The Parable of the Cheap Photographer

The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
       -- Aldo Gucci

A friend of mine is a professional photographer. When his niece got engaged, she asked him for a quote to photograph her wedding. After deciding he was too expensive, she decided to go cheap and hire a "professional" photographer who only charged $400. I'm sure that she considered herself quite the bargain hunter.

As you can see from the photos on the right, her bargain turned into quite the disaster. Click on any image to see the horror in more detail.

A few days later, my friend got an email from the bride (names removed, emphasis added)

If you look on my facebook page you will probly notice that most if not all the pictures are out of focus or blurry ... Basically, I'm not happy about any of the pictures. They are happy memories I just would like them to be better quality.

I was curious to know how much you would charge if [groom] and I got all dressed up again and you take pictures of us for about an hour. I was thinking the Cummer Museum? or some place romantic. I really want good ones of [groom] and I in our wedding attire ... These are our memories and I want to be proud of them.

This is really a shame. There's no way to save these photos and trying to "recreate" them is a poor substitute. Not to mention that fact that her photography costs are now probably going to be more than if she had just gone with the professional in the first place.

You have a huge financial and emotional investment in this one day. The photos are your single most important reminder of that day. Don't end up being embarrassed by your wedding photos, invest in a good photographer, not a cheap one.