What are you thoughts if someone said this to you...

i am looking for a photographer for my wedding (finally popped the question) and with dealing with one person who is well known and thought highly of, but also someone who does alot of post processing, i had asked about raw and jpg and was replied back with

For someone that does post processing, i always thought it that RAW was always best?

also i was informed that they choose the best pictures, not myself and my finance, knowing a little about photography, i would think i would know better what pictures i would want versus someone else, even if they do so many weddings, i know of many people who have seen "okay" pictures and thought they were incredible, heck i know people who think i should be a Pro because of some of the images i have taken.

Is this simply one of those cases that hey do not need raw because they make sure they do it right the first time?

The other reason i ask is a friend went to her best friends wedding and had this same photographer and gave a horrible review about them, that they do not talk to you about anything, they do not listen to what you may want, they said they wanted no sepia toned images and yet they did a bunch, the persons work is phenomenal, i wont deny that, but if someone is arrogant and inconsiderate, i wont deal with them

Thoughts?

Mathiau wrote in post #12009158
if someone is arrogant and inconsiderate, i wont deal with them

That says it all right there.

ya, it came from a 2nd hand source, but also in the email i am feeling a bit of over confidence, but it could be a language barrier, or perhaps the friends friend was a psycho bride

That would be a deal breaker for me.

that was my thought, i don't care if you got 100 years experience, you do not know every person, it seems more like the person is doing what they want to do, and assumes every person is the same and wants the same....?

In reference to choosing his own best pictures...it depends what he means. If I were to shoot a wedding you bet I would delete a lot of the pictures that had no merit or did not turn out well...

Now if he means that he's going to pick a handful of favorites and give you those...then that would irritate me...but I think he meant that they will delete images that did not turn out like they intended.

As far as shooting jpegs, well, a lot of wedding and portrait photogs shoot jpegs for their "work" photography -- controlled lighting where they know they won't have challenges in post-processing -- a lot of stuff can be done in Photoshop without causing undue damage to the image.

But if you can't work with the photog, well, it sounds like it's not a good fit. They seem to have a routine, whereas you are looking for more of a working relationship. So, find someone who will work with as well as for you!

A perfect shot jpeg is as good as a raw. Unfortunately none of the 150,000 wedding photos i've ever taken has been perfect, and raw images are much easier to process than jpeg.

Their English is a little suspect.

All my keepers are proofed by my clients and they pick what they want
I give my clients every opportunity to suggest images they want or would like to have. I do not let friends or relatives interfere with the days shooting processes. Only the Bride and Groom control other than pre-planned images.

Self appointed drunks, relatives and other family members need to understand their place during this time.

I always shoot RAW for the sake of the uncontrolled situations, that might otherwise cause the loss of a really great moment. I don't care how professional someone makes themselves out to be, they can't control everything, all the time.

I would consider asking this in the wedding talk forum . . .

tim wrote in post #12010354
A perfect shot jpeg is as good as a raw. Unfortunately none of the 150,000 wedding photos i've ever taken has been perfect, and raw images are much easier to process than jpeg.

Their English is a little suspect.

The OP is from Costa Rica. Besides what does it have to do with quality of work ?

Since there is no such thing as a jpg without compression, that would already make me suspect that they know somewhat less than they want you to believe.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #12009517
That would be a deal breaker for me.

2nd that. That blows me away there

I can understand why a photog would cull the shots, the bad, the looks-like-the-other-one, etc.

They don't want to show their less than good work and also not to overwhelm the couple with 500 pictures to have to select from. I get bored going through my shoot pictures after about 100 shots, be they good or bad.

Also, often, a half decent capture can be transformed into an excellent image in post. The client would never see that if they wanted all the images. No photog is going to edit hundreds of images to any great extent.

You hire a photog based on their past work. You are also paying for their judgment.

Amamba wrote in post #12011657
The OP is from Costa Rica. Besides what does it have to do with quality of work ?

Communication is as important as the quality of photos. If English isn't the first language then of course you take that into account. I don't even know what language they speak in Costa Rica, but whatever it is they speak English better than I speak their language!