Jump to content

Arrrgh seriously WTF?!


James B

Recommended Posts

OK rant style thread coming up..................

 

Me and the missus are tieing the knot in April next year and had found a photographer we really like. Being the man it came down to me (she asked me to as well) to do a little negotiating for price. The package we had selected was nigh on £2k for the photographer and our choice of album.

When checking the price list I saw that a CD / DVD of the images wasn't included and cost an extra £350.

 

Now I like to think of myself as a reasonable chap and wouldnt expect a person to necessarily do extra work for no extra money, so when I spoke to the photographer I did a little probing to find that all the editing work in Photoshop was done already in the package and that getting the DVD (work wise) would just require her copy and pasting the image files to the disc. I asked that, seeing as we had picked a large package, didnt have much money and it didnt require any extra hours work for her if she would include the CD backup in the cost, which the woman refused, saying it's they are still her images and thats how she makes her living. Said we needed the DVD and may need to have a look at which package we went for (i.e may have to get the DVD instead of the album) and that I would discuss with the powers that be and get back to her.

 

Flash forward to today, one hour ago. I call her to say we just want the DVD package with no album as we dont have any more money - long and short of it is she now doesnt want to do our wedding because she didnt like me questioning her prices.........

 

SERIOUSLY WTF!!!!! :bang::bangin::bang::bangin::blackeye:

 

Major headache as the missus loved this womans work but am I seriously wrong from asking for a discount on somehting that requires no work form someone? She basically told me that the right to the photo's was her living. SO WOMAN - WHAT THE HELL WAS THE OTHER £2k I WAS PAYING FOR IF NOT THE RIGHTS TO THE PHOTO'S?!?!?!

 

As I see it the cost of the photographer (whatever it is) is paying for their unique skills. When it comes to a tangible item which can be measured with nil material or man hour costs, I don't like to feel like someones trying to pull my pants down.

 

The biggest headache of this is going to be dealing with a frosty woman for the next 48 (or 148?) hrs.

 

I need a little blind support but feel I need to know. Was I an arsehole for asking (politely) for this discount?

 

GOD WHAT A SHITE END TO THE DAY..........................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my mates wedding in poland had an awesome photographer, they done movies and photos, movies of bride and groom running through fields in the early morning sun... was truly spectacular..

 

so now one of my other mates has worked out it is cheaper to fly the photographers over and put them up in a hotel rather than get a photographer here.

 

Britain is a nation where everyones robbing everyone.. absolute joke. There is no way she can justify that money for an extra dvd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

nope you weren't an arse hole. Negotiation on prices etc in this country used to be commonplace and certainly is in others today. The fact she gets offended by it is pathetic and no way could you have predicted it. If she doesn't have the skills to be the saleswoman of her work she should emplay an agency to do this for her, there are plenty out there. think of it this way, you want someone who will enjoy taking your photos becasue people who are enjoying thier jobs do a far better job of it. I'd say find someone else :thumbs: I would have done the same as you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend of mine had a DVD done of his wedding and paid somewhere like what you mentioned. He asked about extra copies for Family etc and was told each extra DVD would be £100! The photographer also said that the DVD's were not able to be copied so he would have to buy them. He gave me the original and next day he had 10 copies :thumbs::thumbs:

 

This woman obviously feels that her 'art' is worth the price and if she has the business then she can pick and choose I guess. Move on, find someone else and don't let it spoil the day.

 

All this nonesense is why I have told the missus we will be getting Married in Las Vegas by Elvis :teeth:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We paid i think £600 for our 2 photographers in Italy. Photos came mounted in a leather bound album in a leather suitcase along with all the images on CD's and a bones DVD of the images edited together with music. Didn't ask for the DVD and didn't expect the suitcase but it was fantastic value for money. Organised by the Owner of the place where we had the reception. They even managed to get them printed and mounted in 3 days before we left the region. Brilliant work.

 

It may be worth asking the reception place if they know of anyone. If you can do some research of the style you like and present that to a photographer you could be saving a few bob.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dont blame you for asking for a discount - I would have been asking for more TBH. A lot of photographs f-me right off these days. Gone are the days when it was a real art to take a photo knowing the correct settings before capturing it to film, knowing that when the image was developed it would be truely magical. These days you can shoot, shoot and shoot again until it is right, and having them printed is as difficult as FTPing them to a printer (I know I use a professional printer on a business basis) and they arrive next day.

 

How they can charge such ridiculius prices I have no idea. Fair enough charging a high hourly rate, you are paying for their experience and "eye", but after that, things should be done at a reasonable cost (prints, albums, DVDs - afterall they are easy to do as most of them they get off the net!). Lets face it, if they were a good photographer, they shouldnt need any work in Photoshop as they would have been shot properly in the first place. Few shots would need some correction, and any specials they did that knew they'd need post processing. My brother recently got married and they wanted £150+ for an album I could have got them off the net for about £50, and if I tried hard probably a lot less. It really is sickening.

 

I can see it will be a fun process me trying to find a photographer for my wedding. I will leave it to the missus I think. Or get numerous mates to all bring cameras and have them do photos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tbf shes a bit of a stroppy as theres always room for negotiation (sp) in prices imo, with regards to £350 for a cd its what photographers do as they dont want you buying them as once you have it they will rarely get any more money off you with regards to extra prints as lets face it tesco/jessops print them quite cheaply nowadays so thats why they charge the exotrionate amount for little work.

 

but its also to cover their backs, lets say you went to print them off somewhere else and they didnt come out as good as what she would get you then when your showing people/telling people about her they may not think its too good with the picture quality they see (if that makes sense) less work through word of mouth.

 

im doing my first wedding in july for a friend then ill no doubt be asked to do my cousins when she gets married :lol: *sh*tting it atm*.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got married last year mate they wanted 300 for the disc of the photos. Ended up getting the disc free cos I had so many things to complain about- one of which was the 2nd photographer they sent (wedding was over 2days) was an absolute cow and her photos were crap. They way she spoke to some of my guests was a disgrace. But I would rather pay 300 for a disc and a nice photographer than get them for free if that makes sense. If ur unsure how she will be on the day find someone else don't let her spoil ur big day. And tell ur new photographer the reason ur not staying with that one so they treat u better

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mate - for an attitude like that when you are giving her £2k for a days work, I wouldn't want her. I know you don't want to disappoint your missus but there are plenty of creative photographers who will be able to do an equally good or better job.

 

It is still going to be pricecy but you if you get a package with a DVD, it won't be difficult to make copies yourself. :thumbs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I often encounter these types..( i do 55 weddings a year with vintage cars) you did the right thing after all you are the customer and in the end there are loads of photographers around...shame you are not local to me (Cambridge) as I could suggest many. Dont worry you'll find someone better and very best wishes :thumbs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We paid about £450 for our photographer and it was about another £100 for the DVD and letter confirming our rights to the photos and the ability to reproduce them.

 

From a business perspective that photographer is an absolute moron for now turning down your business on the basis of you asking about pricing of the DVD or possibly a discount to have it included. What does she think the recommendation will be like from yourself now.

 

Get to a wedding fair or ask some other newlyweds who they used and you may be surprised at what you can get for the money.

 

In my opinion £2k for photos is quite excessive, though I do know people who have paid it. For me the photos taken on the disposables we put on each table have given us more laughs and memories. The quality of a £500 photographer compared to £2000 one may or may not be noticeable, but it's the memories those pictures provoke that will be remembered forever, and not whether the composition is perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having been a Wedding Photographer I can cofirm that £2k for a photo package is on the high side. Depends what you are having though for the money. Thirty 8" x 8" photo's in a reasonable album should set you back £500 to £750 pounds all in. Photo's do remain the property of the photgrapher though. Down to the photgrapher if he/she wants to sell you the rights to owning them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think we paid 650 for the photographer and another 400 for the CD of photos. we then copied the cd and then copied the CD and gave it to all our families.

 

we worked out we could produce our own album for a lot less than what they could.

 

but the photographer was a legend. very good; almost didn't know they were there, and the family shots etc seem ed to wizz by very effiecient and quick with excellent photos.

 

we used lavenham photographic. they are excellent. the venue we went to had aload of albums from lots of different people and we picked out 3 of the 20 there. and each one was the same person. we'd managed to pick out his 3 albums. he was well worth the money. and he was so good my wifes cousins hired them to go down to london and do their wedding as well.

 

worth a call if you want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is one of those things that grind my gears. You are paying a photographer for their time and expertise to take photos, so how are the resultant photos THEIR property.

 

Nissan built the 350z so when you buy the car do you need their permission to modify or use it?

 

Do microsoft need permission from each individual programmer before they can sell each individual copy of office?

 

If i pay someone to design a website for me, i would expect once its complete to use that template as often as i would like and if they said no i would use someone else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is one of those things that grind my gears. You are paying a photographer for their time and expertise to take photos, so how are the resultant photos THEIR property.

 

Nissan built the 350z so when you buy the car do you need their permission to modify or use it?

 

Do microsoft need permission from each individual programmer before they can sell each individual copy of office?

 

If i pay someone to design a website for me, i would expect once its complete to use that template as often as i would like and if they said no i would use someone else.

Yeah I agree. I develop as part of my job, and the IP for all my code belongs to the end company/client I work for, I dont get to keep it and then say "oh if you want to keep the code, then that will be £5k per piece". F's me right off, as you say you pay for the time, and you should own the copyright when they are done. Saying that, you will as part of the contract take ownership, which is effectively what you are doing when you get the DVD in the package, they should be signing ownership of all the material to you. What then makes me more sick is that some refuse to then give you the RAW images. If you have ownership of the material, then the RAW is the original :rant:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...