What is a realistic price to pay for a South African wedding photographer?

What is a realistic price to pay for a WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER in South Africa? And how to compare their quote price against their portfolio? I certainly think this comes down to your personal requirements and what you hope to achieve. My personal feelings regarding this, in South Africa, wedding photographers charge excessively - generally speaking. Far too many people click on the world best photographers websites, see their pricings and think "hey I could do that! I mean how hard can that really be?" And it’s off to Makro for a cheap DSLR, a quick web-search on "How to be a great wedding photographer" and voila ANOTHER wedding photographer has entered the market charging foreign pricing. Don't get me wrong South Africa has some extremely talented wedding photographers and are worth every cent squeezed out of your WEDDING BUDGET - and are definitely worth it. But if budgets are tight and you can only afford a mid range photographer, please make sure you research their work thoroughly.

Below, I have compiled a simple list to keep in mind when selecting your wedding photography. Try judge from these pointers if the amount they have quoted you matches the answers given. In no particular order I start with:

• Always request photos from a full wedding day - if your future prospect wedding photographer is showing only 3 or 4 wedding images per wedding couple at your first meeting, it’s time to squeeze your partners leg under the table and make a swift exit! Any amateur can shoot a couple thousand photos at a wedding and have 2 or 3 hit photos. Try look for consistency throughout their work. An example of consistency would be something like THIS WEDDING I shot or for a music clip check out THIS LINK OF MINE. In other words, a portfolio of a single wedding from start to finish!

• Don't be afraid to ask what equipment they use and what backup equipment they have. If they only mention lenses shorter than 100mm or so, you know they are going to be intrusive most of the time as they won’t be able to zoom in all that much! Of course that's OK if you don't mind it! For a photojournalistic style you would mostly need a 70-200mm length of lens. Ask them questions regarding their flashes and do they use external flashes. If the answer no - start grabbing the leg again!

•  Ask questions about their editing software - the majority of photographers use Photoshop. If they have their p.c. with them ask him/her to show you how it looks or something? Ask them questions regarding saving of jpegs, file size, different formats etc. A photographer dealing with editing every day won’t struggle to answer any questions thrown at them. Don’t be shy to ask for comparisons between original photos taken straight from the camera and their final edited photos. Is their work consistent? Look closely at the saturation of colours, their compositions, black and white techniques, exposure, clarity etc. In my opinion, heavy shading on the edges of all photos and colour popping means - no thanks.

• Lastly, prices aside, your photographer should have a natural personality and likability. An individual with great character almost always will reflect on your final photos.

Two big questions I don't think are important would be:

• Do they have a photography diploma? Photography is a talent. Student photographers may be taught new techniques, and in term of lighting setups this may be very important. But photography is a talent - that's all I am saying!

• How long and how many weddings have you shot? Who cares? In my opinion you are only as good as your last few wedding shoots. Photos from the 1990's should be irrelative. Of course experience is fantastic and priceless but someone with a few years experience should have more energy, drive and passion with a point to proof. Simply put don't make decision on time lines.

So, now that you have looked at hundreds of TOP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITES and met with a few of your favourites, how do you decide which one are really worth their asking price? If the tooth fairy has paid you a visit recently and you can afford the best, then go for the best. Prices for 2010 would be in the range of R18K+ easily.

Most photographers range around the R10K mark for an all inclusive package and I think that’s a fair price to pay. At this level they should operate as a full time photographer, who is fully equipped for all conditions and with lots of confidence.

Wedding photographer charging R8K and less – you need to do your homework here. Go on recommendations. Word of mouth advertising is the safest here. Email them lots of questions and compare their answers and approach. It’s OK for them not to be a full time photographer, but find out what other work they do. Could this effect your big day? If they do shift work on weekends, then decline.
Also, will they have time to edit your photos?
You need to remember, editing hundreds of
photos from a single wedding can takes weeks, time is required. Having a second job can hamper this and
edits may become rushed.

Good luck in your searches!!!

SOMOGYVARI PHOTOGRAPHY