Wedding Photography Prices Are “Wack”

This has been sitting on my desk for sometime now, waiting for when I had a little free time to formulate a proper response to this Craigslist post for wedding photographers :).  While I’m sure this particular bride will never see the response, I hope other brides and/or grooms with the same nagging question will get to see a response from at least one photographer who has been in the industry for 10+ years now.

A few weeks ago as I was contemplating raising our photography prices, I decided the first thing I needed to do was breakdown the time spent not only at the wedding but all the time spent before and after the wedding with post production work.  There’s this fabulous myth that wedding photographers only work the 6-10 hours one day a week while earning a large sum of money.  Unfortunately that is only a myth and not a reality.  It was much to my own dismay I realized I made less than a part time McDonalds employee flipping hamburgers!

Now those of us (I’m included in this at the moment) who charge less than $2,000.00/$3,000.00 are the photographers who lack  the strong business skills  and eventually learn in order to have a healthy business that can properly care for their customers and supply an adequate income to pay for the basics of life (roof, heat, food) that we need to charge at least $2000.00 in order to survive.

Many of the photographers who are in the price range that this particular bride is looking for are only part time photographers who hold down full/part time employment and because of these demands on their time they are unable to pursue training in photography and have little time for editing which leaves brides waiting 6 months or longer for their photographs.  That is one of the common complaints I hear from our brides is that this is what has happened to their friends and they want to be assured they don’t have to wait as long or get images that are substandard.

Another downfall of these photographers, is they get burnt out and fold their business, sometimes before a bride ever sees her wedding photos.  How high on the priority list do you think your wedding is to them now?

Now how many brides say “On my wedding day I hope there is rain, snow, driving wind or fog”, no one!  So living here in the Northwest means that most weddings occur during a three month window.  Now take into consideration that weddings most often are on Saturday this means that you can expect around twelve days a year to make the bulk of your yearly salary.

Then we have to remember that we are now entrusted by our customers to preserve their memories on one of the biggest life changing events in their life.  What an incredible honor to be selected to photograph this amazing day for our couples!  With that honor comes a huge responsibility, there are no ‘do-overs’, no second chances to get this right!  With that responsibility it means we have to know our camera inside out, meaning being technically proficient while being creative on the fly.  Uncle Bob, simply doesn’t have this experience!

As a professional wedding photographer, it means we are small business owners that not only go to fun weddings to photograph the event, we are also the photo editor, accountant, website designer, the marketing guru, customer service department, and so much more, it’s a surprisingly large amount of work involved for one day of photography! 

We haven’t gone into the expenses of owning the business!  The gear, the training, the gas to drive back and forth, the taxes, insurance (for the business and our health) and other miscellaneous expenses that come along with owning a business.  I’m not going to breakdown each of those expenses, there is no need to bore you with those.  However, I assure you they certainly add up and take a good portion of the money received.

With all that said, it’s true we have an AWESOME job!  We get to go to wonderful weddings to photograph people looking their best, meet some amazing people, be creative, be our own bosses, and have the joy of preserving your wedding day memories! 
In closing, many couples have no hesitations in spending over $5,000. for a wedding dress, thousands just to have the right venue, plus several hundreds on wedding cakes and guest favors, etc..  Yet they are willing to cut back on the photography and video, which is the one thing that preserves those special memories!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

Sarah Slims

I met Sarah a few months ago and heard her story about how she had lost a lot of weight.  She told me about  the product that was helping her and I pretty much decided it had to be to good to be true.  Still, she was so enthusiastic about her changes, showed me her before photos and admittedly I was impressed.   I told her I’d try it sometime, just not then.

Then she contacted me again wanting another portrait session as the company was putting her on their website and she needed some photos.  Again, how exciting!  Sarah has lost over 50 pounds using Plexus.  It’s a drink mix that you drink 1-2 times a day.  She didn’t change her diet, however her tastes and desires for certain foods went away. 

Okay, I’m trying it!  I haven’t been on it very long but, I’m already noticing some wonderfully positive changes!  I’m diabetic – my blood sugars have stabilized, I sleep good at night, no leg cramps, my moods improved, I have MORE energy!  Within the few weeks, I’ve already rid myself of 10 pounds.  I’m looking forward to seeing future changes in myself as I have seen in Sarah.

Want to learn more about Plexus?  Just click this link right here … –> Plexus.  And stay tuned on Monday for a very personal blog entry from me (Monica).

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

2014 Senior Reps

Think you have what it takes to be a 2014 Senior Rep? Please copy and paste the following into an email, complete, then mail to: info@familyaffairphotography.com   Please also attach a recent photo of yourself.  It’s that easy!

  

Limited Rep positions available!

First & Last Name:

Nickname:

Phone:

Facebook Page:

Parent / Guardian Name:

Will you be graduating high school in 2014?

What high school do you attend?

What do you do for fun?

How would you describe your personality?

Why are senior portraits important to you and your family?

What would make you an awesome Senior Rep?

Anything else you’d like to add?

Attach a photo of yourself, please.

Don’t forget the Deadline Schedule!

 

Application Due: July 20th 

Notified by: July 21st
Mini Shoot completed by: September 15th
Full Session completed by: October 15th

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

Black Diamond Gardens

Recently we met with the owner of Black Diamond Gardens to view her property that she’s converting to a wedding and event venue.  While it wasn’t 100% complete it’s definitely ready for some beautiful country shabby chic weddings and I can imagine what it will look like all dressed up with the lights on, families celebrating a marriage union.  If you are interested in this venue and I was told there would be some sweet pricing deals for the first weddings there!  For more details be sure to e-mail Deidre at digsthedirt@gmail.com and let her know you found her on our blog.  Website is being developed and will be found here soon: www.blackdiamondgardens.com

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

Unplugged Wedding

Yesterday my husband, Sonny found a blog post and immediately shared it with me as we have experienced everything Corey talks about in the well written and illustrated blog entry.  After reading, I had to contact Corey Ann of Ohio and ask if we could share this on our blog and Facebook pages.  Please give her a minute of your time and then if you are planning a wedding and your photographs are as important to you as they are to us, consider an ‘unplugged wedding’.

Check out “Unplugged Wedding”

You can also check her website here:  Corey Ann Photography

What resonated with me was this line from the officiant:  “I encourage you all to capture how it feels with your hearts, without the distraction of technology”. 

There have been vacations and events that I’ve attended as a guest and I realized afterwards, I was so busy with my camera that I really didn’t ‘experience’ the vacation or event (concerts, etc.) attended.  If that’s the case for me, I imagine it would be the same for a guest at a wedding.  So, stop and really take in the day!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

What to Wear at your Portrait Session

Several years ago I wrote a blog post on what to wear for portrait sessions and to my surprise it was published and linked back to us on several sites. Since it’s been so long now, I decided to touch on the subject again as we still get asked “What should we wear?” on a fairly frequent basis.

There are several things one should consider when choosing what you want to wear for the portraits. For instance, do you know where you want to hang the portraits? What colors do you have in the room, on the wall, etc., what would look good with your walls and décor?

Next let’s consider your location of the photo shoot. We are aware that it’s popular for people to wear white if they are on the beach under the bright sun. Remember you’re wearing a reflector of light. We ask that maybe you consider pastels instead of pure white. However if your heart is set on pure white, as professional photographers we will get you taken care of!

Most portrait sessions will involve a couple of locations, such Point Defiance Park with its greenery and beach setting.

Usually I like to suggest selecting some coordinating colors, for example choose one color (blues, greens, purples, etc.) and then a neutral color. With the color, use the various hues of that selected color.

Let each person wear something that shows off their style and personality! Maybe by adding some texture such as wool sweater, leather jacket, a bright silky colored scarf, a knitted scarf, jewelry, etc. the ideas are limitless.

We love color! Especially on a typical northwest cloudy gray day. So, with that said you will never hear my suggest wearing gray for your portrait session. =)

Wear comfortable shoes, be prepared to move around in the sand on the beach, the grass, going up and down stairs or maybe even climbing a tree! If you can do that in stilettos, then you will have my total admiration.

Most importantly, forget about us being there with our cameras. We don’t want you just standing there starring into the camera like a deer staring into the car headlights. Be prepared to have some fun, hug each other, kiss each other, laugh, tickle each other, dance like no one is watching and leave knowing you created some memories and beautiful portraits!
Now if everything I said makes you totally uncomfortable, then disregard what I wrote and do what makes YOU happy because being unhappy will show in your portraits and well, that’s just unacceptable! We want you looking your best; we want you to rock your session!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

Redo & Renew

I absolutely love Kathy and her shop and I know that she has no clue how much I adore her store.  There are many aspects about her and her shop that reminds me of standing in my mom’s jewelry shop that she had as I was growing up.  I want to touch everything!  Then I start wishing I was more girly girl like my mom and Kathy so I could proudly wear her creations from old jewelry.

Kathy takes different pieces of jewelry that all to often gets thrown out or discarded.  She then creates beautiful new one of a kind pins (and they can easily be made into a necklace).  She also has bookmarks that will be the envy of all your friends, old lipstick holders (I already grabbed a few of those!) among other treasures.

Do you have a special piece of jewelry that belonged to a family member that might be broken or you want to give it a new life to wear again?  Bring it to Redo & Renew at the Sanford & Son Antiques, over on the middle floors with several other merchants.

Be sure to come visit us and other merchants at Sanford & Son Antiques and Middle Floor Merchants, and of course since we are on the lowest level, please keep working your way to the lower level to find more treasures and our studio too!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

C.R.E.A.M.

Every couple of weeks Sonny & I are taking a moment from our regular blog entries that show weddings, portraits, etc. to introduce some of our business neighbors inside of Sanford & Son Antiques.  We always recommend to our customers that they take time to explore before or after their portrait session.

C.R.E.A.M. (Clothing Rules Everything Around Me)  is a funky,  hip little clothing shop which is part of the ‘middle floor merchants’.

C.R.E.A.M. strives to provide you with 70's, 80's and 90's clothing that has survived the times. It's vintage clothing to enjoy.  If you’re looking for something specific come check out Eric’s store! 

You can find C.R.E.A.M. and the others at 743 Broadway,  you can also reach the store and our studio at 744 Commerce St.  Come on down and check us all out!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotography.com ~

Blue Gate Consignment

Last November we rented a small studio space with another photographer at Sanford & Son Antiques with 20 shops.  We found the additional shops one afternoon between a couple of senior portrait sessions and absolutely fell in love with the place.  It’s a bit quirky, a bit of a maze and a whole lot of fun inside!  Definitely worth checking out as you never know what treasure you will find that you absolutely NEED. =)  You can find these shops at 743 Broadway, Tacoma, WA, 98402 in the  heart of antique row, theater district.

The first person we met when we were exploring the stores was Terry of Blue Gate Consignment, her warm infectious smile welcomed us as we stepped into her shop.  When we first met Terry she was known as the “Consignment Queen’ and was located on  the ‘middle floor’ with several other merchants,  Now she is located in a much larger open space on the first floor of the building and has a blue gate as her front entrance, hence the name change.

Terry has a combination of 60’s, 70’s and contemporary fashions, offering everything from gowns to casual wear, shoes, purses, hats and 1 of kind jewelry,   She has petite to plus size fashions.  It truly is ‘individualized style, always affordable’.  

Blue Gate Consignment is a 50/50 consignment store that has an ever changing inventory of fashion.  You can find more information at www.bluegateconsignment.com or you can e-mail Terry with your consignment or purchase questions at style@bluegateconsignment.com. 

Stay tuned next week as we introduce another ‘neighbor’ of ours.  You won’t want to miss these stores!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphoto.com ~

December Living Social Deal

First of all, we want to say thank-you to those of you who purchased your Living Social deal! Don’t you just love Living Social? We do and we are looking forward in having a lot of fun capturing beautiful portraits of your children,  pets,  loved ones and of course, you!!

Let’s see if we can answer a few of your questions here.  Added are a few photographs from past sessions for your added viewing pleasure.

Q: Why should we select the Family Affair Photography voucher?
Admittedly there are a TON of photographers out there and when you select a photographer you want to make sure their style fits what you are looking for.   If you are looking for high contrast photographs, you are looking at the wrong photographer. However, if you are looking for photographs that will stand the test of time, here we are!
We started our business with wedding photography 8 years ago along with engagement sessions. At the time we really didn’t do any other type of portrait sessions. However, the couples eventually wanted maternity, family photos, etc. and we realized we needed to do more than weddings!

 

Q: What is the special? (for those who follow us on Facebook or through the blog and didn’t see the Living Social Ad)
We have our hour portrait session, which normally costs $150.00 for $49.00! What savings! This is the time to pre-pay for your portrait session and use later this year or give as a last minute Christmas gift! Below are the details straight from the Living Social site: $49 gets you an hour-long on-location portrait session, a DVD with selected images for digital sharing, a password-protected online gallery for easy sharing or ordering of  prints, one 8x10, two 5x7 prints.

 

Q: Who will be doing the photography?
A: For portraits, it’s generally Monica (who is admittedly greedy with the camera) that will be doing the photography. However, if Sonny is available he tags along and will assist me with lighting and he often has his own creative ideas for the portraits. So, the shooting gets shared during the session.  We also have Randy at our studio or in Olympia doing family portraits, he’s helped out quite a  bit in the past on days when we had weddings or were unable to meet past Living Social customers schedule needs.

 

Q: What can we expect from the shoot?
A: We are very down to earth and casual. If you haven’t had portraits in a while it might feel a little weird because you probably don't usually have paparazzi following you around snapping cameras, but we promise to be on our best behavior and soon the weirdness wears off and before you know it, your having fun in front of the camera …. Really!  It's fun.

 

Q: How far in advance should I book my session?                                                                          
A:  We recommend you call and book your session at least TWO weeks ahead of time, or earlier if at all possible.   With our past Living Social specials, weekends became very difficult to book when the weather became nice.  We don’t want you missing out an a date you wanted because it’s already booked out.

 

Q: Where can we see most recent samples of your work?
A: Here on our blog is the best place or on our Facebook page where we post a new photo on a daily basis.  Just go and like us .… you know you want too!

On the blog, if you scroll to the top of this blog entry, just under our title/header is a tabs bar with different types of sessions: babies, engagements, families, seniors and weddings. If you click on our header, it will show you everything posted in our blog.
If you click on the specialized tabs, it will take you to blog entries (photographs) dealing with that particular subject.

Q: Where are you located?
A:  Our studio is located inside Sanford & Sons, we have two addresses, a mailing address; 743 Broadway or our direct entrance at 746 Commerce St which is across the street from the last stop on the Tacoma Link Light Rail (Theater District).
** If you come to the studio, remember to feed the parking meter, on Saturday $1.50 gives you all day and Sundays are free.
After the photo session, you’ll want to check out some of the unique shops inside the middle floors of Sanford & Sons or even grab a bite to eat from DiLoreto’s Café (who shares the same entrance as our studio).

 

Q: Is this special only good for family portraits?
A: No, this special is great for any type of portrait session. It’s perfect for engagements, seniors, pets, children and family portraits, pre-deployment, homecoming, etc.. This is a great opportunity to update those portraits on the walls!
While the vouchers could be used for newborn or boudoir sessions – those typically require two hours by nature and need a dedicated space that would have to be considered before purchase.  You can use the one hour voucher as partial payment on those sessions.

Also, with boudoir there are additional expenses, hair and makeup that are NOT included.  We can use the voucher for a ‘mini’ 1 hour boudoir session if you so desire.  Contact us for details.

Q: Will you travel for a session?
A: Yes, included in this price is travel up to 20 miles from our location (98402 zip). Anything further is $10 for every 10 miles from Tacoma. (due the day of your shoot).

 

Q: I see you include prints in this price. What if we want to buy more?
A: You can order additional prints from our gallery, which will remain open for 1 year.

 

Q: Will my aunt in Spain be able to order prints from the gallery?
A: From my understanding, anyone, anywhere can order photographs from the gallery. Not only prints, there are other fun photo products available in the gallery such as canvas wraps, standouts, etc.. The gallery remains open and available for ordering prints for one year.



Q: I see the DVD is for selected images, how many are selected and can we make prints from the DVD?The CD/DVD will have the images you select for your prints from the gallery.  With the disc you will be able to make as many additional prints as you like.  If after viewing all the images in the gallery and you find that you can’t make up your mind, you can upgrade to our top portrait package (normally $300.00) which provides you all the images seen in the gallery on a full resolution DVD with printing rights for $75.00 + tax.

 

Q: I would like to use these for a modeling Portfolio. Is that okay?
A: Yes, totally okay! If you are an aspiring model, or your children model, this is a great way to update your portfolio. I'm okay with this type of session!

 

Q: We would like to use this deal to shoot a large family photo. We have three families which we would like to combine into one group photo. Is this okay?
A: Unfortunately, no, this is not okay. One family per Coupon. BUT, it’s totally acceptable for each family to purchases a coupon, and you would like to all shoot on the same day, I will include the Photographs from the Large family into one Gallery, so that everyone has the option of ordering prints from the entire session.

 

Q: Can we use the voucher for a wedding, party, Quinceanera, Bar/Bat Mitzvah?
No, this voucher is designed for portrait sessions. However, if you are planning a wedding or any other event, we do have some awesome wedding packages and you can always check out our monthly specials.


Q: Will you Photoshop the images so I look 10 years younger or 10 pounds thinner?
We always strive to photograph in the best possible light and from the most flattering angles, where possible, and we will hide pimples and other transitory afflictions, but scars, wrinkles, skin, hair... these are who you are. However, we have no problem however acting goofy to make people look at least 10% happier.

 

Q: What is your rescheduling policy?
A: We require 48 hours to reschedule a shoot. You can call us or shoot us an e-mail to cancel and reschedule your appointment. If you cancel without 48 hours notice there will be a $30 reschedule fee. This is because that time will be blocked out and we will be standing there missing you, probably just taking pictures of each other. And another Living Social customer will be losing out on the opportunity to have that time slot. If it rains or snows there will be no fee to reschedule.

 

Q: What is the best way to contact you?
A: We can be reached by e-mail at info@familyaffairphotography.com or by phone at 253-970-5689. Due to the expected volume please leave your name, number and a brief message and we will return your call. Please speak clearly and slowly when leaving a phone message.

Thank-you for choosing Family Affair Photography, we can’t wait to work with you!

~ 253-970-5689 ~ info@familyaffairphotography.com ~ www.familyaffairphotog.com ~

Trusting Your Photographer ~ Location

Many times our customers will ask us for suggestions on locations for their photo shoot.  Before I can give the best suggestions, I need to find out about the portrait session.  There are several things to consider when selecting the location for your portrait session.   Some are obvious, others are easily overlooked.  

First we want to know what the customer preferences are, meaning do they prefer a park, waterfront, urban, edgy, romantic, colorful, etc.   Are they looking for something like a friend had or are they looking for something a bit different?  Most customers don’t have a preference and want us to select the location.  This is less stress for the family and allows us to select places that we know will help us produce beautiful family memories to last a lifetime.

When we start the process, we need to know some basic information;  How many people are involved?  What are the ages?  Is there anyone with limitations (wheelchair, strollers, etc.)  Any pets?  This information is important to know, the more people involved we want to stay in a more ‘confined’ area.  Meaning we want to select an area of the park and stay there vs. roaming to many parts of the park or around town.  If there are limitations we want to know that so we make sure we select a place that has easy access for all involved.

Another factor that we as the photographers want to take into careful consideration is lighting and the time of day.  There are several locations that we love for earlier photo sessions and absolutely want to avoid during the bright glaring afternoon sun.  It also works in reverse, some are great in the afternoon and to be avoided in the morning.  The time of day and the lighting can be a HUGE factor in making your session a success.

Things we have to consider when selecting a location:

• Which way will the sun be for that time of the day?
• Paying attention to the season, fall light is different than spring light.
• Where are my spots of shade?
• How many people will fit in the spot of shade?
• Where can I place a person for natural lighting or with lighting assistance?
• Are there natural reflectors and shading, could be buildings, walls, trees, etc..
• What will the weather be like? (do we have a place to get out of the rain?)

Checking the community calendar is another key factor into deciding location.  We have made the mistake this summer of choosing a park, only to arrive and find they are having a huge community event that has taken over the park.  In our case it was involving bikes and they had dust flying up everywhere we tried to go.  It’s always good to have a back up plan and even better to know what’s happening at the local parks, centers, and so on.  We do our best to be informed before we go!

Finally, we take into account what works for us AND for your family.  Example, if we are photographing a family with little children, especially in the two – three age range, it’s common knowledge that they are at the age of exploration!  They don’t last long sitting for a ‘formal’ portrait session.  They are pretty awesome if they last the 45 – 1 hour session.  With little ones you want to pick a location that allows you to get as much variety in a small space.  The more walking and moving around we do the more likely we are going to ‘lose’ their attention.

If we have a senior or an engagement session, we know we can cover some ground and achieve some variety in their portraits.  So, it’s important we know as much about you and what you want from your session to make it the most successful and to produce the best images.