David Ziser, one of the world’s most respected wedding photographers, has raised an interesting question over at his website: Are there too many of us out there these days?
Actually, he didn’t ask the question, but someone asked him to address the topic, and so he spent some time working the phones and asking other people in the wedding industry: are there too many wedding photographers? The answers he got were often quite negative. Says Ziser: “What I read here speaks to the “death-knell” of wedding photography as we’ve known it.”
Ziser promises to pick up on the topic again this week, and it promises to be an interesting discussion. You can be a part of it over at the Digital ProTalk blog.
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8 Comments at "Are There Too Many Wedding Photographers?"
I’m already beginning to see the backlash of all the “pro” photographers that are in our area. Just since our last bridal show (Sept 09), I’ve interviewed about a half dozen brides that have had sisters/friends/cousins who had very bad experiences when they hired so called “pro” photographers. The advice that these new brides all heard from those former brides was not to “cheap out” or “save” on the photography. One of the newer brides told me that her sister interviewed with me, but ended up going elsewhere…and she was very disappointed in the quality of her photographs, and with the whole process in general…and she told her younger sister to hire a true professional (which she did..hahah..me!)
So the backlash has already started…all it’s that wave is going to get bigger in the coming years, we all just have to be able to plan accordingly now, and adjust our business models so that we are there when that tide rolls in.
There are too many wedding photographers because it’s easy to become a ‘wedding photographer’ and once you’ve got yourself grounded (about 1-2 years of shooting) it’s too easy to sell the business to every body else that wants to be a ‘wedding photographer’ … there are no standards or checks and balances; nothing to regulate except supply and demand in our capitalist society.
The speed at which technology is improving over the last ten years is unprecedented.
It really tickles me when I see industry folks that make their living off the backs of the ‘too many’ complaining about them … and doing the research to perpetuate the same.
The first thing that I want to know is that Who is asking this question?
Its very easy to say, there are too many of us just as Climate change advocates are blaming the global warming on “too many of us”. Why dont we admit that each one of us is part of that “too many”.
Anyway the most important thing that I would like to highlight is about the picture above. Yes the title picture of the post. Most of us will recognise its David Beckstead. He is trying to “educate” a number of us in order to take “stunning” images like he does. I am sure thats probably a seminar where the participants must have paid a decent amount of money to get in and rub shoulders with the mastro.
Similar scenes can be viewed with other “big names” in the industry trying to spread their knowledge or talent or know how or whatever you may call it. I have three questions :-
1. Do we really think that my attending these “prestigious seminars” we will end up being that person who is at the rostrum?
2. Arent these so called big names just doing this to make money, knowing well that its nothing to do with spreading knowledge or sharing, its just a business?
3. And lastly, the most important question, isnt this contributing to the “too many of us”?
Absolutely there are too many cheap ‘O, clueless, couldn’t shoot off “P” mode if they had to, weekend warrior wanna be’s out there! But, what’s worse is 3/4 of today’s brides could care less! “Daddy ain’t got no money”, “I’m paying for it myself”, “my fiancé doesn’t work & is a cheap ‘O”, there’s that word again, or 2 million other reasons why their budget stinks, yet they expect the files, their precious copyright release or mainly because Suzy Q Studio LLC just got her new camera and needs some samples and is too self-fish not to price the packages professionally, but then, her work doesn’t warrant professional pricing. Brides-to-be at bridal shows are the equivalent of jobless wandering used car lots! They can’t be bothered yet want your pricing and could care less about anything else! Don’t bother! Hey, but on the bright side, there’s always Pet Photography!!! Come on gang, let’s march ahead, there’s still time and then we can Photoshop it! Let us know who is still in business in a year or two!
[...] Original post: DWF » Blog Archive » Are There Too Many Wedding Photographers? [...]
[...] Original post: DWF » Blog Archive » Are There Too Many Wedding Photographers? [...]
Wow, I thought people actually looked at this website. From the lack of comments on this page, with all the great “wedding photogs” out there, I guess not too many care.
Hey Gary:
The discussion is actually happening inside, and is pretty brisk. And over on David’s blog. He’s got part II up today: http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/2010/01/are-there-too-many-wedding_22.html. Part III is the “Light at the end of the tunnel” post, which will come about next week this time…
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