Carte Blanche Wedding Photographer

Over the last few weeks I've lost track of the amount of people asking me whether I saw the episode of Carte Blanche featuring "The Wedding Photographer". So much so that I eventually Googled it: http://www.mnet.co.za/mnetvideo/browsevideo.aspx?ChannelId=1&vid=15353&Search=carte%20blanche&CategoryId=0&sortby=4&CPage=0

In the world of Wedding Photography you will always find those that are in it just to make a quick buck! Some are downright dishonest where others will often do as little as humanly possible for the rate they've charged. The question is: How would you know the difference until it's too late??

Here are a few methods (some require more effort than others) that will give you some peace of mind:
1) Google them! Find ANYTHING written by someone other than themselves! It might not all be wedding related but positive feedback in any way or form says something about their workmanship.
2) Go to www.hellopeter.com - Here people praise or mostly complain about services rendered from all sorts of industries. Type in the photographer's name and see what people say. If they don't feature, it's usually a good thing.
3) Ask the photographer if they would be willing to give you the contact details of at least 3 past brides... even if you don't phone them!! If they've got something to hide they'll make some sort of excuse. It's easy to have 1 happy client (for all you know it could be their sister!), but more than AT LEAST 3 shows consistency.
4) Phone those brides if you can! They will be brutally honest.
5) When you meet with them ask them to show you a full album, not just their 50 best photos. It's easy for someone that's been in business for more than a year to have 50 killer shots, but how many boo-boos and bad shots were there amongst those? If they can show you a full album from start to finish you'll get a better idea of what they're really capable of.


That should do it.

Lastly, I've often had other wedding photographers whom I've befriended over the years ask me whether I've ever had to fix another photographer's bad work. Until recently I've never had the 'honour' - but alas, about 3 weeks ago a friend of mine phoned me close to tears. They had wanted to book me for their wedding but unfortunately I had already been booked for another. They decided to go with this photographer who, if their website was anything to go by, was going to do a sterling job of it! However, the end product was an utter disappointment. The easiest way to describe it was lazy photography! Apart from major technical no-no's like soft focus and warped white-balance they put little to no effort into framing the shots. Cluttered backgrounds, power cables on the floor and random guests in the background of so many 'posed shots' spoiled almost every shot taken on the day.


Well, enough ranting now. I really pray that you take this to heart! Sorry for sounding so passionate about the subject but there is nothing worse than looking into friends' faces who are devistated by the quality of their wedding photos. I'd hate to see it happen to you.