What is so bad about resorts Photographers?

[cdc0427]

It seems like everyone is not interested in their resorts photographers. Why is that?

[SunBride]

Often the quality of their work isn't as good as other photographers (both the overall "poses" and also in terms of the quality of the digital negative and the editing).

 

Often they won't have a website so you have no idea what you're getting (or they/the resort will only send you a few samples, which isn't the same as looking at a website with a ton of pics)

 

Also they are often hard to communicate with, they won't answer emails in a timely fashion so it's hard to get more info about them, and negotiate larger packages or special features. They are used to photographer just the ceremony and posted group and couple shots, not photographing the whole day in a photojournalistic approach.

 

They are use to getting their business automatically through the resort and they do the same thing ever day. That's not the same as dealing with an outside photographer who will be willing to work hard to get your business and satisfy your needs.

[RedDiamond]

I could have sworn I already answered this, but maybe it was someone else asking the same question.

 

First, there is nothing wrong with using a resort photographer, but you need to decide if that is what you want and if they provide the quality you are looking for.

 

Sometimes resorts work with quality photographers, and sometimes its a person who really has no training - just a camera. The second seems to be more common though, but is not always the case.

 

The packages from the resort photographers tend to not provide much photo coverage, and very few prints, which are normally smaller sized. Rarely do they ever include digital copies. Professional photographers who aren't through the resort tend to be able to provide better photo coverage and packages with digital copies for the same amount of money or a little more.

 

With photography, building a rapport with your photographer can be one of the biggest parts of getting great photos. If you know your photographer you will normally be more relaxed and get better images. With most resorts you won't meet or speak with your photographer until the day of your wedding. Many brides want to know who they are dealing with ahead of time though.

 

On top of these there are things like language/accent barriers. Being able to understand your photographer is huge, especially for any posed pictures and family/group photos.

 

Finally, there is the legal issue. More than likely with the resort if you had problems with a photographer they will back you up. What about freelance photographers in the area where you are getting married though? If something happened, and it was out of the country it would be hard to take legal recourse, which is why many brides choose to use a photographer in the country/state where they live.

 

Obviously the exception to all of this is freelance photographers who are well known where the wedding is taking place, which brides tend to use. Many BDW photographers have a good established rapport with wedding couples, and you probably would never encounter any problems with them.

 

The biggest thing though is to always check references. :-)