Welcome to the world of wedding photography, post crash. It looks a lot different than the past. Before 2008, easy access to cheap credit made it possible for everyone to splash out loads of cash on every aspect of their wedding day. Not anymore. Today, couples are looking to economize, and who can blame them? The sad reality is, the days of the $4000 plus wedding photo package are in the past. Maybe not for everyone, maybe not forever, but definitely for most of us, for now.
The new reality has put wedding photographers in the position of having to rethink the form that portrait packages had taken on in the years before the crash. Pricey extras like albums and digital slideshows have all but gone the way of the dinosaur, as more and more couples are going for stripped-down, bare-bones iterations; time and files. Just the pictures, ma'am, just the pictures. In this austere environment, just how are photographers supposed to give couples the maximum presentation impact that their pictures deserve?
It's also a sad state of affairs for those brides who years before they got a rock on their hand, were dreaming of their special day, and all the beautiful accoutrements that used to go along with it. Many are going without albums and other frills altogether, but there is a contingent of diehard brides who are going the Do It Yourself route. That's fine if you have the time, but even then, it's risky, especially if you have no background in graphic design. A poorly conceived album with lacklustre layouts and inauspicious image selections can leave friends yawning as you proudly walk them through your DIY album. Remember Aunt Martha forcing the family to sit through hours of boring vacation slides? Echoes of that.
Even without the help of a professional photographer, it's not exactly free. Album companies are now offering direct to consumer services, but they can charge premiums to non-industry clients because they generally order only one album, whereas industry clients (photographers) can order dozens or hundreds of albums over the years, earning a preferred pricing status.
Additionally, the best quality album products with the flashiest options are still mostly reserved for professional photographers, since there is impetus for album companies to keep them faithful until the market recovers.
There's no doubt that the DIY route is rife with pitfalls that may leave couples wishing they'd had a few extra denari to pay someone to do it right.
In my own situation as a wedding photographer looking to bring couples back together with beautifully executed albums, in an affordable way, I was finding myself stumped, and more than a little frustrated. Then one day, a thought occurred to me... what if it were possible for couples to include albums and other photography products on their bridal gift registry?
I was already offering couples a product I call Wedding Sites, a custom website that serves the multi-purpose magic of helping couples to promote their wedding to guests electronically, giving them an elegantly simple and efficient RSVP tool, and a hassle free way to display and distribute their favorite images from their (included) engagement portrait session, and later, from their wedding session as well.
It was a no-brainer to add extra value to all that by simply throwing in a gift registry page with dual functions: a department store registry link or two, and a page showcasing an album or other products selected by the happy couple. Guests can contribute to the purchase of the album by selecting an amount and paying with their credit card via the secure paypal site. I complete the circle by sending the guest a personalized gift certificate (with or without amount disclosed) to insert into their wedding card, and Voila! Wedding Albums are suddenly affordable again! What could be easier?
If you are interested, you can see a wedding site for yourself at http://weddingsite.iconicphotography.ca . Currently, there is only one style on display, but the possibilities are endless, with the obvious bonus of it being really easy to foreshadow the colours and decor of the wedding, without ruining the surprise of all that on the wedding day. The url of the wedding site is also personalized with the name of the happy couple.
Iconic Photography is offering the Wedding Site and Gift Registry along with the Engagement Portraits for free for couples who book before the end of April, 2012. Visit us now to book a free consultation.
http://www.iconicphotography.ca
The new reality has put wedding photographers in the position of having to rethink the form that portrait packages had taken on in the years before the crash. Pricey extras like albums and digital slideshows have all but gone the way of the dinosaur, as more and more couples are going for stripped-down, bare-bones iterations; time and files. Just the pictures, ma'am, just the pictures. In this austere environment, just how are photographers supposed to give couples the maximum presentation impact that their pictures deserve?
It's also a sad state of affairs for those brides who years before they got a rock on their hand, were dreaming of their special day, and all the beautiful accoutrements that used to go along with it. Many are going without albums and other frills altogether, but there is a contingent of diehard brides who are going the Do It Yourself route. That's fine if you have the time, but even then, it's risky, especially if you have no background in graphic design. A poorly conceived album with lacklustre layouts and inauspicious image selections can leave friends yawning as you proudly walk them through your DIY album. Remember Aunt Martha forcing the family to sit through hours of boring vacation slides? Echoes of that.
Even without the help of a professional photographer, it's not exactly free. Album companies are now offering direct to consumer services, but they can charge premiums to non-industry clients because they generally order only one album, whereas industry clients (photographers) can order dozens or hundreds of albums over the years, earning a preferred pricing status.
Additionally, the best quality album products with the flashiest options are still mostly reserved for professional photographers, since there is impetus for album companies to keep them faithful until the market recovers.
There's no doubt that the DIY route is rife with pitfalls that may leave couples wishing they'd had a few extra denari to pay someone to do it right.
In my own situation as a wedding photographer looking to bring couples back together with beautifully executed albums, in an affordable way, I was finding myself stumped, and more than a little frustrated. Then one day, a thought occurred to me... what if it were possible for couples to include albums and other photography products on their bridal gift registry?
I was already offering couples a product I call Wedding Sites, a custom website that serves the multi-purpose magic of helping couples to promote their wedding to guests electronically, giving them an elegantly simple and efficient RSVP tool, and a hassle free way to display and distribute their favorite images from their (included) engagement portrait session, and later, from their wedding session as well.
It was a no-brainer to add extra value to all that by simply throwing in a gift registry page with dual functions: a department store registry link or two, and a page showcasing an album or other products selected by the happy couple. Guests can contribute to the purchase of the album by selecting an amount and paying with their credit card via the secure paypal site. I complete the circle by sending the guest a personalized gift certificate (with or without amount disclosed) to insert into their wedding card, and Voila! Wedding Albums are suddenly affordable again! What could be easier?
If you are interested, you can see a wedding site for yourself at http://weddingsite.iconicphotography.ca . Currently, there is only one style on display, but the possibilities are endless, with the obvious bonus of it being really easy to foreshadow the colours and decor of the wedding, without ruining the surprise of all that on the wedding day. The url of the wedding site is also personalized with the name of the happy couple.
Iconic Photography is offering the Wedding Site and Gift Registry along with the Engagement Portraits for free for couples who book before the end of April, 2012. Visit us now to book a free consultation.
http://www.iconicphotography.ca
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