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Brought to you by
Stephi Stewart
Author of
FireYourWeddingPlanner.com
A Photographer Speaks Out
"Hi
Stephi,
I am a Professional "Wedding" Photographer in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and I want to
Thank You
for
validating my philosophy that I promote to my clients.
I have been in the wedding industry for 15 years and I won't say that I have
never used any of the "tricks" that you mentioned. However, I now am a strong
promoter for the bride and groom saving lots of money by "Doing it Yourself".
My packages (from 495.00 to 795.00) give Prints, Negatives and Hi-Rez CD's to
the couple, but no album. Like you say in your ebook, "this is a great way to
save money and can be a fun project" regarding them putting their own album
together.
Stephi, I meet with my clients daily and will start mentioning your ebook to
them. I will probably even use some of your quotes to show them that I REALLY am
interested in saving them a lot of money. They can start saving with me and
continue with you."
Barry Dreyer
Ft. Lauderdale
>>>MY COMMENTS:
Thanks for the endorsement (blushing!).
You're proof positive that there are indeed some honest and reasonably priced
pros out there!
I often receive harassing letters from "wedding photographers"
asking me why I
bash them and then attempting to
convince me that anyone who charges less, doesn't specialize in weddings,
and
gives away the negatives can't possibly be a good photographer.
Fooey!
The truth is, I don't bash the industry...
I just bash the super pricey "fat cat" wedding photographers that take
advantage
of so many brides out there...
...Like that husband and wife team in Albany, New York that was
recently sued by
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
because 41 different couples never received the photos
they paid between $3,000
and $4,000 for!
Of course NOT ALL photographers are con artists, but of the many thousands of
brides who've taken my advice, I've yet to hear back from a single one after the wedding
telling me she wished she'd hired a MORE EXPENSIVE photographer!
So here's the bottom line...
Yes it's a free country and any photographer can charge any price they want
and
even refuse to give you the negatives.
At the same time, you have the right to shop around until you find the best deal
for your specific needs and you are under no-obligation to hire any photographer
that doesn't meet your needs.
Of course, some brides who don't know any better agree to pay thousands of
dollars for photography, don't negotiate to keep their negatives, and then pay
hundreds more after the wedding for reprints.
But hopefully, you'll be one of the "savvy brides" who does her homework, asks
all the right questions (like I include in my book), and then hires a great
photographerat a reasonable price...
And that "great" photographer for you may be a sensible "wedding photographer"
like Barry in Ft. Lauderdale...or a "fashion photographer" like the one I hired
in LA...or it might be a photography student at a nearby college...
Remember: It's your wedding, so
YOU MAKE
THE RULES!
ONLY YOU can decide what's best for you.
Now go out there and make your dreams come true!