The All Important Photographer

Forget the iphone, wedding photography is single handedly taking over the universe. Everyone with a digital camera who knows where to find the zoom button thinks they can photograph your wedding. The thing is, anyone with a shutter button could probably do a decent job but they all think they can charge you more than college tuition to capture the big day. I know pictures will be a part of our wedding day that will last forever but several thousand dollars for a few hours work? Homie don't play that game (I can hear Frank from Father of the Bride saying "welcome to the nineties Mr. Banks). I'm frugal. Sometimes even downright cheap. But when there are thousands of "professional wedding photographers" on craigslist, I'll take the chipper chicken. When the search for a wedding photographer began, I came across a friend's engagement photos on a public website. I thought if she liked this girl, I'll give her a shot. Big mistake. I called said photographer and was immediately bombarded with what I thought were irrelevant questions. One after the next without coming up for air. I've never endured water torture but I imagine it is something like this.

Photographer: What's the most important thing about your wedding day?

Me: That the groom and I show up at the same place, at the same time and end up married.

Photographer: Oh. Well what's the most important thing about your photographer?

Me. That they show up at the right place, at the right time and don't cut anyone's head off in the pictures.

Photographer: Oh. Have you ever been in weddings before?

Me: Yes.

Photographer: And what did you like or not about the way they did their pictures?

Me: I don't really remember.

Photographer. Oh. Well let me tell you about why I'm the best photographer to shoot your wedding. I think a wedding is all about telling a story and not just taking pictures. Instead of posing for a shot, I would have you stand on some stairs and have Will stand a few feet away and have you walk towards each other and then when you get to each other you kiss and he dips you. Do you see how photographing that story is so much better than just taking pictures. Squeak. I'm the best! Oh and you can expect to pay $3,000-$4,000 for a really good story. More if you want photo books for your parents...which are essential to living happily ever after. Squeak. So, where would you like to meet in person so that I can physically coerce you into signing a contract?

I should have hung up right then and there, but I felt compelled to schedule a meeting with her. Maybe I'm really a good Catholic after all and have instinctual guilt. But it was a short lived appointment. I finally called her back and told her that her prices were really far beyond my budget and I didn't want to waste her time, or mine. After a five minute lecture on the importance of story telling, she let me hang up.

And so the search continued. I ended up meeting these amazingly talented people who do photography and videography from Va Beach. They travel for free and charge a fraction of the price of Washington D.C. area wedding vendors. They are providing two photographers for twice the amount of time as that pushy woman for far less money and hassle. Check one more thing off the list.