Are Expensive Photographers Worth Your Money?

It’s your wedding. And out of the myriad of decisions, you will make one of the biggest and most important decisions of your life: hiring the right Wedding Photographer, This, may very well be one of the most important decisions. After all, the wedding cake will be eaten, the flowers will eventually wilt, and the wedding reception will be over when it is time for you and your betrothed to head home and prepare for the honeymoon. After all is said and done, it will be the images of your day that will help you to always remember all of the emotions, laughter, tears, and sacredness of that day. The scary thing is what if your wedding photos are, well, less than satisfactory?

Let’s be honest. Weddings are expensive, sometimes even ridiculously so. There’s the dress, the tux, the flowers, the cake, the rings, the venue, the food, the alcohol, the officiates, the DJ or musicians. And don’t forget the honeymoon. It all adds up very quickly. And for many couples, the financial burden of planning a dream wedding can take its toll on your finances. Even if you’re fortunate enough to have parents paying for most or all of your wedding, it’s still a hefty sum of money to hand over for even the most affluent of parents. And this is when a couple can become very vulnerable to a particular idea that can have a lasting impact on the wedding. Are you thinking about “hiring a freelance photographer?” Freelance Photography sounds good on paper but let’s dissect this a bit.

A “freelance” Wedding Photographer could very well save you a lot of money. Freelancers do not have all of the costs that a studio photographer has to cover. Expenses like rent or mortgage of the building, insurance, employees’ e.t.c. Instead, the freelance photographer is merely trying to get their names out into the public eye.

Do these low priced photographers have what it takes to ensure that your wedding images are truly exceptional? The decision you make with regards to who you entrust with capturing your wedding day is only made once. You may save a couple of grand by opting for a more affordable photographer than your first option, but you may very well regret that decision in the future.

So basically what it boils down to is this; deciding what you are willing to spend on your wedding photography, visit only the studios that are within your wedding budget and then look at a sample wedding portfolio of the photographer’s work. This is the most important part. You have to like the style that you see in the photographer’s sample work. Look for testimonials and make sure that they promise you a backup photographer if something goes wrong. If you like what you see and the price is right, then you can be assured that you are making the correct decision. It’s your wedding. It happens only once. Be sure that the professional wedding photographer you hire is up to the job.

What happens when you hand a DSLR to a 7 year old

I was shooting at a private birthday party, and then when this kid approached me to teach him how to operate the camera. that’s when I discovered the 7 year old Photographer.

Never restrict the potential of your kids solely to education.

I don’t think it’s the wrong thing to do at all. Kids actually have greater learning capacities as compared to any other adults. we should not limit their growth solely to that of academic progress, a little outdoor activities and some music classes to find out their talents like photography!

Gear used

Canon EOS 7D Mark I (Pretty heavy body for a kid to use)

Tokina AT-x 116 Pro Dx II 11-16mm f/2.8 (Pretty heavy for a lens too)

Shutter speed is set at 1/30 without Optical Stabiliser (Pretty impressed by those well-focused photo)

This is one of my favourite setup when I work as a birthday photographer. I had to remove my flash(Was previously attached on the camera) before passing it to the young photographer.

I’ve changed the lens to the user friendly and award winning Tokina Ultrawide-angle Lens, and also set the zone focus for him. I taught him the ultimate basics on how to operate the camera (Point, focus, and shoot). pretty shocked by how talented this young man actually is. There’re so much potential for a boy who hasn’t even taken any photos in his life (Because not every seven-year-old owns a smart phone).

Disclaimers

All the photos shown below is taken by this young boy. None of the photos are cropped so that I could preserve the originality of the photos, and I only did a very minor image touchups and colourings for those photos.

I must emphasise this. None of the photos are taken by me, except for the one he’s holding the camera.

**In case you didn’t know, you can click on the gallery to enlarge the photos. (I doubt anyone will miss it)

You can’t blame the little boy’s unfocused photo can you? After all,  the camera weighs more than anything he ever carried.

Although the photos are very limited, but dude, it’s always about quality not quantity.

But guys. Look at the framing of all the photos, some of them are pretty professional ain’t it? You wouldn’t expect these photos from a 7 year old. And also, I must emphasise that this is the FIRST TIME that little boy has taken any photos, if you’re not impressed, you’re probably a person that is reeeeeaaally hard to impress. So, I’ve left him my name card and told him to contact me 10 years later to join my team.

Meet the young photographer! Okay, this was taken by me, like duh. XD

Maybe after this post, he will be fully booked for photography till next year, who knows?

P/S: Dude, look at the photo he took of me, it’s totally INSTA-WORTHY.
P/P/S: Check out the gallery!

Peace.

Going Freelance With Your Photography Hobby.

Have you ever thought of bringing your Photography interest to another level? Granted, these are a few tips on how you can get started

#1 Port folio

Having a portfolio site is a MUST for every Photographer. What do people do when they look for a photographer? Get on their computer and start googling Freelance Photographer, Birthday Photographer, Event Photographer and ETC. It is true that most photographers receive their jobs mainly from google search. The need for a website means one thing, having your SEO done well means another. You can have a website with sleek design, lovely layouts. However without content, google cannot rank you. The search for the right web-designer can be a challenge. A website could range as low as $1000 to $15000, from freelancers to actual companies. These figures may be a big turn off for you. you may ask yourself this, can I trust a freelance web-designer? the best answer is that you should trust those Webdesign with a decent amount of portfolios that comprises of the style that you like. I believe you can get your website up within $1-2k.

#2 Social media/ online portals

The presence of 30k followers on Instagram definitely help. You would probably have people dm their way into your account and ask for your rates. But I believe it’s not easy to “grind” that amount of followers, and it’s not very possible for every different photographer’s style. Of course, most credible photographers in Singapore might not even have an Instagram page or even Facebook. What other alternatives could you go for? Nowadays there are many ways for you to get hold of jobs. Freelancing platforms such as Behance and Upwork could potentially be your source of side income. You might want to consider giving platform like those a try!

#3 Capturing moments that leaves an impression

You’ve been taking photos for ages but what really defines your photography is whether your style of photography leaves an impression. Is your style similar to an existing artist and what makes you special and finally, what will be your lingo to this photography hobby of yours? Try to keep a constant theme to all your editing. It’s good to have different styles from time to time, but you would want to keep at least most of your photos of a consistent style. It’ll be easier for the audience to view the photos that are of the same concept instead of jumbled messy contents.

#4 Practice your photography on your friend’s Birthday party

The best place to practice for event shoots is non other than your friend’s birthday party! It does not only contribute significantly to your portfolio it could also be a type of training to increase alertness on your surroundings, be well-aware of moments that cannot be replicated.

Finally, the utmost importance is that you’re able to earn a small pocket by doing what you love. If you have a chance to pursue your passion and even earn a little cash from it, hesitate no more!

Cr: Photos

Why Hire A Photographer For Your Birthday?

Some people may face certain dilemma when it comes to making a decision whether to hire a professional photographer or not. As for you, these following questions maybe affecting your final decision;

“Is there really a need for a professional photographer my birthday party?

“I am not sure if the extra cost of hiring a photographer is worth it.”

“I don’t know anything about those companies that provide such services and it will take too much unnecessary time to do research and seek out the suited one”

Well if one of those concerns are hindering your process of decision-making, then give us a few minutes of your time to read on and it may provide you a clearer answer. These are the 4 reasons to hire a photographer for a birthday event

#1 You want to make sure no guest is left behind the scenes

Some of your friends maybe magnanimous enough to offer their help as the photographer for the day. However, I am confidently sure that you would not want any of your invited friends to miss out any of the precious moments in the event you are hosting. Let no one be left out of the spot light and allow us to make sure everyone is captured in the most beautiful and memorable manner.

#2 Unnecessary stress over losing precious snaps

The process of hosting a good birthday party takes tremendous effort. You won’t have time to entertain every single guest. After you have partake in the activities and finally, ending off with the birthday cake presentation and the birthday song, you want to assure all these are captured. Hire a professional photographer to ensure all these moments are captured perfectly, because you won’t have a chance to redo it.

#3 Multi-tasking can be a little too cumbersome

It is not impossible to manage various tasks at a time but why divert that extra attention when you could focus all your energy, time and efforts entirely sharing those unforgettable moments with your loved ones. A professional photographer can save your own hassle and take every glamorous, filter and edit the most “insta-ready” photos on your behalf.

#4 Details

Photography is more than just getting a good camera with sharp lens and knowing how to snap photos. It comprises of many other elements such as the angles, lightings, colour contrast of the surroundings and etc. These professional photographer have mastered all these techniques and are here ready to provide their years of experiences to release the best quality photos. Capturing precious moments in squares are indeed important, but why not make them into perfection with the final touches of professional editing.

My advise to you mates.

As you plan for your birthday, consider hiring a professional photographer for it. Let him do his job while you fully enjoy your party. Before you know it, the party it’s over, but the memories stay in photograph.

Cr: Photos