Big Box Weddings

It was the strangest job posting I've seen yet.

A national bridal chain was advertising for photographers and videographers. They specify the equipment the video or photo professional needs, they book the wedding, and the shooter is responsible for providing them with the raw materials. Get in, shoot, get out, and pass your raw materials on to some unknown assembly-line "artist" in an undisclosed location, who hands it off to the big box bridal store for their client. I guess after practically decimating the privately-owned bridal shops that used to be common in communities all across the country, the big boys are finally going after the last remaining personalized service offered for weddings: your photographer and videographer.

I can't even begin to tell you why I think this is a huge mistake. But I'm going to try anyway.

Hiring a photographer and/or videographer for your wedding is not like buying a tuxedo, renting a limo, or any other service you'll book for your wedding. As I've pointed out on these pages before (and in countless conversations with brides over the past two decades), when the meal and cake are eaten, the guests have all gone home, the flowers have wilted, the dress is packed away, and the honeymoon is over, you have two tangible reminders of your wedding day: your pictures and your video.

Your photography is not a service you should hand off to just anyone.

Photography and video are personal. You'll spend more time with your photographer than anyone else on your wedding day, and yes, that includes the one you're marrying. By the time we arrive at a wedding, we've already spent hours consulting with our brides and grooms, we've attended the wedding rehearsal, we've met the families and wedding party...in short, we've developed a working relationship that helps ensure the best possible result. No one should meet their photographer on the day of the wedding.

I've been solicited by companies taking this kind of approach before, and I've always turned them down. Part of the reason is because, philosophically, I don't agree with their tactics. It cheapens the relationship between the photographer and client, and turns photography and video into something it isn't: another commodity. I don't know many couples that would hire a band for their reception without hearing them first; why would you do it with your photographer or videographer?

But I've also turned them down because "taking the picture" is only part of the process of creating a great memory. Any reputable photographer will tell you that as much time (usually more) is spent editing photos afterward, tweaking the digital image to bring out certain elements, fix bad reflections on glasses, or make any of a hundred other adjustments to make those images special. When photographers are hired by these "services", they hand off the digital files to some unknown assembly-line retoucher, who handles the creation of the final image. That should be unacceptable to anyone who cares about their final product.

I once knew of a photographer that painstakingly airbrushed out someone's oxygen tube in all the formal photos, at the request of the bride AFTER the ceremony was over. That's the kind of personal service you're not going to get from some anonymous faceless conglomerate.

It also bothered me greatly that the requirements of the big box store centered around the kind of equipment the photographer needed to have. I've seen amazing photographers work with very little gear, and I've seen shooters weighed down with so many lenses and accessories that they could barely move, and the end result wasn't worth the deposit the bride and groom paid, let alone the finished product. While I understand the importance of good quality equipment, I was dismayed to realize that (no pun intended) the gear was their primary focus.

The larger issue here is that weddings have become a huge industry. Year after year, I see more and more people swarming after brides for a monetary piece of the wedding day pie. Granted, I'm part of the swarm. But believe me, there are easier and more lucrative ways to make a living. Anyone who shoots weddings for a living does it, at least in part, because they love what they do, love weddings, and enjoy the hands-on aspect of making a lifetime memory (see this blog post from another photographer for an excellent writeup on this subject). It frankly sickens me to see something as important and personal as photography and video services reduced to the level of renting your shoes.

Having said that, I've been faced with the phenomenon of the "out of town" bride who hires me sight-unseen for photography or video. But I also know that I spend a great deal of time consulting with those brides before the wedding on the phone, I make certain that they've seen my portfolio and know my style, and I do my best to make them comfortable with the work coming out of my studio. My name is attached to that final product; it's important to me that the work is of the highest caliber I'm capable of, and that the client is thrilled with the end result.

Could I sign on with this company? Sure. Could I probably double or triple the number of weddings I work each year? Most likely. It would probably be very lucrative for me to work this way. The appeal is definitely there...no worries about scheduling multiple meetings with the clients, attending the rehearsal, working an all-day schedule (the big-box package limits the number of hours the shooter has to work), or any of the tedious and time-consuming post-production editing of photos and video. It has its appeal if, as a photographer or videographer, money is your only concern.

But it cheapens the work.

Ultimately, that's the problem I have with what I call the "commoditization" of these services. Whenever I talk to a bride and groom, I tell them this: "I don't care if you hire me, or if you hire someone else. Obviously, I'd like you to hire me. But more importantly, I want you to hire someone whose style you like, whose personality meshes with yours, and with whom you feel comfortable. Yes, price is a consideration, but it's only ONE consideration. Your memories are too important to trust to just anyone."

Please don't make that mistake.


/ Rich LaVere
April 4, 2011