With two fistfuls of drinking straws from Panera Bread, Gorilla Glue and an old cereal box, I created a fun little light device I used for Rachel and Brian’s wedding. You could say I have a MacGyver streak in me. The device helped make a nice portrait below.

Tags: Add new tag, Liberty, Portrait photographer

Larry and Karen asked me to shoot an engagement session and to construct a customized guestbook they can take with them to their wedding in Indonesia in July.

These two were a lot of fun. Larry wanted to involve local landmarks in their shoot so we looked for locations that held some local history.

We happened on a park bench in Loose Park. Larry promptly buttoned his collar and sat “Forrest Gump” style on the park bench next to Karen. Karen promptly lost it and giggled uncontrollably as Larry continued to give his best Forrest Gump.

It’s so awesome to capture a couple’s personalities in their photos rather than just produce the same old formulas!

Tags: Add new tag, Kansas City wedding photography, Loose Park, Portrait photographer

Kyra hates having her picture made. She confessed as much to me the day of her senior session, hence the late in the school year session for this future Arkansas Razorback.

Kyra was delighftul with a fun attitude. Is there any other way to approach life?

I should also offer my applause for her family’s wonderful contribution to the American Heart Association Heart Ball. They were the winning bidders on the portrait session I donated to the charity event over the Winter. It’s wonderful to make pictures for people who support a great cause. Great job!

Tags: graduation, high school senior, Portrait photographer, senior portrait session, seniors

Article by Chris Cummins, chief photographer/owner Glow Imagery.

The ceremony and reception venues are booked. You have an idea of the style of dress you want, colors and who will be your maid of honor and best man. The excitement is building! Next up is photography. You know you’re going to want wonderful pictures of your big day. But a cursory glance at wedding photographers and their prices can be an exercise in sticker shock. Photography without a doubt is expensive. But why? They’re just pictures for pete’s sake!

Here are eight reasons good wedding photographers are so expensive:

1. They are qualified

   When considering photographers and their fees it helps to remember you are not paying for merely a photographer’s time on your wedding day. You are paying for the ten, 15, or 20 years of experience which is required to create wonderful images in the handful of hours they will shoot pictures during your wedding day.

   Like most professions, becoming a consistent quality professional photographer requires years of hard work. Many photographers attended college in photography, cut their teeth working for years as assistants or as newspaper staff photographers. They also spent countless nights surfing online forums talking about the latest and newest ways to improve their work. They are always networking, attending seminars and reading countless books just to keep up to date.

   By paying more than you might have expected for a qualified, experienced photographer you are granting yourselves the extra reassurance you will enjoy your wedding memories for years to come.

2. Important one-time events require serious responsibility

   This is a once-in-a-lifetime event that is a culmination of months or years of work. There is no chance for a reshoot, not with so many important people in your lives coming from so many far away places to be with you and your future spouse for this one day.

   What happens if your photographer drops their camera? What happens if one of their camera disks is corrupted? What happens if your photographer breaks their ankle two days before your wedding?

   With each wedding, a truly professional wedding photographer has to be prepared for the risks of covering a one-chance event. That means keeping multiple disks on hand, image recovery software, multiple good quality cameras and a list of contacts that can fill in for them in the event they can’t shoot. The contingencies are numerous. Such preparedness can be costly and time consuming to maintain, hence the higher fees for clients.




3. Seasonal nature of work

   Photographers can only reasonably expect to have one wedding per week. These almost always take place on a Saturday. For many markets, including the market my business serves here in Kansas City, the winter months are not a popular time to hold a wedding. Weather can be very unpleasant and downright hazardous. Hence photographers outside of the Sun Belt can expect to be busy only six to eight months of the year.

   A photographer is having a very solid year if they have 20 to 25 weddings. In order to provide you and future clients an excellent service, photographers have to protect their business’ margins for the entire year with those 20 to 25 weddings.

4. A single wedding represents a major time commitment

   Your wedding is more than a commitment by your photographer for working the day of the wedding. They will pour many hours into the planning, editing, processing, presentation and shipping of the pictures, not to mention albums and other photography products included in their quoted packages. Your wedding will easily require 80 hours of your photographer’s time if not more.

5. Tools are expensive

   A qualified photographer will be carrying $10,000 or more in equipment on their person during your wedding. The digital camera gear will usually have to be replaced every few years. That’s expensive, considering professional caliber camera bodies cost more than $2,500 to replace. The photographer must also upgrade computers and software just as frequently. Add to that burden the normal wear and tear on all equipment and the costs become eye popping.

6. Commitment to you

   As a wedding photographer I can tell you it is much more pleasant to explain prices to clients once rather than apologize for the quality of their pictures forever. Ten years from now when viewing your wedding album, you will not be concerned with how much the photographer cost but you will be concerned with the quality of their work.

   Good is almost never cheap and cheap is seldom good. A good photographer understands this and builds their business with a priority placed on a commitment to your pictures and experience first and foremost.

7. Growing the business is costly

   A wedding photographer does not receive much repeat business from our clients. If we did that would mean a lot of failed marriages! Referrals to family and friends are not uncommon but there are only so many friends and family about to be married.

   Word-of-mouth business from happy clients is important, but it rarely is sufficient to fill a photographer’s calendar. Photographers, more so than other businesses, have to invest more into marketing plans that introduce their businesses to new potential clients. Many of these advertising efforts are expensive. A page one placement on The Knot’s photographers website listing costs more than $5,000 annually. That’s not cheap.

8. Integrity

   Imagine trying to decide between two photographers for your wedding, one photographer plays by the rules and doesn’t cut corners to save a few extra bucks but they have a higher price. Another photographer has a lower price but cheats the rules and cuts corners so they can low ball the competition. Which one is more likely to have your back when you need it?
   

   For some photographers integrity is sacred. They understand the long-term success of their business is impossible without it. Integrity requires them to deliver on their promises on time and exceed expectations. Their internal business affairs are conducted with integrity also. They pay their fair share of income taxes like you do and carry adequate liability insurance. Integrity requires them to collect sales taxes and pay them to state governments in their entirety on time. Such ethical practices are not always easy to maintain and often require us to pass on some of those costs to clients.
   

   Unfortunately for some integrity is seen as an inconvenience or an impediment. While these issues may not seem relevant to your decision in photographers, a person or a business which honors all of their obligations is much more likely to honor their obligations to you.
   

   Of course, a more expensive photographer doesn’t guarantee such integrity but doing right by others is the only way for some and it usually costs more.

Wedding photography is expensive. No one can disagree. There are many reasons a photographer has to charge such rates to ensure their survival over the long haul. As you ponder your options and choices don’t lose sight of how important your memories from this day will be to you. They shouldn’t be trusted with just anyone. The photographers may cost more than you originally expected but ask yourself a question: Is it better to pay more than you expected or less than you should?

About the author: Chris Cummins is a Kansas City wedding photographer, the owner and chief photographer of Glow Imagery. You can follow Chris on Twitter and visit Glow Imagery on Facebook.

Tags: Kansas City wedding photography, Portrait photographer, wedding help, wedding planning, wedding tips

Here’s a little snippet from a fun shoot done for my future sister-in-law. She wanted some professional pics but we managed some less formal poses too. As a photographer, I love finding ways to grow and make images more compelling even on the smallest of portrait projects.

Tags: Kansas City, Portrait photographer

Heather is a member of the Class of 2009. She and her aunt discovered Glow Imagery at a charity event for the Kansas School for the Deaf in September. Heather is a part of her school’s sign language club and has a love for music, playing the guitar and bassoon. She was a treat to work with. A rain storm swept over us during her session and Heather didn’t bat an eye or complain at all. Soon we were back at it, making some great pictures!

Tags: La Cygne High School senior portraits, Portrait photographer

Glow Imagery is pleased to announce its support of Sheffield Place. This is a wonderful agency located in northeast Kansas City which strives to help mothers with children to break out of the cycles of homelessness and poverty to become self sufficient. Their efforts help women achieve greater self-determination, respect and happiness in their lives.

On June 25, Sheffield Place will host its second annual HopSnobs event at the Boulevard Brewing Company.

In addition to enjoying fabulous beers from Boulevard (I’m an unfiltered-wheat guy myself) and appetizers from wonderful restaurants, participants will help raise much-needed funding that will provide shelter and services to more than 30 homeless mothers and their children this year. More than 300 people are expected at the event.

Restaurant sponsors include the Capital Grill, Reverse, Mango Room, Nara, Thai Place, The Drop and Christoper Elbows. Entertainment will be provided by KC Rausch, The Konza Swamp, and Ricki Brothers.

Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 the night of the event and include beer, heavy appetizers, live music and silent auction. Glow Imagery has donated a portrait sitting for the silent auction. Come join us!

Tags: charity, philanthropy, Portrait photographer, Sheffield Place, silent suction