a love supreme photo :: blog

We get many inquiries a week. Some lead to bookings and some lead nowhere.

We used to have a set fee; two packages to choose from. All the nitty gritty details and pricing were sent off in a response to an inquiry. Some couples budget a specific amount for their photography, some couples don’t know what to expect at all, and others are so overwhelmed by the financial aspect of planning their wedding that they wonder how they can even make it all happen.

I’m a wedding photographer and have been for six years now. I have spoken to hundreds of couples about budgets and packages and pricing. I hold virtual hands throughout the process, give them my expertise on the subject, try to work with them on pricing, and become their friend in the process. And after six years, the whole pricing thing does not get easier.

I know what I’m worth, I know how much time and effort and energy and artistry I bring to my work, I know that I (and my team) deliver outstanding and unique images that really capture the love between two people, and I know how much daily work and upkeep running a small business solo takes.

But I’m a human being. Weddings are expensive. Not everyone has thousands of dollars laying around to devote to a single day. I understand a couple’s plight when it comes to what they can afford and what they can not. So I’m here to talk to you a little bit about the work we do and how we deal with pricing…

First off, everyone’s aunt/uncle/brother/sister/friend/cousin/parent has a digital camera. Many even have kick ass DSLRs with lenses that make me drool and they’ll show up at your wedding and start snapping away. You may think, well I don’t want to spend too much money on photography because all of these other guests can take pictures too. But guess what? There’s a big difference in the quality of photos that you will end up with, regardless of how fancy their camera is. (Maria wrote a great post about that here!) My style, my knowledge of photography, and my photographic eye have been developing for the last 26 years when I first picked up a camera. It is part of who I am. You’ve likely noticed that the photographs on my website are not your average wedding photos. They are so far from snapshots and portraits even. I want my photos to embody love, emotion, a story, and something that is so far from just visual that you can almost place yourself in that time and moment and feel it all.

That’s just my artistic eye we’re talking about. Not only do I need to have a defined style, but I also need to be incredibly aware, amazingly resourceful, flexible and physically fit to shoot an 8-10 hour wedding without once sitting down, and I need to be well acquainted with the ins and outs of weddings and what happens when, what the general flow is, and be able to anticipate the intimate moments before they happen. It’s a LOT. And you really can only exhibit all of this after years of shooting weddings. It is learned knowledge and it just keeps on building. With so many weddings under my belt, I often wonder how I shot the weddings of my first season. There is just SO much to know.

So there’s all of that, but then there’s running a business. Even during the slowest time of the season with weddings coming to a halt, when the photo editing and retouching is all caught up with, I still spend about 5-6 hours a day just with business upkeep, client e-mails, answering inquiries, paying bills, etc. And during the peak of the wedding season, you can increase that time to 14-16 hours a day. That’s right folks. Who else do you know that works a 14-16 hour job sometimes 7 days a week during the summer and fall? It’s intense, but luckily I love what I do.

But that brings me to pricing. I would say that a typical wedding, from the first inquiry to the final mailing of the disc or prints takes, on average, 75 hours. It’s a lot of time and it’s probably more than even the couple getting married is aware of. When you receive a quote, you receive it for a certain amount of coverage (hours) on your wedding day and a certain number of photographers, and usually a disc of final, edited images. But we don’t tell you exactly how much time it takes us per wedding. It’s a lot more than showing up, snapping away, and burning the images to a disc.

I understand budgets, I really do. I am getting married myself and finding a photographer we truly love was our top priority. It is the only lasting thing you will have from your wedding day. It’s what you will have to look back on to remember the day. It’s the only thing that will capture the love and energy and friends and relatives and fun of your wedding day. The food will be gone, the decorations will be taken down, the drinks will be consumed, the flowers will eventually wilt, the dress can be packed away or sold, but your photos will remain forever. The money that you spent on your photographs was spent on something that will be around for generations. Yet so many couples want to skimp on photography. They budget $800 for photography, yet spend $5,000 on flowers. Yes, I understand that everyone’s priorities are different, but photography should be up there on any list. Why? Because people want those memories captured. And that’s when you need to decide just how well you want those memories captured, because you really, honestly get what you pay for.

How do we price? Well, I found that even after having “set” package prices, people always tried to talk me down in price. Now, I understand budgets. I am on one myself. I really get it. But my pricing was carefully configured to compensate me for my time, talents, business expenses, and taxes (a huge chunk, by the way). My pricing was configured so that I could actually support my child and myself on this income. So that I could have some type of a comfortable life right above the poverty level. But I was continually being talked down in price.

So now? Now I don’t give a price. I ask questions, I get to know the couple and their wedding. I get a sense of what their needs are and ask UPFRONT what their budget is (nobody is ever going to say, “Yes, we were looking to spend $10,000 on a photographer”…or at least not here in Maine), and from there I draft up a custom quote. Everyone is on a budget.

Instead, I work with budgets; to an extent. Clients need to know just what is involved in this industry. Clients need to know that I have nobody behind the scenes supporting me so I can just shoot weddings for “fun.” Nope, this is my full-time gig. This is how I feed my daughter and myself, provide shelter, heat our house, pay for gas and electricity. You all know how it goes. This is my living. And I’m damn good at it. I will shoot your wedding like nobody else could. I will give you images that nobody else could capture.

So when I quote you a price, please know that it is based on my time, my expertise, and everything that goes into the process. I never charge more than what I feel is fair. And after going through the same process myself with finding a photographer for my own wedding, I can honestly say that my prices make it possible for couple’s to get amazing, creative, and quality shots of their wedding day. I make myself accessible to many, but please don’t ask me to give away my work. Trust that my only intent is to do what I love, work hard, and be fair.

xo

Erin

There’s so much to consider when planning your wedding, and as your photographers we want to be there to help! We want to give you the best images possible, and working together during the planning stages can be extremely beneficial to both your photographers and your wedding day!

Lighting, by far, is the most important element to photographs. Here are a few things to consider when planning your wedding for the best possible photographs:

 

Ceremony:

• If you are having an outdoor ceremony, consider the time of day. The harshest light is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Especially if you have no overhead cover, or anything to shade you or your guests, you will risk having some pretty harsh shadows and light in your photographs. As professional wedding photographers, we can work with any kind of situation, but in terms of the best quality photographs, after 2 p.m. offers softer light that will warm up your images and create an even tone. If you find yourself having an outdoor ceremony midday, consider using some kind of an arbor for shade. Give your guests some parasols to shield their eyes from the sun. Also, consider where the sun is and arrange yourself in the best way possible to avoid squinting eyes, harsh shadows, or having the sun directly behind you.
• If you are having the ceremony inside, take notice of any available lighting. Go to the ceremony site at the same time as your scheduled ceremony and test out the lights. Make note of how dark or light it is, and report this back to your photographer. Snapping some photos with your phone or a camera and sending them to your photographer can help as well. Doing this will help prepare your photographer for working with the available light.

Family photos and creative photos with bride and groom:

• Family photos are best done in light that is even, and preferably outside for a pleasing background. If your ceremony and reception are both in the evening, consider rounding up your family earlier in the day when the light is still out. Not only does this mean you’ll have wonderfully lit family photos, but you can also get them out of the way and let your family enjoy the cocktail hour/reception directly after the ceremony!
• The same goes for wedding party photos. Often, it is easier for everyone to get the photos out of the way, which lessens the stress and rounding up of people after the ceremony.
• When it comes to the bride and groom, our ideal time for photographs is about a half hour before sunset. The light just before the sun sets creates a lovely warm, soft glow. It’s almost an instant timeless feel. We typically ask the bride and groom to reserve 30 minutes for photographs before or after the ceremony, and if you are unable to carve out a big chunk of time right around sunset, we still can quickly step out for just a few quick photographs.

Reception:

• Reception lighting is as unique as the location. We’ve run into all kinds of lighting situations, from just candles in the dark of night, to big globe lights, to strung light bulbs, to bright overhead lighting…you name it, we’ve shot it. There are two things to keep in mind when deciding on lighting, photographically speaking…the less light there is, the more we will have to use a flash, or the more we will have to bump up the ISO (think film speed…the higher the ISO allows us to shoot in low light without a flash, but your images will have a grainy quality to them).
• Think about the available light, and where it is placed. Make sure the bridal party table is well lit and the cake cutting table has plenty of light. When placing the bridal party table, think about any windows that might be directly behind you…they reflect light and objects, and can often create a harsh back lit situation. Try to place your table with any available light facing you.

 

Hopefully this will help both you and your photographers! If you have any questions, please e-mail us at hello@alovesupremephoto.com. We’re happy to answer any questions you have. Cheers!

 

 

 

With the 2011 wedding season coming to a close, I’ve been finishing up the last of the editing and album design and thinking about where this past year has brought me. Then I stumbled across this Polaroid I took when I was three years old. My parents took me on a vacation up in Camden where we stayed in a little cabin on the water. They handed me my first Polaroid camera and let me take all the pictures I wanted. This was the picture that started it all. I remember when it popped out of the camera, and I watched it slowly develop into the picture above. I was hooked. It was then that my love of photography started.

As a nine year old, I would come home from school and take all the LIFE Magazines out of the closet and slowly turn each page, looking in complete admiration at the beautiful photographs. It was through those images that I fell in love with the work of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Annie Leibovitz. I remember way back then setting the intention that I wanted to capture images like that. It’s what I wanted to do. Those images moved me, they really got to something deep inside me that transported me right to that moment. I could feel the image. It was so much more than just a visual experience.

And that intention…creating images that allow people do more than just see, has carried through all these years and into my work now, as a wedding photographer, as an everyday photographer, as a fine art photographer. It’s my intention. It is what I’ve always wanted to do with my art.

I see people as amazingly beautiful. Every single person. I find it an honor to photograph anyone; whether it be a beautiful bride or a happy guest. I find it an absolute honor to be able to photograph people. It is a true pleasure. I have so much gratitude for this work that I am able to do.

Sometimes I look back on all this, on my past, how photography has led me to where I am today; both personally and professionally, and well, it’s all very cliche, but…I’m so very lucky. I’m lucky to be doing this, I’m lucky to meet the people I have met, I’m lucky to be where I am in my life, I’m lucky to be doing something that I love and adore, I’m lucky to be putting all my energy and intention into something that means so much to me. I really, truly believe in pursuing dreams, doing what you love, making the most of everyday, and setting positive intentions.

When looking ahead I see so much growth happening. I see personal portfolio work evolving, I see future clients that will become lasting friends, I see travel, I see so many opportunities to capture beauty and love. It’s all very thrilling and exciting and I’m so happy I get to be here, where I am, right now.

I wanted to let all the people I have had the gift of working with these past few years know that I am extremely grateful for them. Thank you all for making this dream a reality. Many blessings for the new year.

xo.

erin

 

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Most clients don’t understand exactly what goes on behind the scenes. They think the bulk of photographer’s work is done at the actual wedding, but in fact, the opposite is true!

When you’re a creative photographer, shooting an image in a particular way is 80% of it, editing and seeing what can be done to an image is the other 20%. But that 20% takes hours and hours. A typical wedding takes 60 hours to edit. That’s not including backing up (I happen to do that three different ways), getting the discs ready for clients, designing the album, or putting up a preview.

Just to give you a little example of the tiny details I look for when editing to give you the best possible image, here are two examples ::

 

Now, this was a special moment…the big kiss after the “I Do’s”. It’s a wonderful moment to capture and so full of emotion. The focus is on the kiss and the couple. But nine times out of ten, the officiant is usually half in it, half hidden behind the couple. It adds some distraction and takes away from the simplicity and pureness of the moment.

So, my job is to make this shot look like exactly how I would have liked to take it in camera. And that’s what I do. It’s all about the details!