The #1 question Isaac and I ask each other within our business is: HOW in the world do we convince our clients that our PHOTOGRAPHY is worth the investment?! We want to know how to educate clients about the VALUE of our work and share with them how important it is to have BEAUTIFUL images of this monumental part of their life. I wish it was as easy as saying “This day only happens once, so hire a GREAT photographer!”…. but that’s not enough. Couples are on budgets and they have so many other vendors to pay besides US!  They want a good deal and they want to get it as CHEAP as possible.

We, unfortunately, understand this more than you know. I understand this because I was a bride, and when we decided to get married 11 years ago I had a budget…. and it was tight. I didn’t know there was even a wedding photography industry, but I knew I wanted photos and my marriage to be legal.

I really didn’t think this AMAZING day that Isaac and I had decided on was going to happen and be over so quickly…. and the pictures from our wedding day would be the only things remaining when all is said and done! I cared about this!! But I should have cared about the picture QUALITY… and I should have cared about the EXPERIENCE as well.  

Experience

In order to have amazing images, you have to have an amazing experience… and I now know that comes from loving your photographer. When you know your photographer and have a relationship with them, it changes things…. and it changes them for the better. We got some guy named Kermit that took photos while he conducted the ceremony. Was it cheap? Yes. Were the images more than we could have ever hoped for? Nope. Do I now cringe knowing this is what I have from that day? Yep.

No. No. No!  That’s all I said as I scrolled through only 50 images from our big day. As we look through our images eleven years later and I’m constantly reminded of WHY I should have invested in the photographer of my dreams. 8.14.09 was magical because I married Isaac. I do have so many memories SAVED forever because of Kermit and I’m thankful. So not only do we have images to scare our children and couples with, but we KNOW why what we do is so important.  As photographers, we’re not just selling images, we’re selling the EXPERIENCE…. and that experience is what results in great images!

So Back to the Original Question:

“Is wedding photography worth the investment? ….. My answer isn’t simple or complete but this is what I think. There are some couples that understand how VITAL the photography is for their wedding day… and there are some couples that have other priorities. And that’s OK!! Some couples consider photography just another vendor to book and check off the list… and some couples have known who their photographer is going to be for months before they were even engaged! …. maybe even years!

So my response to “How do WE CONVINCE our clients that we’re worth it?” is that maybe those aren’t our ideal clients to begin with. Maybe instead of spending SO much time trying to CONVINCE, that energy should be spent marketing toward our target audience. When we market ourselves organically (no sales pitches, no massive ads… just word of mouth, blogging, social media sharing, etc) … we will start to develop a cluster of fans that LOVE our work AND love us.

You could NEVER convince me to buy a Rolex because I could care less about that brand… I have no attachment to it! But guess who is signing up for the new iPhone even though it’s not necessary at all?! THIS GIRL! Why am I willing to invest in another iPhone? Because Apple has SUCKED ME IN! I feel like I KNOW that company and I BELONG to it.  

Vibes

Maybe our business can give off that same vibe?! We’re not going to have people attach themselves to our business with a sales pitch or trying to convince that we’re worth it at a client meeting. We have to get them attached to US and our brand before they ever email us about booking!

We want to share about our life, our clients and heck maybe our favorite pair of hiking boots. And just maybe you’ll fall in love with us and our brand!!

So when the time comes for our couples to decide if they’re going to book us… it isn’t a question of “if”. I want them to know we’re worth what we charge.

Well, I feel like I’ve been rambling and so I’m going to wrap this up. Couples, make sure you invest in a photographer that you ADORE… and if he/she is a little pricey, I can tell you first hand that a little splurge can mean amazing things for your wedding day.

Ps. I also realize that there are couples out there on a budget that really cannot afford to splurge and still be responsible with their finances. That’s ok too! I mean goodness! I understand! There are SO many amazing photographers out there that will fit into your budget and will do a FABULOUS job capturing your day!! This industry is bursting at the seams with new photographers with great talent and so if you’re a couple with a smaller budget and no room to splurge, I know for a fact that there are some GREAT options for you when it comes to photography! But please do your research!