Ohio-Cincinnati

Anyone heard of????

Murdock’s photography….I saw his page and just wanted to see if anyone had used him before, and if there was any good reviews, I already have a student that said they will do it for free, but I would still like to have some one with a little more experience, he said he would charge 375 for 5 hours, that’s not bad. So can anyone give me the good and or bad reviews of him?…Thanks    

http://www.murdocksphotography.com

here is his site...
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Re: Anyone heard of????

  • jennearstonjennearston member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I  haven't heard of him - but his photos look amazing.  I clicked on his facebook page but it didn't load.  I am sure you will find a lot of reviews on there.
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  • edited December 2011
    $375 for 5 hours? that sounds very low. what does that include? is that $375 for 5 hours of photography, plus editing, and printing rights?? i'm having a hard time believing that.

    ask him for references.

    EDIT: i checked out his site. i guess that is how much he charges. but i'm not impressed by his work. very minimal post-editing, if at all. to each his own, i guess.
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  • hotrocker2011hotrocker2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    He charges 75/hr.... i didn't think about asking for references, i will do that....Thanks

    i figured with the student and with someone with a little more experience i should get good photos....idk i think i just like the idea of 2 photographers for 375....
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  • edited December 2011
    totally random....i checked out his site and recognized a picture from the screen saver of a guy from a group project in one of my classes. . . He had no idea the name of his photographer but that's definitely it!
    He said they did a great job and his wife was really happy with them!
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  • edited December 2011
    what kind of equipment does he use? that's a sure sign of if he's really a professional or if he's just an amateur trying to make some $$. nikon is the most trusted brand of camera, and a pro should have at least 2-3 different lenses to change for the specific picture. look at the sharpness of the pictures and if the other stuff is in focus--also, a lot of amateurs rely heavily on adobe photoshop to make their pics decent. you should ask him about his technique to see if he can keep up in photography talk.
  • hotrocker2011hotrocker2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-cincinnati_one-heard-of?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:108Discussion:c1509e65-d160-4ad6-8ab7-da9e75007705Post:8331909f-81d4-4e23-af94-ff06dfe3637a">Re: Anyone heard of????</a>:
    [QUOTE]what kind of equipment does he use? that's a sure sign of if he's really a professional or if he's just an amateur trying to make some $$. nikon is the most trusted brand of camera, and a pro should have at least 2-3 different lenses to change for the specific picture. look at the sharpness of the pictures and if the other stuff is in focus--also, a lot of amateurs rely heavily on adobe photoshop to make their pics decent. you should <strong>ask him about his technique</strong> to see if he can keep up in photography talk.
    Posted by cinnabun72[/QUOTE]

    Another great idea....Thanks

    i asked him about references, and he responded quickly, and everyone i contact gave great reviews, they even showed me pictures, (which was already on his site)....he did say this was his second job, that's why he charge so little, and he don't print them off for you, he will give you a "rough" cd right after the wedding so we can look at them asap, then he will send the "final" copy about a week later after they are edited....

    I think i'm going book him, i don't get that creepy, "trying to get over on people feeling" from him, i will meet him in person first and see what his contract looks like...Thanks to everyone who responded....
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  • edited December 2011
    Have you thought of doing engagement pictures with him? This would be a good way to see how he works and see if you are comfortable with him before booking your wedding, and it seems that it would be really inexpensive too.

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  • hotrocker2011hotrocker2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I thought bout that but we already said the student can do those, i guess we can have to sets of e-pics....
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  • Kel7284Kel7284 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Just because someone doesn't charge 2k doesn't mean they aren't legit.  I thought a lot of his pictures look nice - not over the top photoshop fake.  I would meet with him and see how is personality is.  I think it's cool if you had a student go as well.  Having 2 different kinds of pictures from quality cameras would be neat.
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_ohio-cincinnati_one-heard-of?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:108Discussion:c1509e65-d160-4ad6-8ab7-da9e75007705Post:5eecac13-8f33-408a-bcc1-1e9218756cb9">Re: Anyone heard of????</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Anyone heard of???? : Another great idea....Thanks i asked him about references, and he responded quickly, and everyone i contact gave great reviews, they even showed me pictures, (which was already on his site)....<strong>he did say this was his second job, that's why he charge so little,</strong> and he don't print them off for you, he will give you a "rough" cd right after the wedding so we can look at them asap, then he will send the "final" copy about a week later after they are edited.... I think i'm going book him, i don't get that creepy, "trying to get over on people feeling" from him, i will meet him in person first and see what his contract looks like...Thanks to everyone who responded....
    Posted by hotrocker2011[/QUOTE]
    now his low rate makes a little more sense. he doesn't have much experience and he doesn't do much post-work. no, i don't think you have to pay thousands for good photography. nor do i think over-photoshopped photos are nice. however, using someone with little wedding experience is a risk. it's mainly a matter of personal opinion, so if you're comfortable with him, go for it.

    it may be a good idea to make a list of "must take" photos (bride and groom, bride and bridesmaids, bride and groom with groomsmen, bride with grandma and grandpa, etc.) to make sure your photographer understands what you're expecting.

    one more thing, nikon isn't the only reputable, professional brand out there.
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  • edited December 2011

    Just thought I'd throw something out there to keep in mind...my photographer's contract includes a stipulation that she is the only professional photographer that day (unless it's her assistant).  I'm not sure if the student would count as "professional" but you may want to check with the one you're hiring to make sure so you don't end up disappointed if you really liked the idea of having two photographers.

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  • hotrocker2011hotrocker2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    tasharocks -I don't think its that he don't have much experience, its just as he said this is his second job, so he wont charge as much as someone that do this for a living, the good thing is i can tell from the pics on his website they are not over photoshoped and everyone i have contacted about him, said he was great and alot of them was married some years ago...Thanks for suggesting the list, i think i will do that for both of them... You are right about the nikon, there are other professional brands out there even though Nikon is my favorite....

    mumel16 - I never would have thought of that...Thanks, i will be sure to check that out, i don't think either of them will mind...HOPEFULLY....lol
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  • edited December 2011

    Hes prob just offering the low rate bc hes starting out. My photog did my whole wedding and engagement pics for free because she was just starting out and shes Amazing! A ton of girls on here have since used her and loved her. I would do a second set of epics. Thats what we did.

    good luck

  • edited December 2011
    We are also looking for a photog to fit in our budget- so we met with Studio 3 Photography (their ala carte prices fit in our budget) but now I'm also looking at Murdock. I've talked with him via email and he seems very professional. My fiancé does videography on the side, so I know that people who do this work as their second job can do it just as well as a true professional would. Also, I found out Murdock is an alum from my Alma Mater (BGSU!) so that helps his credentials ;) I am contemplating doing the engagement session with Murdock to see how I like him before booking for sure. But living in Chicago makes it hard, since I am not back home too often. I'll let you know how things go and if I decide to go with him!
  • edited December 2011
    I booked Jay Murdock for my wedding in June 2011. I was unsure of his work since he charges so little, and was worried he wouldn't show up, wouldn't take good photos, and on and on the story goes. We asked for an engagement shoot, and he obliged, but did tell us that this would be his first engagement session.

    I could not have been happier with the way that the photos turned out, or how professional Jay was the entire time he was taking photos!!!!!!

    We went to Eden Park and spent an hour taking photos - he had 3 cameras with him, several lenses and other miscellaneous items that he kept switching. He had obviously spent some time in Eden Park deciding where to take photos, because he quickly told us where else he thought would be good places, but also listened to what we wanted.

    We only spent an hour with Jay, only paid him $75, and received over 300 photos. He e-mailed me (about three hours after our engagement session) and sent several "rough" photos so I could see them. About 5 days later I received a hi-res CD with ALL of the photos. He DOES touch them up. Several were black and white/sephia tones/color touching etc. Others were edited further. Some of the photos that I really liked did not seem to have been edited, so I e-mailed him and asked if he could edit them (I wanted them black and white with color touching). He said no problem and only asked for the photo number from the CD then e-mailed me the edited photos back a couple hours later.

    Sorry this is so long I am just extremely excited to have Jay photograph our wedding! The prices for photos can be so outrageous and I all I wanted was someone to show up, take pictures, and give me a hi-res CD so I could choose what ones I wanted printed and make my own photobook through snapfish for cheaper than buying it from a photographer. I am getting all of this with Jay.

    Good luck finding a photographer! If you want to see any of my engagement photos from Jay, I'd be happy to share them. If you talk to Jay, feel free to tell him you heard about him from Ann and Mike.

    =]
  • edited December 2011
    Im not sure if I would pick someone who doesn't do wedding photography for a living. These are your wedding day photos, not just a photo shoot. You get one chance to have this special day and I would not trust it to an amature or part timer. What happens if he falls ill , gets hurt etc? Who would take his place? Does he have another studio he would hire for you? Can you hire another photographer at his rate close to your wedding if something like that happens to him? What happens if his equiptment fails? Does he have back up equiptment? Is it just as good as his primary equiptment?

    I would ask him all of these questions in addition to what the other pp's said. I would ask him to see a wedding from beginning to end as well as several ceremonies. I think that is the best judge to if a photographer is good or not. How their ceremony pictures look in addition to the rest of the pictures.

    Budgets are a hard thing, but photography to me is right up there just after church, venue & food.

    My best friend Adalee hired a student to do her pictures and she is so sad she did this. She paid him 400.00 and all she has is  dark, very poorly captured ceremony pictures and just awful reception photos. Even the family posed shots were extreemly dark. The student had a pro camera. Pro camera doesn't mean they know how to use it. The out door pictures were overly bright making their faces super white. She cant have her day back and is stuck with what she has.

    Good luck with the planning and in the end if you like his work and him, all you can hope for is that everything turns out great. Plus you will have an extra person covering it, so that is a definate plus!



     
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