Imagine yourself standing in a jungle, trying to find one specific tree but you have no idea of what that tree should look like! You start comparing which one is greener, which one is taller, which one has more leaves, which one will look better in your garden and which one is the most suitable, etc. Its simply overwhelming and confusing!
Everyone offers slightly different packages which often make it difficult to establish the actual 'true' hourly cost of a photographer. Some packages include various print packages, albums, slide shows, discounts for future photo shoots and all sorts of extras. Its a bit like trying to choose which cell phone provider offers the best deal, there are thousands of tables that try to offer a comparison but in the end there is no simple way of telling what works best for you!
It is very easy to get lured into the sales pitch! We all have a tendency to think 'more' is better but that's not necessarily true when it comes to photography! Before you immerse yourself into the depth and complexity of various photographer's packages and get confused trying to compare who offers best value for money, its best you decide beforehand what it is you REALLY want.
Do you actually want or need a package or do you just want a CD or download your photos so you can determine what you want to do at a later date when the financial strain of your wedding has eased off? Do you want you a traditional wedding album or a coffee table book? Do you want to frame any prints? A slideshow or a free video? Is a discount for future photo sessions or discounted prints of value to you if you may not use them?
Some photographers offer various print packages which include prints in various sizes. Do you want 300 or more prints? What will you do with them? If you don't want a traditional wedding album, there is little point in having 300 prints. Many photographers include a wedding album, however, wedding album doesn't equal wedding album and often you have no input on the layout of your photos! There are huge differences in quality and style. A proper, good quality wedding album will easily set you back several hundred dollars, a cheap, 'stick in' album can be bought in any supermarket for a few bucks! You may not want, or can afford a wedding album right now, but most reputable photographers will give you the option of having a professionally bound wedding album at a later date.
Coffee table books have become extremely fashionable and have pretty much outdated the traditional wedding album. A cheaper option is to make your own photo book using the services of supermarkets, online photo labs or drug stores. If you decide you want a professionally designed, high quality photo book with specialty paper, it will cost you roughly about the same amount as a high quality professionally bound wedding album. Your best option is to go through your photographer as he or she will have access to photo book specialists who only work with professional photographers.
Some photographers include a video of the ceremony, which on first glance is a nice thing to have, however, please bear in mind that professional videographers have similar rates to photographers, so a '2 for 1 deal' is often not what it seems to be.
A slideshow of your wedding is the closest thing to a video and a great thing to have, especially if you have a destination wedding and want to show your photos at your reception when you get home. You can easily make your own slideshow with some of the free software that is widely available on the Internet, however, if you want something professional, you will have to pay the price for a professional service.
Always determine what it is you want in the first place and don't be shy asking to see samples of the extras, so you can establish for yourself if its a genuine saving or not. Remember that nobody will give you anything for free just because its your wedding or you are a nice person! Getting a free gadget with any purchase is not really a saving if you don't need or want it in the first place! You don't go out and buy another car just because you can save 5000 dollars and forget to overlook the fact that you have to pay 25000 dollars for it in the first place? You never paid 30000 dollars and someone physically gave you back 5000 dollars, so when you look at it realistically, you haven't really 'saved' 5000 dollars, have you?
