Has Anyone Fired Their Photographer?

[holstang]

I've been doing some budget thinking, and I'm starting to think that I don't want to spend $500 for (16) 8 x 10's and wallets that I will have no use for.

 

I've already hired a personal non-sailing guest (friend) to be my photographer, because I wanted to take some pictures BEFORE I got on the ship, like of me getting ready, and maybe take some pre-wedding pics in Downtown Long Beach in my dress before we board. I also like more of the photojournalistic style, instead of the "you stand here, and now you stand there" approach. I also wanted someone I knew and would be comfortable with.

 

So past brides out there, have any of you ever just not bought ANY pictures from your photographer? I mean, since the photographer isn't included in our original contract anyway and is an added cost to us. I understand that weddings are their bread and butter money maker, but I feel like I'm being bullied into crappy pictures in crappy sizes. I've already purchased the videographer and the DJ, so it's not like they haven't got me on the upsell already.

 

I'm guess I'm just irritated that I feel forced to buy 8 x 10's, when I don't even want 8 x 10's. I wonder if I should just tell the photographer up front that I am not interested in purchasing pictures? I need some advice ladies!

 

Help!

[JessicaJG]

Yeah I am right there with you. My wedding is this sunday and I am lucky enough to have a couple friends going who take amazing pictures. I will most likely not purchase any or very few from Carnival.

[flhokie]

Is it just that the pictures aren't included? If so, I'd let the photographer take as many pictures as he/she wants fo the time it's included and then not buy any unless there are some that you love.

 

On Princess the photographer and a few pictures are included in the package. Many of the pictures he took turned out very nice and we bought more than were included. We had issues with him about what pictures were/weren't taken, but the quality of those taken was good.

[marybeth200]

A quick suggestion if you are having a "friend" take photos. Be sure to talk about exactly what you want and how the shutter bug will be compensated (are you paying for film, is it digital, paying for their time, is it a wedding gift, etc.) to avoid any hurt feelings. A few friends were having a small wedding and asked one of our friends to take "a few pictures". The friend happily aggreed and was paid $50, which didn't even cover the cost of film since two days before the wedding she was e-mailed THREE PAGES of pics/poses the bride and groom wanted. It was a much bigger job than she thought and she didn't get to enjoy any of the wedding because she was "working" the whole time, running around getting pics. Luckily, they talked about it after the fact, and there aren't any hurt feelings now, but on that special day she felt like hired help, not a guest. Just a cautionary (sp?) tale. I'm planning on paying for a photographer because I KNOW I'm going to be demanding. Good luck!

[holstang]

My "friend" is actually a paid outside vendor that I will be putting on my guest list. That way I know exactly what kind of product I will be getting, as he will also be taking our engagement pictures as well. I have a signed contract, so he and I both are pretty covered.

[Cruise2Kae]

My recommendation is to have your "friend" take the pictures you want offboard and onboard. Since the Ship's photographer and services is part of the wedding package, take advantage of it. Let them take your pictures. This way, it'll give you different flavors (pictures taken by your friend, Ship's photographer, friends and family)

 

In addition, if your "friend" is not sailing with you, your onboard Ship photographer will continue to take photos after the Ship have sailed. We spent a total of 6 hours with our photographer. He showed up right before I left my suite to go to the venue (1:00pm) and took pictures for 3 more hours after the wedding. By the time we were done, it was time to seat down for dinner (6:00pm). Caution: be prepared to carve at least 3 hours of an evening to look through your photos. Originally, we planned to get a few prints but when we saw his work we were so amazed with the quality. To say the least, we brought more than we anticipated. And, we're glad we did it since we still show these pictures to friends and family.

 

In short, take your "friend" and once the ship sails take advantage of the Ship's services. Beside this services is part of your package. Bottom line, just smile alot and HAVE A GRAND TIME.

 

Best wishes...

[2sunny]

I am the mother of an only child, daughter, that is now 36 years old, married with 2 beautiful children of her own. But (I know, I can hear all you girls moaning now) to her father and I she will always be "our girl!"

 

All of her life when she talked about having a wedding someday we told her that she could have any type of wedding she wanted as long as she graduated from college first. Well, as always, she did just what we expected of her and she graduated from college, summa cum laude, with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing and her then Fiancé had already graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland. They had a lovely wedding, everything they asked us for they got, they did not go overboard, they were very reasonable in what they asked us for. I hired the photographer and it was the one thing I spend a lot more money on then I thought I would, BUT here we are 14 years later and who knows where the Navy is going to send them next BUT her Dad and I purchased ALL 536 PROOFS from the photographer and they are the BEST thing we own AND they love their album SO much and the memories it brings back that they also bought all of the negatives from the photographer and keep them in a safe deposit box. Because they have been sent overseas to Sicily to Japan to Sicily to California and back again if one of their 'crates' went overboard (it has happened) there would be no way to get their wedding album back.

 

When the wedding is over - face it all you have left is memories & photos. I studied photography in college for 2 years and NO ONE can take wedding photos like a professional. It is very difficult to get great pictures of a white dress. BUT hire a photographer that does not MAKE you take a package and one that does NOT count how many pictures he/she takes. Many people I talked to said, oh I take 180 pictures, or xxx pictures, you do not want them counting pictures, you want them TAKING pictures! AND if you do not want 8x10 tell them you want a small album of 5x5 or 4x6 or 5x7 - YOU tell them what YOU want it is YOUR wedding and YOU are paying them - remember they are the HIRED HELP. If they act like they are doing you a favor you do not need them! Call someone else.

 

Congratulations and have a GREAT Cruise!!!

[Crown08]

I wonder if I should just tell the photographer up front that I am not interested in purchasing pictures? I need some advice ladies!

We brought our own photographer for our wedding and my original idea was to do exactly that, tell them up front that we weren't going to buy any pictures. But the day came and I never had a chance to talk to the ship photographer and ended up doing the entire "go around the ship" thing with him. It was cool because on Princess you get to take pictures on the bridge so we pretty much used what was included in our package on just the bridge pictures since our hired photographers couldn't go up there.

 

You could always tell the ship photographer that you want to make it quick because you're not that interested in photos. That way you still get to see a few of their pictures but you don't end up just wasting a lot of their time on pictures you don't intend to buy.