Wedding photography for $35 an hour

[microman23]

http://www.krazybirdphotography.com/2008/packages.htm

WHY???

[knt3424]

did you notice his double-photographer RAW rate includes 1-photographer, but his single-photographer RAW rate includes 2-photographers? I hope the pictures come out better than the math....

[microman23]

LOL

[Tobiah]

Large Portrait Package:

Includes: 3 - Retouched Images, 4 - 8x12 Prints, 6 - 5x7 Prints and 28 - Wallet size (up to 3 different images

$30 lol...


his work isnt awful but its more amateur than anything.... still cheaper than some so called pro's ive seen

[Zansho]

eww. Just eww. This is what kills the market for the rest of us. :/

[saturnin]

yes i think indirectly it is super bad..but i also think that ppl like him need to be around, sure he might take a sale or two..but by the looks of the results he might only get one client. Thats @ least how i see it, i coudl be wrong.

[bellapop]

http://www.krazybirdphotography.com/2008/packages.htm

WHY???

well, Krazy is in his name... LOL - There will always be those out there with this type of insane price point. I think it attracts those type of clients that want everything for nothing and with that mindset, he can have them! ;)

[microman23]

I cant imagine shooting a 4 hour wedding for $140.

[TheHoff]

Same deal with web development; even worse since you can go overseas and pay a fraction of the local rate. Fortunately, talent still drives high prices... I wouldn't worry about that one.

[Spazzmodicus]

well, Krazy is in his name... LOL - There will always be those out there with this type of insane price point. I think it attracts those type of clients that want everything for nothing and with that mindset, he can have them! ;)

He provides good, cheap education that should drive the naive with just about any level of discernment to a real photographer the next time, and might make some clients more accepting towards the pricing of a real photographer

[nate.the.great]

fyi, not everyone can afford a professional photographer.

his product isn't great, but i would say it's in line with what he charges. i have no idea why some people feel the market is threatened by people like this. he is on the low end, he provides low quality photography for low prices. photographers providing high quality and high prices won't be affected by him. is saks fifth avenue getting put out of business by walmart?

[S.Horton]

Another "too cheap" thread -- IMO all are the same, you'll get what you pay for.

[whoadude]

I think that sucks bashing the poor guy who is just trying to provide a service. The reality of it is, yes there is a market for this type of photography. Not every couple can afford the average $2500 it costs to hire a professional wedding photog. If there weren't cheaper alternatives like this, A) these couples would have NO photographer, and B) other folks would not be able to see the difference between a set of quality images, and a set of snapshots. In that regard, these low cost providers are even providing the pros a service.

[thewavebb]

I love his FAQ's

But I agree... If that's where some bride/groom's pricepoint/priority's are, glad that their is someone to fill that need.

[rodolfocorona]

In Mexico we say.

If you pay with nuts there most be chimps, if you pay with money most be humans.

:p

[basroil]

that profit margin is razor thin... that business won't go on for very long with those prices.. just their 500 buck package is about 350 in printing... unless that business is in las vegas, i don't see them making their average total cost... just as a business model it's borderline anticompetitive in it's pricing...or just done by someone who didn't do the math properly

hell, their wedding section has way too many oof shots to take them seriously..

[cdifoto]

WHY???

Because he can.

[EnronRocks]

As long as people hire them. I think his website looks like crap, so I wouldnt hire them.

[S.Horton]

Because he can.

^^ You are Decarte in a box tonight.

[Tumeg]

did you notice his double-photographer RAW rate includes 1-photographer, but his single-photographer RAW rate includes 2-photographers? I hope the pictures come out better than the math....


Hahahaha.... nice,
I actually think this is a good idea, if you are just starting out (To get a few weddings under your belt, and to expand your portfolio) but I would charge more, personally :)

[djscrib]

I can't see why everyone's bashing the guy. 90% of the americans would see a $35/hour part time job as an upgrade over their day job. $25/hour (for image editing) from their computer from home would also be an upgrade for most. For an enterprising person that sure beats the hell out of making $9/hour on weekends at the local Arby's.

Maybe the guy winds up doing a 5 hour wedding, 3 hours of processing and makes $250 for 8 hours of work. For some people that's a good deal of money.

I've seen worse photos on this forum from self-proclaimed pros, and have seen much worse websites in this forum as well.

As far as the printing package goes, someone complained that selling $350 of prints for $500 is a bad business model. That sounds like a product with a 30% price markup to me, not too shabby.


If this guy was getting $250/day for mowing a lawn on saturdays he'd be lauded as a smart hard worker. On this forum, because he's doing it via photography he's a laughingstock?

I don't know, just felt like commenting because their is a lot of elitism that occurs in this forum I've noticed.

From the business perspective, I've commented before but the low-cost photography analogy has occured in numerous different businesses throughout the decades, and every segment believes that they are too skilled for "amatuers" to supplant with low cost alternatives. And in every segment this has occured in, everyone but the truly "skilled" or innovative, wind up being overrun by the low cost alternative. Generally when this happens it quickly separates the people who are highly skilled/innovative, from those that merely believe they are.

[hvphotog]

You have got to be kidding me.. if this guy is getting paid for shooting weddings something is wrong with the people hiring him.. In his galliers named after a couple you will find couples from other weddings listed in his galleries. To go on his photos shoots are very much like from the highschool photo club. I have never shot a wedding nor do i claim to be even close to a pro but i certainly could do much better this this guy.. He has torso's with the head cut off, focused on branches instead of the subject behind them.. Really a 4th rate photographer and his clients have been ripped off in my opinion..

I cant beleive someone would look thru his gallery and say, yea this is the guy we want shooting the best day of our life.. lol

Chris

[noxcuses1]

Just wondering why all you "professionals" don't have anything better to do than to criticize another photographer?

I just don't get some of you people.

If this is what this forum is about, maybe I'll reconsider being a part of this group.

Remember the saying: "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

[bellapop]

well, Krazy is in his name... LOL - There will always be those out there with this type of insane price point. I think it attracts those type of clients that want everything for nothing and with that mindset, he can have them! ;)

Gosh do I feel bad now. I didn't mean to be the "professional nose up in the air" bashing type. In fact I am FAR from professional - and not one to speak since I have done 1 free wedding, and will do 3 more free to build my portfolio and get started. My pay as I see it is my photos for the portfolio and the experience I gain.

I guess I'm just taking this from experience from cleaning houses back in the day. I had run into some clients that wanted cheap, and wanted me to work 8 hours to clean up the house they never lifted a finger on. I should have clarified that "if it floats his boat, fine" but it isn't for me.

Not to mention, I will have liability insurance and all that good stuff and pay taxes, so yes I wouldn't be able to charge that cheap and make a decent profit.

But more power to him! I don't feel threatened by it in anyway. I agree there do need to be photographers to fill the void for lower budget weddings. And yes, there are clients that are good clients despite the low prices - not just people who want to work you to death for nothing.

Ok, enough with this thread - onto more insightful "how do I do that in PS" threads :D

[Axton]

I don't want to beat a dead horse and more power to these people if they can sustain a business... But I just had to comment on those wedding pics! I literally laughed out loud at some of those horrendous images! The one of the passed out (is she dead?) flower girl I couldn't believe. Hey I'm no pro & I've a long way to go but I mean jeez, I find the whole thing kind of humerous.

[azpix]

this this guy.. He has torso's with the head cut off,

on my monitor, he is mis using the postcard viewer and it's making the images impossible to view to were the tops and bottoms are being cut.

Just wondering why all you "professionals" don't have anything better to do than to criticize another photographer?

I just don't get some of you people.

If this is what this forum is about, maybe I'll reconsider being a part of this group.

Remember the saying: "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

That last quote is terrible. If all anyone said was nice things, there would be no growth, improvement or backbone in anything. Nice sucks, honesty rules.


and, imho, that name alone would not give me any confidence in this photographer... that is unless his name is Krazybird.:lol:

[bwolford]

And here's what you get for $35/hour and no post processing. Good news is color is no extra charge. And you get all images digitally...

Exclusive shot of bride throwing the bouquet!

[bellapop]

And here's what you get for $35/hour and no post processing. Good news is color is no extra charge. And you get all images digitally...

Exclusive shot of bride throwing the bouquet!

LOL you are so bad! did you draw that yourself?

[bwolford]

$35/hour to shoot the wedding is one thing, but you now he spends simte after the wedding printing or having prints made, does some post processing despite his claim to the contrary... He's making far less per productive hour than $35/hour and when he doubles his photographers he makes less. I'm thinking retiree just keeping busy.

I can't see why everyone's bashing the guy. 90% of the americans would see a $35/hour part time job as an upgrade over their day job. $25/hour (for image editing) from their computer from home would also be an upgrade for most. For an enterprising person that sure beats the hell out of making $9/hour on weekends at the local Arby's.

Maybe the guy winds up doing a 5 hour wedding, 3 hours of processing and makes $250 for 8 hours of work. For some people that's a good deal of money.

I've seen worse photos on this forum from self-proclaimed pros, and have seen much worse websites in this forum as well.

As far as the printing package goes, someone complained that selling $350 of prints for $500 is a bad business model. That sounds like a product with a 30% price markup to me, not too shabby.


If this guy was getting $250/day for mowing a lawn on saturdays he'd be lauded as a smart hard worker. On this forum, because he's doing it via photography he's a laughingstock?

I don't know, just felt like commenting because their is a lot of elitism that occurs in this forum I've noticed.

From the business perspective, I've commented before but the low-cost photography analogy has occured in numerous different businesses throughout the decades, and every segment believes that they are too skilled for "amatuers" to supplant with low cost alternatives. And in every segment this has occured in, everyone but the truly "skilled" or innovative, wind up being overrun by the low cost alternative. Generally when this happens it quickly separates the people who are highly skilled/innovative, from those that merely believe they are.

[bwolford]

LOL you are so bad! did you draw that yourself?

Actual photo. I swiped it off his web site. :)

[azpix]

your photo made me laugh

[SlowBlink]

That's ok for your first wedding, but the second and third you want to go with a pro. :)

[noxcuses1]

on my monitor, he is mis using the postcard viewer and



That last quote is terrible. If all anyone said was nice things, there would be no growth, improvement or backbone in anything. Nice sucks, honesty rules.




There's a difference between honest criticism and blatant bashing.

Try to get it right next time.

[photoguy6405]

He fills a niche for people on a budget, but some of his photos are, ummm... questionable. Just one example: one photo had the bride & groom taking their vows blurred, the back of heads nearest the photogarpher blurred, but the back of heads of people three pews forward in perfect focus. That's what he chose to help show off his work?!? Ugh!

[microman23]

He fills a niche for people on a budget, but some of his photos are, ummm... questionable. Just one example: one photo had the bride & groom taking their vows blurred, the back of heads nearest the photogarpher blurred, but the back of heads of people three pews forward in perfect focus. That's what he chose to help show off his work?!? Ugh!


I usually show off my best work as with most others.


Imagine the rest of his shots... :cry:

[photoguy6405]

I usually show off my best work as with most others.

Imagine the rest of his shots... :cry:

My thoughts exactly.

[cdifoto]

I usually show off my best work as with most others.

I show my favorites. Not all are my best.

[azpix]

There's a difference between honest criticism and blatant bashing.

Try to get it right next time.

wonderful.

[S.Horton]

And here's what you get for $35/hour and no post processing. Good news is color is no extra charge. And you get all images digitally...

Exclusive shot of bride throwing the bouquet!

I object. This is pron. No bra! Geeeeeeeeeeshhhhhhhhhhhh

[Zansho]

OK, I don't have a problem with someone trying to make a living with his photography. I don't have an issue with him trying to market himself out to a specific budget conscious niche - who knows, maybe there ARE brides that are looking to pay under $500.00 - I've met a few who wanted to pay cheap but had unrealistic expectations.

What I DO have a problem with is - his website has horrible presentation. The gallery is an eyesore, and it doesn't show off the pictures, AT ALL. I found myself fumbling through that...that thing, and it didn't lend itself at ALL to the photos.

$35.00 an hour to shoot a wedding? I don't know about you, but that cheapens the perspective of the general public about "professional photographers." Most people are going to expect YOU to match that $35.00/hour just to earn their business. That hurts the market for other photographers, and makes the general public think that we're scammers that charge far too much for "just clicking a shutter button."

And for me, I know about the value of a good photographer. I'm getting married pretty soon myself, and I know I'm going to have to spend about 2.5-3k for a photographer that meets my expectations.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

[photoguy6405]

Is it my imagination, or did this thread disappear for a couple hours?

[cdifoto]

OK, I don't have a problem with someone trying to make a living with his photography. I don't have an issue with him trying to market himself out to a specific budget conscious niche - who knows, maybe there ARE brides that are looking to pay under $500.00 - I've met a few who wanted to pay cheap but had unrealistic expectations.

What I DO have a problem with is - his website has horrible presentation. The gallery is an eyesore, and it doesn't show off the pictures, AT ALL. I found myself fumbling through that...that thing, and it didn't lend itself at ALL to the photos.

$35.00 an hour to shoot a wedding? I don't know about you, but that cheapens the perspective of the general public about "professional photographers." Most people are going to expect YOU to match that $35.00/hour just to earn their business. That hurts the market for other photographers, and makes the general public think that we're scammers that charge far too much for "just clicking a shutter button."

And for me, I know about the value of a good photographer. I'm getting married pretty soon myself, and I know I'm going to have to spend about 2.5-3k for a photographer that meets my expectations.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Do what I do. When the bride calls you up and asks about your pricing, tell her straight up, "I'm not cheap, but I'm good. I guarantee you can find someone who will give you 12 hours of coverage for $300 but you'll see why when you get the pictures back."

I do have an inexpensive package that caters to my area...some brides simply do not have money or don't want a photographer following them around all day. That's fine. So I give them 2 hours of what I call "Power Photography" - it's the ceremony, and a photo walk where they guarantee me time alone with them and no guests or family members. I give them a small proof book to keep and that's it. Anything else they want can be added at an extra cost.

[Belmondo]

I just deleted a couple posts.

Feel free to discuss the photographer, the quality of his work, his pricing, impact on the WP market, etc., etc.

Insulting comments about his clients are absolutely off-limits and will be removed.

Grow up, people.

[Trainboy]

^^ You are Decarte in a box tonight.
But, without opening the box, how can you tell whether he's alive or not?
I wish I had read this thread sooner...

[S.Horton]

I did open the box.

Philosophers never die, they just get talked about.

[turbo212003]

Some of you people REALLY need to grow up.

If you fear this guy taking your job as a photographer, then you have no self-confidence in your work and business.

It's right, you get what you pay for. Maybe his website isn't the greatest, or his pictures don't "pop" like they should but he is fulfilling a need for brides, despite how cheap he is.

People complain about how newbie's are flooding the market, if you're good and do business correctly, you have nothing to fear.

It's called free market people and if you dont like it, get out of the business.

[DocFrankenstein]

that profit margin is razor thin... that business won't go on for very long with those prices.. just their 500 buck package is about 350 in printing...
Photographer's time is billed separately. That's IS printing package.

I don't know why you bash the guy. The walmart photographer agrees to work for small money, why should he refuse?

He has limited skillset and he's happy working for the money he gets. He might be shooting with a rebel and making more money per hour than some chap with two 1Dses who spends time on post processing every shot.

[S.Horton]

Geeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz it is just business. Cold. Hard. You can easily position against the cheap supplier by educating the buyer. (I still don't see much of that; maybe I'm just wrong and it wouldn't work in wedding photography b/c momzillas are involved.....) The gang at the low end is always there, you just have to position them as low.........

So, what have we got here......

$35/hr, no net profit on any print or DVD, so after-tax this is about $20/hr as a side job.

Competitive angle: Everyone else holds you hostage; we don't (by giving away the prints and only charging for time)

Comparative position: We have a great eye (we're just as good as real pros)

Market: Seattle, online surfer of websites, probably not putting out direct mail or print advertising.... may be living at home (overhead must be about zero?)

Position: Low-cost supplier

What to ask if you call them, prospective customer:
1. Is your travel time billable? (My guess: yes, it is)
2. Who does your print processing? (My guess: they have an Epson all-in-one)
3. Who will shoot my event if you are sick?
4. Can I stop by your studio to see your other work?
5. Can I call your last four customers in chronological order? (pay attention)
6. Are you going to want cash? (cha!)
7. Can I see your last online customer deliverable?
8. After you take a picture, what happens?
9. Do you have general liability insurance?

See those questions? Put that kind of stuff on your website about "evaluating anyone as your wedding photographer" and, poof goes your low-cost competitor.

Got someone calling you to ask about pricing? Stand that same information on its head, start educating.

"I saw KrazyCart's ad, and they say $500, you charge $5,000, so why should I choose you?"

"Yes, I saw that too! When I see ads like that, I think they must be printing directly from their cameras so that no real work is involved. Would you like a free copy of our 'hiring a professional wedding photographer' guide in the mail?"

Send it. Along with samples of your work. Best targeted ad you'll get is that call comparing you to KrazyPhotogOfTheDay.

So what?

If you actually read this, and you're p*ssed about KrazyDude, rethink that, because KrazyDude actually makes you look good, if you know how to stand on his shoulders.

Does he disrupt your pricing and mess you up sometimes? Yes. But, you can't stop him, so have some fun.

;)

[zcarman93]

Geeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz it is just business. Cold. Hard. You can easily position against the cheap supplier by educating the buyer. (I still don't see much of that; maybe I'm just wrong and it wouldn't work in wedding photography b/c momzillas are involved.....) The gang at the low end is always there, you just have to position them as low.........

So, what have we got here......

$35/hr, no net profit on any print or DVD, so after-tax this is about $20/hr as a side job.

Competitive angle: Everyone else holds you hostage; we don't (by giving away the prints and only charging for time)

Comparative position: We have a great eye (we're just as good as real pros)

Market: Seattle, online surfer of websites, probably not putting out direct mail or print advertising.... may be living at home (overhead must be about zero?)

Position: Low-cost supplier

What to ask if you call them, prospective customer:
1. Is your travel time billable? (My guess: yes, it is)
2. Who does your print processing? (My guess: they have an Epson all-in-one)
3. Who will shoot my event if you are sick?
4. Can I stop by your studio to see your other work?
5. Can I call your last four customers in chronological order? (pay attention)
6. Are you going to want cash? (cha!)
7. Can I see your last online customer deliverable?
8. After you take a picture, what happens?
9. Do you have general liability insurance?

See those questions? Put that kind of stuff on your website about "evaluating anyone as your wedding photographer" and, poof goes your low-cost competitor.

Got someone calling you to ask about pricing? Stand that same information on its head, start educating.

"I saw KrazyCart's ad, and they say $500, you charge $5,000, so why should I choose you?"

"Yes, I saw that too! When I see ads like that, I think they must be printing directly from their cameras so that no real work is involved. Would you like a free copy of our 'hiring a professional wedding photographer' guide in the mail?"

Send it. Along with samples of your work. Best targeted ad you'll get is that call comparing you to KrazyPhotogOfTheDay.

So what?

If you actually read this, and you're p*ssed about KrazyDude, rethink that, because KrazyDude actually makes you look good, if you know how to stand on his shoulders.

Does he disrupt your pricing and mess you up sometimes? Yes. But, you can't stop him, so have some fun.

;)


I want to thank the person that forwarded me the link to this forum so we could take a look at all the talk surrounding our business. This last post was the most interesting to us though. I had to take a minute to respond to the 'questions' posed above...

What to ask if you call them, prospective customer:
1. Is your travel time billable? (My guess: yes, it is)

Our company policy is any travel outside of 25 miles is billable. Most occasions we do not charge anything over costs to travel outside the area. Anyone that can handle the increasing expenses of travel without a surcharge will be out of business soon.

2. Who does your print processing? (My guess: they have an Epson all-in-one)

We do NOT process our own prints. We do not feature a large upcharge on prints. We try to offer our clients the best deals possible with the highest quality images using their choice of processing.

3. Who will shoot my event if you are sick?

We have worked out agreements with 3 local photographers that will shoot as a second in the event that the primary or secondary photographers are ill. We also can have 2 substitute photographers without altering the clients rate.

4. Can I stop by your studio to see your other work?

Yes, full samples are available to view at a pre-wedding consultation. We also have full galleries available to view on DVD, Computer or online. We do not publish these galleries due to the fact that our client's privacy is very important to us.

5. Can I call your last four customers in chronological order? (pay attention)

You are welcome to contact the last four or as many of our clients as you would like.

6. Are you going to want cash? (cha!)

No, we prefer check or money orders. We also accept Visa, MasterCard or Paypal online funding.

7. Can I see your last online customer deliverable?

We do NOT offer online delivery of images. This is one of the frustrations that we experienced when we hired a 'staggeringly high priced' wedding photographer for our own wedding.

8. After you take a picture, what happens?

I'm not sure exactly what information you are looking for here. If you mean we are shooting your event and what is the image processing flow, please be aware that we have 2 distinct styles of service. 1) Normal JPG shooting - more shots lower quality or 2) Fully Edited RAW shooting - less shots plus editing.

We have yet to have one client that after seeing the printed shots wanted the RAW package. Everyone has agreed that our JPG images were as good as the 'higher priced' photographers that they interviewed.


9. Do you have general liability insurance?

Yes we do, and we are also a licensed business in the State of Washington. Many of the professionals in our area are freelance 'non-tax-paying' photographers that are not insured or registered to do business in our state.


In closing, as the owner I want to thank the eyes that scanned our pricing page and found the few typos and such. I also want to thank you for the feed back on the galleries. We have been adjusting these over the past few months looking for a great format. Obviously the format we are using is not something that is as user-friendly as we were hoping for and we will adjust them again in the future.

I guess overall, I am just flattered that our little company has created such an uproar on a site with such great photographers. We appreciate the critique and will continue to try to grow our business into the best low-cost alternative wedding photography available.

Thank You!

[zcarman93]

PS: We are currently using the Sony Alpha series DSLR cameras... Not Canon Rebels... :)

[JWright]

I don't know, just felt like commenting because their is a lot of elitism that occurs in this forum I've noticed.

Gee, you think?

[Belmondo]

I want to thank the person that forwarded me the link to this forum so we could take a look at all the talk surrounding our business. This last post was the most interesting to us though. I had to take a minute to respond to the 'questions' posed above...

What to ask if you call them, prospective customer:
1. Is your travel time billable? (My guess: yes, it is)

Our company policy is any travel outside of 25 miles is billable. Most occasions we do not charge anything over costs to travel outside the area. Anyone that can handle the increasing expenses of travel without a surcharge will be out of business soon.

2. Who does your print processing? (My guess: they have an Epson all-in-one)

We do NOT process our own prints. We do not feature a large upcharge on prints. We try to offer our clients the best deals possible with the highest quality images using their choice of processing.

3. Who will shoot my event if you are sick?

We have worked out agreements with 3 local photographers that will shoot as a second in the event that the primary or secondary photographers are ill. We also can have 2 substitute photographers without altering the clients rate.

4. Can I stop by your studio to see your other work?

Yes, full samples are available to view at a pre-wedding consultation. We also have full galleries available to view on DVD, Computer or online. We do not publish these galleries due to the fact that our client's privacy is very important to us.

5. Can I call your last four customers in chronological order? (pay attention)

You are welcome to contact the last four or as many of our clients as you would like.

6. Are you going to want cash? (cha!)

No, we prefer check or money orders. We also accept Visa, MasterCard or Paypal online funding.

7. Can I see your last online customer deliverable?

We do NOT offer online delivery of images. This is one of the frustrations that we experienced when we hired a 'staggeringly high priced' wedding photographer for our own wedding.

8. After you take a picture, what happens?

I'm not sure exactly what information you are looking for here. If you mean we are shooting your event and what is the image processing flow, please be aware that we have 2 distinct styles of service. 1) Normal JPG shooting - more shots lower quality or 2) Fully Edited RAW shooting - less shots plus editing.

We have yet to have one client that after seeing the printed shots wanted the RAW package. Everyone has agreed that our JPG images were as good as the 'higher priced' photographers that they interviewed.


9. Do you have general liability insurance?

Yes we do, and we are also a licensed business in the State of Washington. Many of the professionals in our area are freelance 'non-tax-paying' photographers that are not insured or registered to do business in our state.


In closing, as the owner I want to thank the eyes that scanned our pricing page and found the few typos and such. I also want to thank you for the feed back on the galleries. We have been adjusting these over the past few months looking for a great format. Obviously the format we are using is not something that is as user-friendly as we were hoping for and we will adjust them again in the future.

I guess overall, I am just flattered that our little company has created such an uproar on a site with such great photographers. We appreciate the critique and will continue to try to grow our business into the best low-cost alternative wedding photography available.

Thank You!

Fair enough. Thanks for the reply. You obviously have a business model that works for you, and you are well within your rights to do things as you see fit. It certainly sounds like you've thought things through a little better than many of our members might have thought.

Again, thank you for the reply. Best of luck to you.

(Sony Alphas? Really? Who knew?;))

[crackaonrice]

This is such an awesome and extremely professional reply. Anybody with less patience and sense would have said quite a few nasty things.

-Jimmy

I want to thank the person that forwarded me the link to this forum so we could take a look at all the talk surrounding our business. This last post was the most interesting to us though. I had to take a minute to respond to the 'questions' posed above...

What to ask if you call them, prospective customer:
1. Is your travel time billable? (My guess: yes, it is)

Our company policy is any travel outside of 25 miles is billable. Most occasions we do not charge anything over costs to travel outside the area. Anyone that can handle the increasing expenses of travel without a surcharge will be out of business soon.
...
...
I guess overall, I am just flattered that our little company has created such an uproar on a site with such great photographers. We appreciate the critique and will continue to try to grow our business into the best low-cost alternative wedding photography available.

Thank You!

[DocFrankenstein]

PS: We are currently using the Sony Alpha series DSLR cameras... Not Canon Rebels... :)
How do you like em?

[Jonathan]

This is such an awesome and extremely professional reply. Anybody with less patience and sense would have said quite a few nasty things.

-Jimmy

+1

If only some other here on this board could show the same level of dignity and professionalism. I wish this guy all the best.

[S.Horton]

Well done.

Get more meat on the process on the site to deal with a guerrilla marketing consult such as mine.

You're only error is attempting to put down your own chosen profession. It is hard to be the black sheep on cost. Re-write with a service spin.

As in "old fashioned customer service" -- it is the strength of the small/new entrant.

BTW, nice backup arrangements, you're better than your site.

Finally, raise prices, because you're charging 1/2 of the rate for my muffler repair, so between that and the anti-establishment approach, as a potential client (or a competitor, or their consultant) I'd judge you "cheap" and move on.

I noticed the "elitist" comment -- This is a forum where we type words, you apply the label. I rendered two opinions, same as if I were paid for them in confidence years back; that's probably a mistake, but it is of real value and, in a way, a bit of fun.

[tiziano]

AHAHA!

Great answer Zcarman93!

And welcome to this forum. You will find that almost everybody here is much nicer then how we looked in this thread.

Tiziano

[photoguy6405]

I want to thank the person that forwarded me the link to this forum so we could take a look at all the talk surrounding our business. This last post was the most interesting to us though. I had to take a minute to respond to the 'questions' posed above...

<snipped for brevity>

I guess overall, I am just flattered that our little company has created such an uproar on a site with such great photographers. We appreciate the critique and will continue to try to grow our business into the best low-cost alternative wedding photography available.

Thank You!

I would like to chime in and say that I also appreciate your professionalism in how you handled your response. You are a gentleman, and that's an increasingly rare thing in today's world.

[shack]

While it may seem to some that it is "undercutting" the profession...I think it can be a good business model.

If he is making a rate of return that is satisfactory to him...so be it. It is the basis of capitalism.

If you can do better and get paid for that "added value"...more power to you.

[Alexajlex]

Great stuff zcarman93.

The key to business success is to differentiate yourself from the competition.
You've done that very well.

[noxcuses1]

zcarman93,

Your response has been one of the most professional posts I've ever seen on this forum.
Good for you for being so professional and not lowering yourself to the level of others.

[Stocky]

I have only been watching this forum for a week or two, but this is the second thread I have seen where people were bashing someone, and they showed up to post a professional reply. You would think we would all learn sooner or later.
If someone asks for criticism and promises to have a thick skin I am always happy to help out, but we might want to limit bashing people in one sided discussions when they have not volunteered to be part.
I can't remember who tipped zcarman off to this. I know one of my weaknesses is telling people things they don't want to hear, and while I still feel new to this community and won't be the one to take the step of tipping off the person we are talking about just yet I do try to let people know if there is something they are messing up.
If I see issues like that on someone's web page, including the ones listed here, I will send you an honest email and let you know.