£350 Package
The £350 Package - and why you should NEVER book it...
So your looking at wedding photographers - quite a choice, isn't there?
With prices in Scotland ranging from £350 to £10,000, it's clear that you've got a lot of work to do to establish your budget and get someone you like in on that budget!
Where pricing is concerned, we're often told that "Jean's boy does weddings for £350". This generally means that someone is going to turn up ON THE DAY and shoot some pictures at your wedding.
Here are the 10 questions you should be asking yourself about the people operating at this end of the market:
1 - Who exactly are these people - do you actually like them?
2 - Will they meet with you beforehand to help with planning or arrangements?
3 - Have you seen their finished work?
4 - Are they using professional photographic equipment? - and do they have backup equipment if the first set fails?
5 - Are they insured in case they damage your hire outfits, the venue or they screw up your pictures?
6 - Have they provided you with an itinerary of the day and how they see the timings for your photography fitting in with your schedule?
7 - Have they shown you EXACTLY what you'll get for your £350, and are you happy with it?
8 - Have they told you WHEN you can expect to receive the finished pictures?
9 - Are they a member of any bodies like the SWPP or MPA?
10 - Will they turn up for your wedding if they get a better offer from another bride?
If the answer to ALL or ANY of the questions above is NO, then this is why that person is charging you £350 - remember, in this world you don't get nothing for nothing...
In the case of a professional photographer, the answer to questions 1 to 9 is YES - and the answer to question 10 is NEVER.
The most important statement you'll read on this website...
NOBODY IN THE UK CAN DO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PROFESSIONALLY AND MAKE A LIVING AT IT BY CHARGING £350 FOR THEIR SERVICES.
Each wedding takes us around 40 hours to complete, from the earliest of meetings to the completion of orders after the wedding.
You are paying for your album, my time, my overheads (car, fuel, insurance, road tax, equipment and of course my taxes) and my considerable expertise to bring it all together to give you a set of memories you'll treasure for the rest of your life.
And that's NOT going to happen if I charge you £350 - do you now see where I'm coming from??....
The Wedding Catering analogy...
When you looked at venues and catering costs, you were presented with a range of possible menus and costs - right? Some were presented with wine, some without, or you could choose a specific bottle of at a certain price - anything you wanted basically and they would name you a price.
When they showed you the £40, £70 and £100 menus, did you ask them to show you the £10 menu choice? - no, I didn't think so...
We're no different. We'll offer you a range of products and costs and we can tailor things a bit to suit your budget or to get your business. But one thing we won't do is to lower our quality to a level where we're losing money by taking your business, and that's why we don't offer any packages at £350...
To Summarise...
- Professional people charge professional prices for a professional service. These people can be lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, plumbers, gas fitters - but they all have their price and their reputation to consider.
- Cowboys don't charge realistic prices and don't care about service. They want your money and they want to move onto the next mug as soon as possible.
Don't be that mug - hire a professional, and be realistic enough to know that your wedding photographer shouldn't be charging you £350...
So your looking at wedding photographers - quite a choice, isn't there?
With prices in Scotland ranging from £350 to £10,000, it's clear that you've got a lot of work to do to establish your budget and get someone you like in on that budget!
Where pricing is concerned, we're often told that "Jean's boy does weddings for £350". This generally means that someone is going to turn up ON THE DAY and shoot some pictures at your wedding.
Here are the 10 questions you should be asking yourself about the people operating at this end of the market:
1 - Who exactly are these people - do you actually like them?
2 - Will they meet with you beforehand to help with planning or arrangements?
3 - Have you seen their finished work?
4 - Are they using professional photographic equipment? - and do they have backup equipment if the first set fails?
5 - Are they insured in case they damage your hire outfits, the venue or they screw up your pictures?
6 - Have they provided you with an itinerary of the day and how they see the timings for your photography fitting in with your schedule?
7 - Have they shown you EXACTLY what you'll get for your £350, and are you happy with it?
8 - Have they told you WHEN you can expect to receive the finished pictures?
9 - Are they a member of any bodies like the SWPP or MPA?
10 - Will they turn up for your wedding if they get a better offer from another bride?
If the answer to ALL or ANY of the questions above is NO, then this is why that person is charging you £350 - remember, in this world you don't get nothing for nothing...
In the case of a professional photographer, the answer to questions 1 to 9 is YES - and the answer to question 10 is NEVER.
The most important statement you'll read on this website...
NOBODY IN THE UK CAN DO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PROFESSIONALLY AND MAKE A LIVING AT IT BY CHARGING £350 FOR THEIR SERVICES.
Each wedding takes us around 40 hours to complete, from the earliest of meetings to the completion of orders after the wedding.
You are paying for your album, my time, my overheads (car, fuel, insurance, road tax, equipment and of course my taxes) and my considerable expertise to bring it all together to give you a set of memories you'll treasure for the rest of your life.
And that's NOT going to happen if I charge you £350 - do you now see where I'm coming from??....
The Wedding Catering analogy...
When you looked at venues and catering costs, you were presented with a range of possible menus and costs - right? Some were presented with wine, some without, or you could choose a specific bottle of at a certain price - anything you wanted basically and they would name you a price.
When they showed you the £40, £70 and £100 menus, did you ask them to show you the £10 menu choice? - no, I didn't think so...
We're no different. We'll offer you a range of products and costs and we can tailor things a bit to suit your budget or to get your business. But one thing we won't do is to lower our quality to a level where we're losing money by taking your business, and that's why we don't offer any packages at £350...
To Summarise...
- Professional people charge professional prices for a professional service. These people can be lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, plumbers, gas fitters - but they all have their price and their reputation to consider.
- Cowboys don't charge realistic prices and don't care about service. They want your money and they want to move onto the next mug as soon as possible.
Don't be that mug - hire a professional, and be realistic enough to know that your wedding photographer shouldn't be charging you £350...
