Denise called and left me a message inquiring about photographing her upcoming wedding. I called her back as soon as I could. She asked if I went to Ballard. I said yes. She remembered me from way back then. We discussed her photography budget. It was not much, $700. I told her I had a package but it was very, very basic. For $500 she got me for 6 hours and 200 pics on CD, edited and organized. She liked it but said she had to confirm with her fiancé.
A few days later I got another message from her, she wanted to book me. I was ecstatic. I am not doing any advertising this year. I have already met my financial goal of the year. Another wedding? Ummm, yeah!! After some phone tag we met up in person to talk details.
Her and her fiancé are getting married at the Seattle World Trade Center. It's very basic but modern. Sort of small and mostly family. She wants a photographer to cover the important stuff like her dress, the formals and the two of them. I had to ask her how she found me and asked if she really just remembered me. I got the answer of a lifetime.
She did just remember me. I was the girl who was into photography, who edited the year book and the newspaper. She said she initially did a search online for wedding photographers but was quite discouraged at their prices. Her fiancé tried to talk her into not getting a pro. He suggested disposable cameras. She insisted on a pro. They actually got into heated arguments over this. He tried to thwart her by showing her expensive photographers who took candid pics. She remembered me and after a few failed attempts got my name right and found me. With my package price and the quality of my work they both found someone who would work for them. That's why I love this package and offer it.
Now, do not ever get disposable cameras in place of a pro and just don't ever get them. Let me tell you why.
1. They are actually pricey. You pay for them, you pay to develop them. You get maybe 1 good picture. That is one expensive picture.
2. Guests get drunk and just take pictures of the ducks. Honest to God. I photographed a wedding where they did this. No one was using the cameras until ducks started showing up. That poor couple paid all that money for drunk pictures of ducks.
3. Your guests are not pros. Those cameras are poor quality. It's a disaster in the making.
4. Everyone has a cell phone that takes pics. Best thing to do is create a hash tag on Instagram and have guests load up pictures that way.
You may wonder why I offer such a crazy cheap package. I will tell you. I am a cheap person. When I married my husband our photographers were free. Sort of. I assisted the best wedding photographer I know. I told her that she didn't have to pay me for a gig if she came to my wedding and took portraits of my husband and I. She agreed. I have the best wedding portrait I have ever seen. Several of them actually. Our whole wedding was DIY. If I am such a budget conscious person I figured I had to offer a budget friendly package. There are tons of cute weddings occurring all the time on small budgets and I want to be there. Call it paying it forward.
So I am delighted to shoot Denise's wedding. She is getting her Masters, he is getting a PhD. She just wants the security of knowing that for this once in a lifetime event she is going to have something tangible that perfectly and beautifully reflects the day. I am so honored to do that.
