Photography

em01092

So my MOH's father is an AWESOME photographer. He did my senior pics and I have utmost faith in his work. He's been in the business for 25+ years.  His prices? *shudders*
The packages start at $1,500 (plus tax). That is photography and a DVD of pics with copyrights only. He says not to do this because brides try to do their albums themselves and never get around to it/don't like what they made and regret it. He also says I will be unhappy with prints from somewhere like Walmart. 
The package we are looking at is $2,400 (plus tax). This would be photography, DVD with pics, and a 10 x 10 leather album with 70 pictures. The pics are printed onto the cardboard/whatever the surface is, rather than slid inside plastic or laid on top of the page. These pics will have major retouching done (no triple chin or bat wings for me!)
Since his daughter is my best friend, he is not charging me overtime (package usually only includes 5 hours- based on my timeline I would need 2 or 3 additional hours) and he is not charging me travel fees (the wedding is outside his range- Elberton, GA- near SC border). This is saving us hundreds. He also agreed to upgrade me to a larger album in exchange for Epics since the latter package includes an engagement session, and we already scheduled those with a friend of a friend who is breaking into the business (but still good!). 
So what do you guys think? Is this pretty standard for photography around here? I really wasn't wanting to spend more than 2k but maybe I was being too optimistic? 

necquent

I think that's an awesome deal!! However, I would want the copyrights, just in case you would like to print extras cheaply.

MelissaAnne88

Yeah, you pay big for great photography.

But definitely get the printing rights. If you want cheap WalMart prints, that's not really his business.

em01092

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_georgia-atlanta_photography-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:58Discussion:eee9290b-5029-4a71-af0e-a692cfe61a92Post:f4039b49-1c00-44cc-bf7f-68fbea3391ad">Re: Photography</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Yeah, you pay big for great photograph</strong>y. But definitely get the printing rights. If you want cheap WalMart prints, that's not really his business.
Posted by MelissaAnne88[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm starting to see this. haha</div><div>
</div><div>I meant to say that all packages come with the copyrights and a DVD of prints, so either way we go that will definitely happen. </div><div>
</div><div>He just seems to think Walmart/Walgreens/etc prints of high quality photos suck and he doesn't want me to be disappointed with the whole DIY approach. Being a photographer and seeing this stuff all day, I think he notices things more than I would. This method is so popular right now- getting the DVD and rights to make copies yourself. If doing it this way always produced bad prints I don't see why so many people would be doing it. </div><div>
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lorifrank2003

yes you want the copyrights for sure!

chelseaandtom

Definitely a good deal. The way I look at it is this: years from now, you won't remember the food, the centerpieces, the decorations, but what you will have as a tangible memory are those beautiful photographs from the best day of your life. Those will help you remember everything else and you'll get to look at them whenever you want!

onlyncsu

"If doing it this way always produced bad prints I don't see why so many people would be doing it."

No offense, but it's because so many people don't know great photography from mediocre photography. There IS a big difference in the quality of prints you receive from a professional photographer and those you get at Walmart, etc. But many people are okay with poor print quality - you just have to decide what's important to you. And YES - what you've outlined above is a very good deal.

em01092

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_georgia-atlanta_photography-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:58Discussion:eee9290b-5029-4a71-af0e-a692cfe61a92Post:cd25b6a3-e3c5-4fe7-af54-43cef04dca7a">Re: Photography</a>:
[QUOTE]" If doing it this way always produced bad prints I don't see why so many people would be doing it." No offense, but <strong>it's because so many people don't know great photography from mediocre photography</strong>. There IS a big difference in the quality of prints you receive from a professional photographer and those you get at Walmart, etc. But many people are okay with poor print quality - you just have to decide what's important to you. And YES - what you've outlined above is a very good deal.
Posted by onlyncsu[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>As long as they aren't blurry or faded, I don't mind. I don't really have high expectations. I think if I held a Walmart photo beside a professional one I would notice, but unless I had that comparison, I wouldn't know a better print existed. 

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