I have been to hundreds of weddings. I am not a wedding crasher, but I am a wedding photographer.
As wedding photographers we sometimes are accused of charging an excessive amount of money for the work we do. Wedding photography is an extremely demanding profession and until you yourself have photographed a wedding, you have no idea just how difficult it is.
The craft and purely technical end is very difficult under the varied and shifting conditions that occur during most wedding days. The challenge is mastering the craft part to the point it is second nature while concentrating on creating artistic and dynamic photographs. In addition, a professional wedding photographer must constantly be aware of everything that is going on in order to capture every important moment. This all must be done while constantly monitoring the lighting as well as camera settings and operation to insure all the photographs are successful. This is what takes many years of experience to accomplish.
As a photographic artist I have spent decades honing an artistic sensibility and style. In addition to being a professional photographer I have spent a tremendous amount of time and energy creating fine art photographs that have been exhibited in galleries over the past twenty years. This pursuit has greatly improved my artistic abilities and allows me to bring a mature artistic vision to your wedding day.
My friend Zak Zaikine is a brilliant and prolific artist. He has supported himself as an artist for over forty years with solo and group exhibitions of his artwork all over the country. He related a story to me about a painting he had created. Like all his work, he pours his sweat and blood as well as a slice of his soul into every painting he creates. He was negotiating the sale of one of his paintings with a man who loved the painting but was balking at the price.
The man really wanted to own Zak’s painting and could easily afford to purchase it, but was questioning why it should cost so much. The man said, “Come on, how long did it take you to paint this Painting….perhaps forty hours?” As Zak related the story to me, he thought about all the years of study and hard work that it took for him to be able to create a painting such as this one and yelled back at the man, “It didn’t take me forty hours, it took me forty years.” The man purchased the painting for the asking price and it hangs in a prominent place in his home. Zak was completely right in what he said and this holds true for photography as well.
I pour my sweat and blood and a little slice of my soul into every wedding, event, and project I photograph. I am unable to feel satisfied with doing only an adequate job and strive to create the best photographs I possibly can.
When selecting a photographer for your wedding or event, remember that you will be viewing those photographs for a lifetime. Make sure you won’t be looking back with regret that you could have spent a little more and gotten a truly professional photographer; someone with a high level of skill and artistic vision.
