, content, vision - in short, everything that makes each professional unique. We all approach our profession differently, depending on our tastes, our character, our artistic style and so on. As a bride/groom-to-be, you can only really measure these differences by taking the time to talk to several professionals. You can argue about the time spent (and potentially lost), but I think the memories of a lifetime are well worth taking two, three or four hours to talk to several professionals. Regrets last a lifetime.
Besides, comparing photographers is not just a matter of price:
The style and rendering of their complete galleries (which you'll find hard to get without a first meeting)
Photographic approach on the day: photojournalism, editorial, both?
Handling difficult lighting conditions: if it's raining cats and dogs, or if you've planned wedding sequences in dark interiors, you want to be sure that the professional is capable of producing quality work.
What kind of support does the photographer offer before the event?
How does the photographer ensure that the wedding reportage is complete and meets your expectations?
What about publishing images on the Internet? Is it systematic? What does the contract say?
All these points are impossible to verify other than by having a first exchange.
A first call is not just about finding out if you and your photographer are getting along and having a good time (although that's a very encouraging first step!). It's about exploring the different facets of the service together, to understand whether this particular photographer's service meets your expectations.
Worst case scenario of having a first meeting with a photographer
The only risk is for you to waste time with a service provider you don't trust and/or who doesn't offer you a service that suits you. But at least you'll then have a better idea of what you're looking for and what you want to avoid in subsequent discussions, and you'll have a more complete point of comparison when talking to other photographers. Perhaps you'll talk to professionals with different packages and prices, enabling you to identify the type of service and pricing that's right for you? Even if this first meeting with a photographer ends up being a disappointment you will gain a better understanding of the kind of images you want, and the kind of support you need.
So worst case scenario: you lost one or two hours of your time.
But what if the photographer also loses time because of me?
A bride-to-be once told me she feared saying 'no' to someone she had spent time with because she felt like she was letting her/him down.
Spending time with people we won't work for is part of our job and we're used to it. We can't be the right choice for everybody! Especially if we try to create a specific and unique service! But the only way to find out is to have an actual conversation.
A sales assistant doesn't burst into tears every time a client walk out of his store without buying anything. You can't please everyone - that's part of the job!
What's damaging and hurtful (to me, at least) is not people saying no, but people who simply never reply again, and wait for me to understand that the ghosting means no. I find this behavior disrespectful towards a professional who has taken time for you. But saying no and explaining why is perfectly honorable and normal!
What if I'm dealing with a service provider whose price is much too high for me, but I fall in love with their work and then find myself frustrated when I do my research?
That is a tough one.
Because it can of course happen. Not all photographers share their prices before the first meeting. So you run the risk of having stars in your eyes with a professional who then turns out to be far too expensive for your budget.
It's infuriating, for sure. Having said that, it can highlight a possible need to revise your budget upwards, especially if it happens repeatedly. If you feel frustrated because the only work you feel aligned with is the work of photographers that are 'too expensive', maybe it's time to think about what you really want and need for your wedding photography service.
I would never push a couple to spend money if it feels uncalled for. If you feel like you've been pressured or scared into spending money, you're bound to be disappointed with your service provider. On the other hand, it's important to remember that very often - at least when the professionals are competent, which is fortunately the case most of the time - a higher price means a more complete, varied and artistic service. If you realize that your expectations are no longer in line with your budget, it's better to realize it before the wedding, allowing you to reflect on it and adjust your budget (if you wish) than to realize it afterwards by discovering your wedding reportage that doesn't live up to your expectations.
There's always something to be learned from a first discussion, whether or not it leads to a collaboration, and whether or not you get satisfaction from it. All the information you gather from different professionals allows you to learn more about the photo service as well as about yourself and your expectations. You can never spend too much time making up your mind when it comes to the memories of a lifetime.
Worst case scenario of not having a first meeting with a photographer
Not making an appointment means taking several risks:
A full gallery can be radically different from the vibe of a few images taken from several events and selected by a photographer as its best work.
You don't want to hire someone you don't know yet. On the big day, a reassuring presence can be an immense asset and a source of serenity, just as someone who makes you feel uncomfortable can overshadow the sweetest moments and generate anxiety you don't need on the big day.
No first meeting means you may not understand what is included in the service, and discover later that you would have liked a certain type of image that the photographer didn't make, or a certain accompaniment that wasn't part of the service, etc.
If you're working with a photographer whose mother tongue isn't your own (in the case of a Destination Wedding, for example), a first meeting is essential to ensure that you understand each other well enough for the wedding day to run smoothly.
All those issues can be summed up in one huge risk: disappointment. What are a few hours spent looking for your wedding photographer compared to images that don't satisfy you for the rest of your life? One again, regrets last for a lifetime.
In my opinion, the 'discovery appointment' is an absolute necessity. And if it leaves you feeling frustrated, it's probably because it's not the right wedding photographer for you, and you should just keep looking!
You can see some of the weddings I've covered on my website. You can also contact me to find out more about my work... or to schedule a discovery appointment!
See you soon!
Manon
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