Want good wedding shots? Meet your photographer in person

 

by Najeer Yusof

WHEN it comes to taking photos at weddings, most professional photographers know what it’s like to deal with demanding customers. After all, it’s a deeply personal and emotional experience for the couples. That’s why it’s important to meet your clients in person. This is to ensure that both parties can agree on the deliverables, said five full-time photographers we spoke to, after the recent brouhaha over bad wedding photos.

What happened was that Ms Jaclyn Ying and Mr Kelvin Tang signed up for a studio package that cost about $3,000, which included wedding outfits, hair and make-up sessions, and 10 hours of actual day photography. The photographer that the studio assigned them was paid $350 for the shoot. After receiving the photos, the bride was not pleased to say the least and went on to post a selection of the photos on her Facebook page.

Was the whole saga down to the age-old mantra of you get what you pay for? How should photographers deal with unhappy couples, or vice-versa? Here’s what the professional wedding photographers had to say about their experiences and their best practices.

Mr Leong Guo Wei, 33, full-time wedding photographer for five years.

What are your best practices?

“I always insist on meeting up with clients to show them my work. This is an important practice as it allows me to know the expectations of the clients, so that I can deliver accordingly. It also gives the clients an overview of what my work is like, so they know what to expect. I also make it a point to emphasise that they need to like what they see and if they do not, then I would advise them to look for another photographer whose work matches their expectations.”

Have you had any bad experiences with couples? If yes, what are they?

“There was this lady who called me based on a referral and she wanted to hire me over the phone. I declined to do so and insisted on a meet up. I showed her my work and she liked it, but told me to focus on shooting family members and nieces. After the wedding, she asked if I had checked the quality of my photos and when she could have them. I asked if she wanted to meet up to run through the photos together and she was fine with the pictures. About a year later, she contacted me again, telling me that she had some issues with my work. I found that unreasonable for she was fine with my shots when I passed it to her a year ago.”

What is the most important aspect of the wedding photography business?

“Clients are the key and it is not the number of shots, but the experience you give the right couples. The right couples are those who have expectations that matches my quality of work. Satisfying the wants of these couples, to my best capability will in turn bring in more business as they will recommend new clients.”

 

Mr Gabriel Mendes, 41, full time wedding photographer for 13 years.

What are your best practices?

“I ensure that my demands and the clients’ demands are always backed by a written contract. The contract is an essential tool in allowing me to inform the clients on what they can expect from me. It also helps to protect me and my work. For example, my contract states that I have full discretion over the artistic details of the shots and prevents clients from dictating how I go about taking my photos. I have been in situations when relatives of the clients, who are photography enthusiasts, asking me to shoot from certain angles. I also have clauses that protect me from being responsible from venue restrictions that hinder my work.”

Have you had any bad experiences with couples? If yes, what are they?

“There was a couple for whom I did their pre-wedding shoot at Bali. After the trip, I sent them their photos and the couple was fine with it. However, the aunt of the bride contacted me, asking why I did not take many shots of the bridal gown. In this case, it was not only managing the expectations of the couple, but also their relatives. So I called the couple up and informed them of what happened and they explained to me that they were actually fine with my photos but their relatives were not exactly pleased. So I offered an option for another pre-wedding shoot, done locally, as a way to please the relatives.”

What is the most important aspect of the wedding photography business?

“The most important thing is maintaining reputation, as this business thrives heavily on word of mouth. Nitty gritty matters such as being punctual, matters as they can affect your reputation easily. Moreover, since I work with high-end clients, so I have to make sure that I present myself as professionally as possible.”

 

Mr Nathaniel Tan, 29, full time wedding photographer for seven years.

What are your best practices?

“I make sure that I meet my clients before the shoot, so as to create a rapport and build their confidence in me delivering a good work. This is important as I will be intruding into their privacy when I am shooting and they have to be comfortable with it, if not it will show in the photos. I also get the couples to send me a copy of their wedding plans and I advise them against tight schedules. When things do not go according to plans, I help them overcome these stressful situations, by calming them down. I do that to ensure that they are relaxed so that the pictures can show them expressing the right emotions and body language.”

Have you had any bad experiences with couples?

“Initially after signing with me, this couple came back to me informing me that hey had found another photographer that they liked and they asked if I could shoot half the wedding and the other half would be shot by the other photographer. A day later, they told me that the other photographer is not willing to share the wedding shoot. They wanted to cancel the booking and obtain a full refund of their deposit. I found that unreasonable as the purpose of a deposit is to prevent situations like this from happening. Furthermore, I had turned down other possible clients as I had blocked out the date for this couple and there was no way I could return to those couples that I turned down as they would have already found another photographer. Hence, I tried to be nice by offering the option of returning their deposit only if I managed to find another client to take over their slot. They were not happy with that and that was when things turned ugly.”

If yes, what are they? What is the most important aspect of the wedding photography business?

“It is important to treat it like any any other business. The wedding photography business does not only revolve around taking good photos, but also having good business sense. You have to know how to make it sustainable. The problem is that the market is not regulated. Although I have international accreditation, you do not have to have any form of certification in Singapore to become a wedding photographer. That is why you have many inexperienced photographers who offer fees lower than the market rate and producing a lower quality work, affecting business for people like me.”

 

Mr Pierre Ooi, 40, full time wedding photographer for 20 years.

What are your best practices?

“I arrange for a meet up with my clients, one month before their wedding shoot. During this meet up, I will share my past experiences with them and prepare them mentally, on what to expect. This will allow me to brief them on how to behave during customary procedures such as which side of the family should take the tea first during the tea ceremony, for Chinese customary practices.”

Have you had any bad experiences with couples? If yes, what are they?

“I do not have any bad experiences. Maybe just some unrealistic demands. Couples have showed me works of other photographers and demanded that I follow their style of work. I usually try to adapt to their demand and do what they want.”

What is the most important aspect of the wedding photography business?

“Passion is the most important thing. Personally, my passion is shooting couples on their wedding day. I love the fact that I get to share their happiness with them and play a part in making their day a memorable one.”

 

Mr Al Tan, 36, full time wedding photographer for seven years.

What are your best practices?

“I make sure that I remain alert through out the actual wedding day and capture moments as they unfold. I also wait for moments to reach their peak and then capture them. My style is not to go for posed shots and moments. I also make it a point to turn up early at the venue to survey the place that I will be shooting. Moreover, I will brief the couples in advance on important points to take note, such as keeping their rooms clean and to try to be happy as their feelings will be transparent in the photos.”

Have you had any bad experiences with couples? If yes, what are they?

“Some couples tend to expect too much. There was once when a couple questioned me on why I shot more photos of the groom and his family compared to the bride and her side of the family. I had to explain to them that there was more action going on with the groom and his family.”

What is the most important aspect of the wedding photography business?

“It is important to treat the whole business seriously and to take it upon yourself that you have an obligation to the couples. It is a responsibility on my part to do my best and deliver quality photography to my customers.”

 

Featured image by Najeer Yusof. 

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- Yusof Najeer