What about voted "Best of The Knot”?!

Let me explain how that “prestige” Knot’s certification works!

A studio that shoots over 500 weddings and spends over $ 100.000 a year only for advertising got on average 200 brides referred from TheKnot.com. After the wedding, because studio is big multimillion dollar company, it cannot provide full personal attention to every couple. There are many times when things go wrong; of course you won’t hear about those upset brides who are on the edge of suing the studio…you will hear ONLY about the brides who provide most positive feedback.

Studio that does so many weddings a year can soon have enormous number of feedbacks posted on the Knot.com website. So, when they have couple hundred positive feedbacks they are automatically “pick of the Knot” …or “Best of the Knot” …

On the other hand, photographer who limits number of weddings he/she shoots per year. Let’s say 50 weddings comparing to couple of hundreds the big studios shoot. Even if every bride is more than happy with entire service provided, a small studio simply cannot become “Best of the Knot” because number of the feedbacks provided is much smaller than what larger companies/studios will get. So basically at the end that special “Knot certification” actually does not mean that 10 out of 10 brides are fully satisfied with the service they received from the certain company/studio. It just means that the studio did many more weddings than anyone else and that might be because they can afford hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising to attract potential brides.

It is about getting every client in so that “sweet talk” and time spent with a bride at the beginning is necessary. Those high advertising costs need to be covered somehow. Now you signed the contract, that attention is not necessary anymore. Let’s be realistic…how can you keep prompt responses and excellent customer service when there is hundreds of brides waiting to get an answer to their question. Ok, let’s say they have many people hired to work with the clients. But how personal is this service. Wedding after all is very personal and one of the most important days in people’s lives.

Compare that “excellent” service to your cell phone company provider….every time you call you talk to a different person off course if you have enough time to wait on the line to actually get to talk to someone. But then again, you get what you pay for!

Here are just few samples from the reviews you can find online-if you do very deep research :D

….but I will agree with another poster here who said their sales staff is incredibly pushy.

…but I wish they had a "small business" approach because we felt a little unimportant through the process….

…pushy sales staff that have been bombarding me with phone calls and junk mail after I attended a bridal show. Not a way to win my business….

…. now it is one year later and I still don't have an album or my pictures. They promise you that you will have a person assigned to you to work with (so called “Personal photography coordinator”) but what they fail to mention is that their turnover rate is ridiculous. I have never in 18 mos dealt with the same person…

… The photographer was terrible, he showed up late and the pictures were amateur at best, then they lost my photos for several months and when the album did arrive, they had put the wrong initials on it. In the end it took me over a year and a half to get my photos and they were nothing to brag about. They gave me some money back on the pictures and the proofs, but really, I would have much rather had some decent wedding pictures to hold onto….

…. We got married in Nov 06. It is now 7 months after my wedding. The proofs came back in about 3 months. We ordered pictures from the proofs in April, it is now June. We were never told the digital wedding album would take 20 weeks to complete. I have yet to receive the pictures I ordered in April. My digital proof has been received for review. That came before the pictures I ordered! …

…. Before the wedding, they were quick to respond, and very accommodating. We've been working with them since ….. but after the wedding it just became a nightmare…

After all, it is really your decision and knowing what is really important to you. Do you prefer “Pick of the Knot” or a studio that will provide you with attention and make sure that you are important as you deserve to be!

What is a difference between Wedding Proofs DVD and Digital Negatives/High Resolution DVD?

Wedding proof DVD is a DVD containing small resolution image files of your wedding (or slideshow) and might also have a watermark “PROOFS DO NOT COPY “over every image. You are not able to make any usable prints from those files because the resolution of those files is normally 72dpi (dots per inch=monitor resolution) but for quality photo prints you need resolution of at least 300dpi.
I suggest you to be AWARE of that very important fact before signing the contract with any photographer. I heard too many stories from couples signing the contract which says that package includes Wedding Proof DVD thinking they will be able to make prints in any Photo lab. A lot of photography companies would not explain to you those professional photography terms so they get you to sign the contract. Unfortunately, after the wedding it is too late already when you realize how the actual photography package exceeded your budget.
Also, a lot of Photography companies on the market today advertise that you will receive FREE digital Negatives DVD, but then “fine print” in the contract usually states that you can receive those 12-18 months after your wedding date. Well, in this case you again end up paying more money for your prints, since most couples are just not willing to wait for a year or two to finally receive their DVD so they can make prints on their own.
I would consider this a clear scam because every photographer or company should explain in simple language to their customers what exactly they are getting for their money.
My personal policy regarding Digital Negatives is very clear; after you and/or your guests and family spend certain amount on online print orders you receive DVD for FREE. Because I am very good at what I do my online orders always exceed the limit for qualifying FREE DVD written in the contract: D

My personal "Politics" on Wedding Photography and my work

Dear Bride and a Groom,

Based on many questions that I came across while meeting potential clients I have decided to answer some of the questions that would tell you more about my services and explain why the prices are as they are, what are some important facts to know before booking a photographer, and understand “politics” of wedding photography.

How are your images captured in the camera – JPG or raw?

Most amateurs capture JPG (like your point and shoot). JPG are compressed images, so almost 70% of the image is destroyed in compression. Raw represents the whole image the camera can see. When the raw image is color corrected, the JPG that is created for printing incorporates the color correction. Only then can you take the disk to any photo processor and get the pretty pictures you are looking for.

When do I meet Mark’s second wedding photographer/shooter?

You will not meet Mark’s second wedding photographer/shooter in person before your wedding day. After our engagement photo session I will have a greater chance to get to know you enough and to be able to make the right match based on your expectations. I will choose a second photographer who is best suited to tell your story the way you want it. Also, it is very important for me the way I can work with him on your wedding day without ANY distractions of your special day!

As I already mentioned on our personal consultation, almost every competent photographer is capable of making a great picture some of the time. But what's much more important is how consistently they can take great pictures, and how well they work under the pressure and challenges of an actual wedding. That's why EVERY prospective photographer who works with me must complete thorough approval process.

If photographer passes my stringent initial portfolio review, I will take him/her to at least couple of weddings with (weddings where I have NO second shooter/assistant photographer contracted with the bride!). I then critically review his/her work to assure it meets my standards of quality. Only IF the certain photographer passes my test/high expectations, he/she is ready to photograph wedding together with me; the wedding where second shooter/assistant is contracted with wedding couple and me.

I am so confident about this approach, that I personally guarantee your satisfaction. As mentioned client’s satisfaction is the most important for me and I will not allow a second shooter to ruin the perfectionism and professionalism at the couple’s wedding day.

Some additional info or let’s rather say facts I learned in past 18 years (when making a living from photography) about a real PRO Photographer and just an average “photographer”.

Can I see a whole wedding proof collection?

Many wedding photographers have a wedding portfolio for you to look through, a collection of the two or three best shots from each wedding they've done. Especially if you are looking at a photo journalistic photographer, this is not enough to make an informed decision. You will need to see a full collection of wedding shots from one or two weddings to determine if the photographer is truly talented or just get lucky with his shots every once in a while. If the photographer does not have any former clients or a full wedding of proofs, it is probably better for you to find someone who can rather than run the risk of only having two or three good shots yourself. Also look at pictures the photographer shot at previous weddings to see if he connected with the couple and captured the mood of their day

ü Do you like this person? Not a question you should ask, but something you should consider. Your wedding photographer will be a big part of your wedding, interacting with your wedding party and your guests. Is the photographer pushy? Demanding? High maintenance? Unfriendly? How would you feel about having this person as a coworker? You will need to work very closely with your photographer, and if you feel the two of you have a personality conflict, save yourself the stress and find someone you can work with. Spend enough time with potential photographers to really get a feel for who they are and how they will treat you and your guests at the wedding. You'll want to feel very comfortable around your photographer. If you’re not comfortable with him/her you can rest assure it will show in your photographs.

ü If a photographers photos look just like 'everyone elses' they will often try very hard in other areas to separate themselves from the masses. They throw in a lot of extras in their packages to make up for their photography.

ü I don't feel like I am in competition with every other photographer because I know if you put 3 photographers in a row, taking pictures of the exact same thing, my photos will look substantially different than the other two. Too often photographers that limit what they want you to see only set you up for disappointment later because the reality of what they will do for you won't match the fantasy they lead you to believe.

ü Creative people love to be part of the creative process and I welcome that. There are MANY other photographers and mass production photography Studios on the market that prefer to work with the masses and will herd you into exactly what everyone else got, they will tell you what photos you must use and how... not my style-well-maybe sometimes I will just make a suggestion that is all!

ü In addition - Do not ask the photographer for references. After all, he/she would not give you the name of someone that he/she had a bad experience with. Ask to see thank you letters. If your photographer is a professional photographer, and has lots of experience than his/her past clients should have been satisfied with his/her services and would have sent some thank you letters.

ü There really is a lot more to being a professional photographer than buying a nice digital camera, putting up a pretty web site and charging a fee to take pictures. When shopping for a wedding photographer it's a good idea to consider what demonstrates professionalism and looking for those attributes in the photographers you consider. You may pay a little more for a true professional photographer but, in the end, it will be more than worth it.

ü Everyone can take a great photo, but real Professional makes great photos, and does so consistently.

ü Here’s the thing, photography is very much a form of art. It is much more than a wedding album or the cost prints, you are paying for someone’s talent and time. Looking for an inexpensive way to get a wedding or any event photographed is not a bad thing, hiring a “weekend photographer/part time photographer”, students or assistants for the event is completely acceptable as well. That said, an understanding should be made that when you hire someone like this, you need to accept the fact that accidents could happen, you may not get you the best quality images, they may miss critical elements of the event or be slightly out of focus, etc., these things all could happen, it is the price you pay for accepting someone of lesser talent to save some money.

Remember, it's your wedding, it's all about you, and don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need so the job gets done right. So if you have ANY more questions please e-mail me and I will be happy to help!

Sincerely,

Mark Fillies

Some of the questions you should ask you Wedding Photographer

Over the years I learned that many Photographers avoid certain questions...

I had a consultation couple of days ago and was very impressed by how well prepared the bride to be was. Below is the list of questions she had ready for me to answer.I welcome any questions brides to be have for me, since that tells me that they know what too look for and what to ask a potential wedding photographer!!!

QUESTIONS;

1.What is your background, experience, and education in relation to photography?
2.Have you received any formal classroom training as a photographer?
3.How many weddings have you photographed?
4.Have you handled events of my type / size? (Ceremony and reception in one place, roughly 100 people, evening wedding at Maxims The Nancy Goldberg International Center)
5.Can I see the last wedding / event you shot?
6.What are your criteria for choosing what you would photograph at our wedding?
7.Do you bring back-up equipment with you?
8.Do you provide a written contract?
9.What are your policies regarding proofs / printing rights?
10.What are your policies regarding delivery times?
11.Is a deposit required? If so, how much?
12.When is the deposit / balance due?
13.Can we make partial payments?
14.Is gratuity included?
15.If not, what is the percentage of the service charge?
16.What is your overtime charge?
17.Any charges we haven’t yet covered (i.e., travel)
18.What are the refund / cancellation terms?

Do not feel awkward asking questions at the time of consultations. More you ask, more you will know. It is your day, it is your expense and you deserve to get what you pay for!

Important facts when looking for Wedding Photographer!

We believe it’s impossible to truly shop for your wedding photography online. Studios will sometimes quote a low price so that you will visit their studio. We hope the following will help you on your quest.


l. Will you see your photographer’s work before you sign a contract?

This is a must! Make sure you meet, and see the work of the photographer who will be shooting your wedding. Large studios usually have a pool of weekend shooters who are generally inexperienced. You may get lucky and be assigned a good one, but chances are 50/50 that you’ll be assigned an inexperience person trying to make a little extra cash.

2. Does your package REALLY include an album?

If the package includes “album design”, that means NO. If albums are listed separately on price lists, that could mean the same thing. Getting “partial credit toward an album” could also mean you will be spending a lot more money.

3. Is your photographer shooting film or digital?

Digital is far superior to film! Since digital technology is used in all printing. Film must be scanned to make a digital file to print. As a result, at least one generation of clarity is lost.

4. How are your images captured in the camera – JPG or raw?

Most amateurs capture JPG (like your point and shoot). JPG are compressed images, so almost 70% of the image is destroyed in compression. Raw represents the whole image the camera can see. When the raw image is color corrected, the JPG that is created for printing incorporates the color correction. Only then can you take the disk to any photo processor and get the pretty pictures you are looking for.

5. Are the disks you receive color corrected?

If they are not, they’re not worth your money. Some studios offer disks that are not color corrected. The vast majority of labs only accept JPGs and lab software that prints your photos but does not automatically save the color edits. When the studio gets the disk back from the printer, and passes it on to you, it doesn’t have the color edits. This means any future printing you do won’t look the same.

6. Are proofs provided to you so that you can view them and show them to your family and friends? Are they full sized or thumbnails? Do they say “proof” across the front? If you are offered online proofing, is it just for 90 days?

Look over the entire price list to determine what the package is REALLY going to cost you. All of the above can increase the cost of your wedding photography by double and become pricier than some of the better studios!

Mark in Action!