Wow. What a thread this turned out to be and what a read!
Here are my thoughts... and I don't even know where to begin!
The wedding industry has evolved in the past 3-4 years. What some of our contemporary wedding photographers are producing today were not as readily available then. During the same period, the rates have adjusted itself higher. What that has done in return is attract some of the best talents we have in this country and even beyond to the wedding photography industry here.
We get guys like w.s from Feldberyl who would otherwise have remained an engineer if the rates weren't good enough for him to switch careers. Both consumers and photographers, like myself, have benefited from him being in this industry. His works are inspirational and although he charges a premium, he has a steady flow of couples who are keen to engage him. If his works were no different from that of a cheaper photographer, the couple might have gone for the cheaper photographer. However, we live in an age where information is readily available and forum like this and SingaporeBrides are thriving. If there was some one whose works are no different from w.s and who is as affable and liked, I am sure most would logically opt for the cheaper option. Yet, they are not doing that, and thats because they recognise and subscribe to what he produces and are willing to pay him to help them capture their wedding.
There will always be a majority who cannot tell the difference between the works of a $2000 photographer and one who charges $8000. In this instance, it would be a lot wiser to just hire the $2000 photographer. However, to claim that those who paid $8000 to hire a wedding photographer, are simply hoodwinked into doing so by marketing savy, is really quite an insult.
Again, if there is no quality in the works of the photographers who are commanding higher rates, they would have difficulty attracting clients in the first place, let alone sustain it. We have a free market economy here and prices are set accordingly. As with all industries, there are low, mid and high end markets. Each has a different business model. The price we put on our services and albums are not any random figure plucked out of nowhere. We build it over time and over referals and accreditations. We work our costs and effort.
There has always been a high end wedding photography market in Singapore. Its just that it was never as publicised as it is now. About 6-10 years ago, guys like Yervant and David Oliver have been flown down to shoot weddings in Singapore. Other local photographers have also charged around $5000- $10000 for pre-wedding shoots. However, most local wedding day photographers were still treating wedding photography as an event and many were simply going through the motion for the days and capturing the usual standard images which needs to be captured. Expectedly, rates were not high then and perhaps rightly so because it was really nothing more than setting your film camera to P mode and sending the prints to the lab to develop it for you.
Another difference between what it was some years back and now is that actual day photography has become more significant for most couples. Alot more couples are budgeting aside bigger amount of money for their wedding day and foregoing the pre-wedding shoot. As such, wedding day photographers are now able to offer better services and quality of work and albums simply because the market is asking for these.
On another note, in the creative industry, one cannot just attach the amount of experience to the quality of work produced! Unlike doctors who would probably get better with experience, the same cannot be said of those in the creative industry, where talent rather than experience appear to be of more importance. As an example, Joe Bussuink, probably one of the most famous wedding photographers ever, made it in just a couple of years. Locally, Jingna, in just three years of shooting, is producing some of the most astounding works ever produced!
