If you ask me to photograph your wedding, I'm going to say "Love to!"... usually. I could already be booked, of course (I have weddings scheduled through into November 2010), and sometimes I have other priorities that are not "work" related. For instance, I decided that my family wasn't going to appreciate it if I accepted the request to photograph a wedding on Christmas Day (true - the wedding was scheduled for 25th December 2009, and in a Catholic Church!).
I do not like to say no - a flaw in my personality, I suppose (one of many!) but I don't like letting people down, especially someone who has singled out my art for such a special day from the hundreds of other wedding photographers vying for their business.
I get anxious about who the couple might go to, especially if it just just a few month before the event. Short-notice weddings are the hunting grounds for amateur and cut-price photographers, and the photographs they deliver show it.
Is every cheap photography package a disaster? Of course not. Some are very good; every professional was an inexperienced beginner once. But I thought, if instead of just saying "sorry, can't do it", if I could refer the client on to someone I knew would deliver the goods, I would feel a lot better about it; even better still, what if I could personally introduce them to a great photographer?
So, last week I started a network for trusted wedding professionals. It is by invitation only, no one gets any kick-back for sharing in the community, and all the members are locals.
So far there are just 4 photographers, a planner and a celebrant in the community, but already two couples have been supported by our members: we were able to find them a great professional and saved them all the stress of starting their search all over again. That not only made them very happy, but it made me feel pretty good, too!
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