Chances are if you are in the Chicagoland area or the surrounding suburbs you are expecting to have to fork up an arm and a leg for a local Chicago wedding photographer to photograph your wedding day. No matter where you are located, the decision factors should stay the same.
Your Photography Studio Choices
Today, there are many studios that specialize in event photography. They range from small one-man home studios to multiple franchise-type operations. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and both range greatly in price. Your first decision to be made is if you want an individual photographer or a larger multi photographer studio to photograph your wedding.
Advantages & Disadvantages of different types of photography studios.
One reason you may opt for hiring the independent photographer is because they are known to put personal care and attention to detail into their work. However this is not guaranteed to be the case. The best reason to have a one-man operation shoot your wedding would be because a friend referred him or her and you love his/her work. If a friend or family member did not refer this photographer for you, check for references or online reviews. The disadvantages of a one-man studio are that you are not guaranteed to have the security that a larger, more established studio may have. It is extremely important that you make sure the photographer has back-up equipment and a back-up photographer in case something unforeseen comes up and the photographer cannot make it to your wedding. It is very important that you read the contract to make sure that you will get all your money back in the case that no photographer ends up showing up.
The main advantage of hiring a larger, multiple photographer type studio to shoot your wedding is security. They have the experience of running a business to keep customers happy as well as the responsibility of their photographers. Your money is usually safer (larger business cannot just take off so quickly). They usually guarantee a substitute photographer in case something happens to your assigned photographer and should always guarantee that their photographers carry back-up equipment. Disadvantages of a large studio can be lack of attention that a one-man operation can offer. It is really best to try to find a wedding photography studio that can provide you the security of a large studio with the friendliness and attention of a small studio.
Never assume that the price you pay is in any way related to the quality of the photography.
The quality of the photography itself, strictly depends on the photographer. It makes no matter if it is an independent photographer or a photographer from a large studio. You are never guaranteed to have a better one at either operation. Always ask to see a sample wedding of the work of the photographer you are hiring.
Quite often the most expensive studios are only so expensive because they have to pay so much in advertising to keep up their "high-end" photography business. Though it varies from state to state, here in the Chicagoland area, wedding photographers charge very high prices on their wedding packages. They also have huge overhead costs as they have to pay for many employees and high rent. Keep in mind, it could very well be that the individual artist photographer will shoot weddings for a lot less because he is more interested in being an artist than in running a business. In other words, expensive does not necessarily mean better! Whatever you decide, the most important thing is to make sure the company you choose is a reputable, established photography studio.
No comments:
Post a Comment