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

February's Most Important Holiday

In honor of Groundhog Day—the only holiday that celebrates an animal—LaVere Media is offering specials on our great pet photography packages. We already offer the best value in pet photography in the area, and these specials make our great pricing and exceptional service even better!

Special #1: 10% Donation to SPCA

During the months of January and February, we're donating 10% of all proceeds from Pet Photography sessions to the Chemung County NY SPCA. Get your pet photographed and contribute to a great cause at the same time!

Special #2: Free Softcover Photo Book

When you purchase a pet photo session in January or February, you'll get a free 20-page softcover book with photos from your session! You can also upgrade to a hardcover book and a range of options. The book is absolutely free with your level 2 package! Click Here for pricing...opens in new window)

Special #3: Groundhog Day Gift Certificates

Are you celebrating Groundhog Day and don't know what to get that special someone? Why not a LaVere Media Gift Certificate? We're offering special pricing on a portrait session you can use for yourself, a loved one, or that special Groundhog in your life! Use the link on our "specials" page to order today. We'll even gift-wrap it for you.

What's That Price Again?

Recently, a customer booked us for a portrait shoot after investigating several alternatives, including photography at a well-known department store and another big-box retailer.

We've all seen the photography specials at these stores; they promise dozens of portraits at a ridiculously low price. In fact, the price they offer is often below our actual printing cost for the same amount of portraits.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And in this case, that's exactly what our client found.

First, she was limited to a single pose. That wasn't going to work for her; she had three children that she wanted in individual poses, she wanted a family shot, a photo of her and her sister, a photo of her parents, and a large group shot. Oh, and could she include her pets?

Wow.

The single pose was out of the question.

She wanted multiple prints of those multiple poses. But at the department store, she was limited to prints from a single pose without incurring extra costs. And to top it all off, she was limited to a small number of poses per session.

The big-box retailer seemed to offer a good price and selection, until she asked if she could buy the rights to use the photos on her own. That price alone pushed her simple package above the cost of ours.

In the end, she became our client because we were not only cost-competitive, but for what she was looking for, we were actually cheaper. Her final package included a one-hour photo session, well over a dozen different poses, over 100 4x6 proofs, a copyright release for all her photos, and all her pictures on a CD-ROM. She can place orders directly from us, through a secure website, she can print them at home, or use her favorite photo processor.

Just as important to our client was the service she received, and the individual attention. Working with two dogs, three children and four adults is a challenge, but one we took on willingly and with a lot of fun. She wasn't pushed through on a schedule, and we took the time to give her a great experience.

That's the difference between having your portrait taken at our studio versus the store where you bought your lawnmower. Give us a call, and compare our pricing. We're sure we'll see you soon when you do.

Pet Photography

Our newest YouTube video features highlights from some of the pets we've photographed at LaVere Media. Remember: We'll come to your home, or you can bring your pet to our studio. Either way, we love working with our furry friends.

The Bird Show

In addition to my regular duties at LaVere Media, I also dabble in more personal creative pursuits, and recently decided to take the plunge and submit an original photo-illustration for consideration in an upcoming gallery exhibit in Corning, NY.

Today, I received notification that my work, titled "Free as a Bird" was selected for inclusion in the show.

This is a first for me, and I couldn't me more thrilled. The exhibit opens Thursday, April 2; more information is available at the website for the ARTS Council of the Southern Tier.

Hope to see you at the opening on Thursday, or stop by when you're in the area.

Doggone Nice

We love hearing from satisfied clients, and we're particularly happy when we get a handwritten note from one of them.

Today's mail takes the cake. Regular readers of this blog will remember Suze:


We filled an order for prints of Suze for Valentine's day, and today the following note came in the mail:


You're welcome, Suze! Happy Valentine's day!

Today's Question: What's the best thank-you note you ever received?

Pet Photos: Suze

The complete set of photos from last month's pet photography shoot with "Suze" are now available for viewing (and ordering) on our Shutterfly page.

As always, your comments and feedback are appreciated!

A Race To The Bottom?

With the economy limping along over the last few months, people are looking to cut corners wherever they can. Photography services are no different. What we've noticed in the past few months is a "race to the bottom", with photographers cutting services, scaling back packages, and offering less...for less.

There's also a new phenomenon—plenty of people with inexpensive Digital SLRs are offering photography services at rock-bottom prices, often before they have the experience or the knowledge to offer quality services.

We think this is a mistake.

This weekend, LaVere Media will attend the Arnot Mall Bridal Expo in Big Flats, NY. We'll be competing with many photographers...some new, some old, and at a variety of price points. While we recognize the need to save money during difficult economic times, we also recognize that 20 years from now, when you're looking at your wedding album with your family, a substandard set of photos won't make up for the few dollars you saved in hiring the equivalent of "Uncle Bob with a camera". We don't believe you need to go overboard, but there is such thing as cutting back too far. We often talk about the temporary nature of what goes into a wedding—the cake gets eaten, the flowers wilt, the dress gets put in storage. How do you share the memories of that day? Through photographs and video.

With that in mind, we've re-worked our photography packages to reflect the realities of the current economy, while offering what we believe is the best combination of quality and price in the region.

So here's our pitch:

We offer quality photography and video services at a very reasonable price. We offer a basic "digital-only" package, but we don't just shoot the photos and dump them on a DVD. Each photo is reviewed, color-corrected and edited if necessary, and provided to you at high resolution. We offer upper-tier packages with options for albums, proofs, reprints...all at very reasonable prices with quick turnaround.

We never impose a time limit on our services. When you hire LaVere Media, we're there all day—no matter which package you purchase. We always send two experienced photographers, which lets us shoot in different locations simultaneously. We attend your rehearsal. We generally shoot between 1500 and 2000 photos per wedding. We offer a video option with every photo package, and our video-only packages are the most competitive in the area.

At LaVere Media, we don't compromise personal service or quality for price. There will always be someone with a lower price; that's just the nature of a competitive business. We think it's more important to find a photographer that you can work with, who you want to spend your entire day with, and who will offer great service at a great price. We've been photographing and videotaping weddings and special events for over 20 years, and we believe that once you give us a look, you'll like what you see.

Stop by this weekend, or give us a call. We'd love to talk with you.

Pet Photo Shoot

When you've got a subject as cute as Suze, you can't help but share the photos:





For more information about pet photography from LaVere Media, e-mail us.

Because Pets Are Family, Too!

How do you get a dog to say "cheese"?


This month, LaVere Media attended the Inaugural Pet Expo, held at Elmira's First Arena.

We displayed a variety of pet portraits, ranging from dachshunds to cats, to a Chocolate Lab posed with a bottle of...you guessed it! "Chocolate Lab" wine.

The most common question we received was, "how do you get the dogs to sit still long enough to take their picture?" Well, without giving away too many trade secrets, let's just say "it's an illusion". Patience is a virtue! Remember that a photograph is just a fraction of a second's snippet of time. There's a reason we're not selling animal VIDEOS!

We think you'll be impressed with our puppy photos, our collection of cats, our...

Well, you get the idea. Visit our website to view a sampling of our furry friends.