Help! Want to change photographers but don't want to be rude...

comexwhatxmay

So, there is a photographer that I LOVE. She did senior pictures for both my fiancé and I. We've been friends on Facebook ever since, and I always wanted her to do my wedding. She's expensive, but she brought the cost for simply photography with online proofing down for us. However, it's still a lot for our budget. I just found out how much the prints are and I almost choked. We've been making plans with her (we have a date for engagement pictures and everything) but haven't *technically* signed anything or given her money. I want to switch to a different photographer because it's so much cheaper, but I don't know how to tell her we've changed our mind. I would feel like the rudest person on the face of the planet. (I'm one of those people who HATES hurting people's feelings. I would rather suffer myself.) What do I do??

mrscinema

Just be honest. By telling her that you truly love her work and wish that she would could be your photographer, but explaining that the total amount needed for photography including prints will just be too much - she should understand. You may want to throw in that her work deserves that price, but it just isn't manageable with your budget. 

photokitty

Cancel now. Apologize, but be firm that since learning a of the cost for prints (assuming she does not give you the high res images and the right to print them yourself) that you can't afford to hire her. She can either drop her price to what you can afford or she will understand - assuming she is a professional. It's not personal, it's business. It's not insulting or rude to not be able to afford her services, she sets the price and should understand not everyone can afford her expertise and talent.

Ven&Radio

Could you get a package without prints?  As long as you get a high resolution disc of the images and rights to the images, you can print your own for SIGNIFICANTLY less than getting them through your photographer.  For example, a 4x6 print through my photographer was $5, but a 4x6 is $0.09 through Shutterfuly.

Ditto PPs -- if you decide to cancel, it's not "rude".  Your photographer is a professional and this is a business relationship.  You haven't signed anything, so you're within your rights to decide not to move forward.

leelabear

Be honest and the sooner the better so she can open up that date to someone else! If you find you can't be honest, can you blame it on something? 'My dad is paying and he doesnt think he can afford that much now', 'we had some unexpected emergencies we had to pay for and now we have to cut our wedding budget'

JoanE2012

comexwhatxmay said:

So, there is a photographer that I LOVE. She did senior pictures for both my fiancé and I. We've been friends on Facebook ever since, and I always wanted her to do my wedding. She's expensive, but she brought the cost for simply photography with online proofing down for us. However, it's still a lot for our budget. I just found out how much the prints are and I almost choked. We've been making plans with her (we have a date for engagement pictures and everything) but haven't *technically* signed anything or given her money. I want to switch to a different photographer because it's so much cheaper, but I don't know how to tell her we've changed our mind. I would feel like the rudest person on the face of the planet. (I'm one of those people who HATES hurting people's feelings. I would rather suffer myself.) What do I do??

Don't order prints through her!  We didn't order any prints through our photographer.  The couple of photos we wanted framed for ourselves and our parents we did via Shutterfly.

Now, if the package without the prints is still outside of your budget, be upfront and honest with her sooner rather than later.   I will say, however, don't choose someone else solely because they're cheaper.  Often times, they're cheaper for a reason!  In 10 or 20 years, you won't remember the extra money you saved or spent on a photographer....but you'll always have the reminder of the quality of your photos!