The Craig's List Conundrum

Ashley and I follow a lot of photography blogs. We follow the blogs of MANY local photographers from Des Moines, Ames, Omaha, Iowa City, Dubuque, Kansas City, Minneapolis and many other Midwest cities. We also follow the blogs of photographers from all around the United States and across the world. As photographers we are always striving to learn and grow. A good photographer gets better by looking at other's photos, thoughts, and wisdom as well as a LOT of trial and error on our own time with our own kids. They make excellent photo props.

As we follow all these blogs we have noticed a repeating and persistent topic as of late. A lot of photographers are concerned with effect of so called "Craig's List Photographers." Also known as $500 photographers or fly by their seat photographers, etc. We've heard them called many things. As photographers we also have an opinion on these "types" of photographers....beware that this post may contain many quotation marks. Feel free to do the air quotes along as you read.

So what have we seen most photographers saying? I am not directly quoting anyone but what I keep hearing and seeing is a constant push to keep these photographers down and degrade them in many different ways. A funny catch phrase is "We fix $500 weddings." Kind of like the commercial with the haircut place that fixes $6 haircuts. The effect on the high end photographers should remain minimal. Why some of them are threatened by $500 wedding photographers when they costs start at $3500 is beyond me. What bride and groom actually have a photographer budget between $500 and $3500?

While photographers operate at many different levels each tends to cater to a certain budget of bride and groom. Price ranges do not tend to be in such wide ranges that they are effected by changes in this area. If someone is looking for a $500 wedding photographer on Craig's List, the $3500 wedding photographer was never in the equation.

So what does it mean for you? The bride and groom searching for their wedding photographer. Should they avoid "Craig's List" photographers? No. Should you do your homework and a little research before making a decision? Yes. (As you should anyway) Photographers on Craig's List are typically just starting out. That is why their price is in the low range. Don't shy away from them just because they are on Craig's List as many photographers are now using Craig's List as a viable advertising solution. It's free isn't it. And who doesn't look at Craig's List these days.

So what can you do to help verify that the $500 photographer is worth a chance?



#1. See their photos. See as many of their photos as you can. Even someone shooting weddings on their own for the first time should have shot weddings as a second shooter for a more seasoned photographer.

Things to look for with the photos:

• Do any subjects look out of focus?
  
• Do the people in the photos look bright compared to everything around them (they should not be very much brighter than their background)?
  
• Do they stand out from the background (the photos should have a little "3D" effect to them), backgrounds should be soft?
  
• Do they subjects have shadows behind them like someone has put them in a spotlight. This tends to happen when photographers use direct flash and shoot the flash right at the subject. Most photographers should be using some sort of diffuser or bouncing their flashes off of the ceiling to soften the light.

#2. Check references if available. Not have any references should tell you that they have a very limited work experience with weddings. Talk to at least 3 references and make sure you are not just getting close friends or family.



#3. Asks some questions about their cameras. Photographers demand a lot from their cameras. Knowing the tools and how to use them is vital. If a photographer puts the camera in Auto, the Canon green box, they are probably not getting the most from their camera and certainly not giving you the most with your photos.



#4. Have them tell you about a wedding they once shot. What challenges did they face? This shows growth. A $500 wedding photographer should be learning and growing. If they can identify challenges they have faced, they will learn from them and do better in the future. If they can not identify challenges, they probably are not working towards expanding their knowledge and growth.



#5. Ask them the rundown of ten questions from About.com's wedding planning section. You can find it here. There are many lists out there and all of them have good legitimate questions. Ask them in person and watch their reaction to each question to see how they respond. Do they look worried? Nervous?

So as a photographer I am not discouraging the use of $500 Craig's List photographers. I am simply saying do your homework. Everyone has to start somewhere. You have to get the first big opportunity and the advertising avenue that Craig's List provides is great.