Know anything about taking pics?

Question

I found a woman who will take my wedding pictures for $500, but the catch is that she only gives you the disk to print out the pictures for yourself. Well, I don't want to take them somewhere cheap where the pictures look bad. Are there actually places to go and give them the disk where they can make the pictures turn out great? I'm not looking for a specific place, just curious if there is such a place. If so...any idea on how costly it is? I'm trying to see which is cheaper, this way, or just getting a regular photographer for about $2,500. Thanks for any help. Have a great weekend.

Answer 1

For $500, I am presuming this woman will only be providing the photography as the main service, then just giving you the 'raw' untouched files on disk. Unless this photographer has exceptional talent, most 'raw' files are not fit for printing right away unless you are just putting together an informal scrapbook or going for a less formal 'journalistic' look. I am not a professional, but when I shoot a wedding, I always retouch the files before handing over the disk since this work represents me. As an amateur, I would charge about $40-50 per hour for the retouching service and it would take about 8-10 hours total depending on the amount of photos taken...so retouching alone is worth almost $500. Retouching involves:
- adjusting the exposure (fixing under or overexposed shots)
- adding color saturation if needed
- cropping (cropping out distracting elements, enlarging)
- sharpening if needed
- noise reduction (grain reduction) if needed
- special effects if needed
- and of course, fixing little things like red-eye reduction or wrinkle removals.
The whole process is very time consuming but results in a very satisfying print similar to what the $2500 photographer would probably give you.

But let's say the $500 photographer does take great photos that don't need retouching (and she deletes her mistakes as she shoots)...

There are digital photographers out there that will do the printing for you if you need special papers or additional touchup. A lot of these digital photographers are actually ex-film photographers that are simply transferring their skills as a film photographer into digital...they represent a very valuable service because they still have the 'photographer's eye' unlike many of us who just take snapshots. They are probably not cheap however.

You can also go to a professional lab to make fine professional prints with great archival quality. Some of them will also have retouching services. These labs can also be expensive, but you can save some of the cost if you do your retouching at home with something like Photoshop. Also, these labs tend to speak a technical language that might be hard for the rest of us to understand...hopefully, they can speak in layman's terms.

For self-service, you can also go to places like Target or a local camera store, which usually will have a kiosk where you can do basic photo retouching before using their print facility. The print quality will be decent with a good degree of archival value, but don't expect too much.

There are also places online that will receive your disk and make prints of any size. You will have a limited selection and limited control, but not a bad value (e.g. Seattle Filmworks, Shutterfly, dotPhoto.) Quality is decent.

Also, if the $2500 photographer is shooting medium format and the $500 photographer is shooting 35mm, I would tend to go with the $2500 photographer as the better value assuming this includes a final album with prints. Be sure to look over their work before deciding. Check if the lighting looks even (not too high contrasty), well focused, and with good expessions captured. Personality is important too...do they work well with people? Are they assertive yet not pushy? The work done upfront (the actual photography) is the biggest component of what makes a picture look great. No high quality ink or paper can undo the effects of a bad photograph.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

We watched amovie in class about how a lot of people in the wedding business really try and rip people off. One guy said he thought he was buying his pictures for $2000 but it turned out that was just for the negatives and he ended up paying a huge and unreasonable amount of money for the entire package. I would say just make sure you find out everything that you get with the money. I would look around for sure. I don't know about somewhere you can go with a deisk. The only place I know with something like that is walmart and the quality isn't bad at all. I'm sure you have spent a ton of money so far and I don't think getting them done at walmart would be a bad choice. $500 is a pretty good deal if she does give you the disk and takes a lot of pictures so you can pick and not just a few. So many ask how many she's going to take. This is a specail time but you don't wan to overdo it really think about that.

Answer 3

As a civilian I would devote all of my time to following him around and taking photos of him in the most annoying manner possible until he gets the hint. Keep a close eye on your children. Unfortunately there is no law that states a weirdo can not live in the neighborhood. Many sex offenders are put back into family populated neighborhoods. Until he hurts someone the police will continue to ignore it because there are real serious crimes happening all day every day, that they have to pay attention to. If anything have everyone join together to get a restraining order put on him. That way a judge can tell him that he is not allowed to take photos and the next time he does you can call the police with confidence because he is breaking the law if he does not obide by the rules of the restraining order.

Answer 4

It's your memories, so therefore, your choice. If you have the money, pay the professional. There really is a reason that you pay for professional photographs. Have you seen this woman's' work?
Any decent studio will let you come in and talk to them. Have you done this yet? You don't have to commit at this point. Look at their work. If they hard sell you, walk. Find another one. It doesn't cost you anything to check them out. Compare portfolios. Tell them about the deal you might strike with this woman. If they are a professional honest studio they'll give you their view of the matter. YOU make the decision.

Answer 5

Your wedding memories will last a lifetime and they will be better captured by a "professional" photographer who specializes in weddings.
Real " professional " photographers DO NOT hand you a disc at the end of the day. They either print them or use a custom lab to print them and they guarantee their work.
How do you know what will be on that disc when the woman with the camera has long disappeared?
The photos will be with you a lifetime. The dinner you serve at the reception will be flushed down a toilet about 8 hours after the wedding.
Spend at least as much on the fotos as on the food which will be digested shortly after the nuptials.

Answer 6

Depends, if this women has at least a Canon 5D or a Nikon D200, and has a good portfolio, it may be a great deal for you. You can send your imagines to shutterfly.com for prints. They are realitivley cheap if you ask me. Also it depends if your going to have a lot of people you prints. If its only like your mom, dad, sister, brother, and like 3 other aunties then it will be cheaper for you to do it yourself. If its like 50+ people your making prints for it might be cheaper for the professional to do it.

Also you may want to consider, will she be editing the pictures for you or will you have to edit them yourself? If not, I would get the $2500 professional just so its not a hassle for you.

Answer 7

Scrapbook is not very Costly. This is very helpful; if you want, you can bring your Family Member and Friend creates Scrapbook Memories Together. Scrapbook Weekend Crop; that is good Opportunity to enjoy, relaxes and also you’re Favorite Hobby.

Answer 8

Most high end camera stores provide this service.