It has become overly apparent this past year that there is a saturation of amateurs in the Cleveland wedding videography and photography market.
Inexperienced, unemployed, uninsured, tax-evading individuals are purchasing cookie-cutter websites and “setting-up shop” as “video companies”. Many photographers too, in feeling the economic pressure of lowered margins in their industry, have also “added-on” video as a potential upsell. Many of them have never produced a wedding video, and are “hoping for the best”.
After running in to many of these newbies at the recent Today’s Bride bridal show, and hearing some very bad things from recent clients we’ve met with, we decided to check some of them out.
Wow! The majority of the websites we visited are photography websites from a company called BluDomain which sells pre-fabricated photography websites for a few hundred dollars, complete with very nice images from professional photographers. They are marketed, sold, and installed to individuals with little or no computer/web/graphic design experience.
When one purchases a website from this company, it is assumed that the buyer will substitute his/her own photographic or video images in to the programming. Most of companies haven’t even changed the stock images and are using the work of other, professional photographers! Wow, again… What a way to try to fool an unsuspecting potential client.
When it comes to video, most of these sites have zero or very limited online video clips available on their websites. Why is that?!?!?! What do they have to hide? Are they ashamed of their work? The stories we’ve heard of BAD, shaky, dark, poorly-edited video leads us to believe the answer is YES!
If there is no video on the website, the reason is either: 1) the quality of the videos they have actually produced is terrible or they are afraid to show it (hoping that you can be seduced by price alone), or 2) they are trying to “break-in” to the business and have never shot an actual wedding. Therefore there is nothing to show. BAD either way!
Individuals with little to no experience in either shooting or editing weddings are not familiar with the informal “happenings” or formal traditions which occur on the wedding day. Only experience, and a keen “second sense” guides the professional to know exactly what to shoot, and how and when to shoot it.
Additionally, truly professional videography has an expensive entry-point. So, new individuals often work with inexpensive, consumer-grade equipment which produces an inferior image. They often edit with software which is already included with their computer, which severely limits the look and quality of the final video.
These jokers are also the same people which are subcontracted by many photographers who sell video as an “add-on” to their photography services.
The end result is a jittery, odd colored, poor sounding, difficult to watch video. Of course they wouldn’t display that type of “train wreck” on their website, and they hope you buy on price alone.
Even worse… If a website has only one or two clips and those are of marginal or terrible quality. One might ask, “Is this the best work they have to offer, and am I expected to PAY for this?”
The bottom line is: Very few to no video clips online = HIDING DISASTER & INEXPERIENCE!
Lana’s advice: It’s alright to be skeptical. If you are interviewing a potential videographer (or photographer for that matter), ask how many weddings they’ve shot and make sure you are viewing their actual work.
Do you really want to be this “Professional’s” practice wedding.
Our plug: The www.mystic-image.com website has over 100 GREAT video clips from different weddings. You can “shop online” and check us out.
by lanaperhacs
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