I research the market twice a year spending a good portion of time evaluating current economic factors, politics and how they influence the economy and finally competitor's pricing structures. I am not so much concerned with how much they charge for a wedding but how skilled they are, their style and what they offer for packages. In my biannual market studies I see a wide variety of photography styles, levels of experience, technical abilities, psychology and finally what they are charging. I do my best to analyze current markets with an eye to the future. Being ahead of the curve is very important in any business you do. What did I find? Read below for some personal observations.

STYLE

There are a wide variety of styles here in New Orleans.

Being a Southern city there are many traditional style wedding photographers. You might ask 'what defines traditional?'. To me it is comprised of well planned portraits, follows all the guidelines you find in those online wedding magazines like The Knot and presents images reflecting a more reserved audience of friends and family.

Very dignified comes to mind for me.

Large, with well over 125 guests, 10-20 atttendants, everything matching and perfectly thought out presenting a quite beautiful and elegant party.

The portraits are perfectly lit, posed and supremely beautiful.

Photojournalism style entered the wedding photography world when, once again, the digital world affects change to the marketplace. News photojournalists starting receiving their walking papers as the news media moved to the online blog-o-sphere. They brought their honest, unobtrusive eye to an entirely new audience.

Now you have professionals, many used to working in REAL warzones across the world, who know the technical side of their profession better than anyone.

They are the 'Documentarians' of our generation and now bringing it to the wedding world.

An honesty in portraits and the entire event is pervasive. Their weddings have this subtle motion to the images. It's a sin for them to have 'photo aware' photographs. That's where the subject is aware of the camera and most likely posing.

Not to say they don't do flippin' amazing portraits. Their portraits dig just a bit deeper and pull through the subject their inner selves. When done right and with the right clients (ones who choose to connect with their photographer on a creative and trust level), magic appears. 

Creative and artistic style takes a professional's technical expertise and amps it up by having the ability to shoot the event technically to provide the canvas that will be the art after post processing through all the means digital has to offer. Clients who choose this type of photographer are looking for more than beautiful photographs.

They're looking for individuality and uniqueness in the final product.

I combine artistic style with photojournalism honesty.

EXPERIENCE/TECHNICAL ABILITY

Experience is a biggie.

My first wedding I shot as the primary and I was scared to death.

You move so fast from scene to scene and moment to moment with no time to think. Without technical ability it doesn't matter how much experience you have because you must know your equipment and its limitations to be able to adapt to ever changing environments.

Experience comes with time.

Many start out as second photographers working their way to independence while others strike out on their own. Either way, it is a steep learning curve even after you have experience enough that you no longer feel any anxiety.

Digital equipment is incredibly complicated and even I don't know everything my camera can do, mostly because I am a control freak and always shoot in Manual. Each shoot provides a new experience and chance to polish their skills.

Just with on camera flash there are so many options on how to modify the output to suit that particular situation. Turn 90 degrees and everything changes again many times. Now add lightstands with off-camera units, each setup to provide a specific type and style of light to the overall photograph.

And do know this...IT IS ALWAYS ULTIMATELY ABOUT THE LIGHT. Without the light no amount of creativity or photoshop work can fix a photograph.

PSYCHOLOGY

Yes, Psychology is also an important component of wedding photography.

Weddings are high pressure events for both the couple and their photographer. The last thing a bride needs is a stressed out or unprofessional photographer. We have to be able to calm nervous couples too, keeping stressors out (such as friends and family) without offending anyone.

Those with experience know to recognize stressors before they happen and therefore can often shield the couple from additional unnecessary calamities. Your day shouldn't be marred by extraneous distractions.

SECOND PHOTOGRAPHERS

Some second shooters/photographers are full time pros who either are helping out a fellow photographer or are married couples. It's a bonus for clients to basically have two for the price of 1 - 1 1/2. With a second photographer you get additional angles and vision.

The negative is you get different vision and style.

If you are hiring your photographer for their style and creativity the second won't be the same. If you can't tell the difference between the two then most likely they work with a type of formula in their business that unifies either by repetition for each wedding or presets that are the rage today.

Nothing wrong with either I might add.

But, if you are hiring your photographer for their particular artistic style you have to take these points into consideration.

Traditionally, working as a second shooter was your way to learn as an under-study until you are ready to go solo. Today though there are those who just choose to work for someone else because frankly its tough running a business and there's always lots of additional work.

There is something to be said for choosing to second shoot.

If you are choosing a photographer based on the option of a second either included in the package or as an add-on I would definitely ask to see their portfolio too and ask who does the editing/final work on the RAW files because that is where the final touches are made that turn a photograph from beautiful to art.

Frequently, especially with elopements, second photographers are not necessary. So be sure the added cost is really worth it to you.

PRICING

I can only speak to New Orleans wedding photography and the surrounding area. Pricing differences and cost factors tend to fall into the following categories:

1.  New to the Business/Building their portfolio and still learning

2.  A second photographer starting their own business

3.  Skill with lighting both on camera and off, multiple setups

4.  Reputation and business ethics

5.  What they provide above photographing your wedding

6.  Overhead, that is actually a biggie that is behind the scenes

7.  Hiring designers to do the albums and books

8.  Equipment. While a good pro can make most anything work it is really exceptionally important that they use proper gear for

     the jobs they plan to do. And duplicate back up gear. Stuff breaks. And the budget has to be high for new and better gear.

9.  Marketing. Sometimes it really is all about the marketing. It's big business. SEO, branding, advertising, all can be very 

     expensive and is part of the costs of the quote.

When I started my business I tried packages, but not long after I started, I found most of my clients were savvy enough to get their own albums and prints made, therefore they preferred just receiving the files.

So I chose the Creative Model over the Traditional for pricing.

Very few in the area here did this.

Just recently over the last few months I've noticed more photographers moving to that model for their pricing.  As more and more professionals move to the a la carte method of pricing, choosing a New Orleans Wedding Photographer becomes more about style and business ethics - not price.

It's no longer about trying to decipher why one photographer charges $2000 and another $3500, you now know the difference is in the products that were previously included at higher rates and the photographer's style. 

Hopefully this blog post helps you in understanding wedding photography pricing and helps make your life easier when you're choosing a New Orleans Wedding Photographer!

Call me for a custom quote 504-920-8703