2013 Year-End DIscussion: Where Is The Wedding Photo Industry Headed?
Matthew Saville
Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
As yet another year in business draws to a close, I'd love to open a discussion for everyone here. Part-time, full-time, anybody is welcome to participate! In fact the more varied opinions from the more varied types of photogs, the better for us all...
So, here's how I feel: While many pros (or wannabe pros) out there are complaining that the industry is going down the tubes and that clients have horribly poor standards and will hire any regular Joe to shoot mediocre or even abysmal wedding photos, (and be relatively satisfied with them!) ...I feel that the industry is in fact alive, well, and NOT doomed. In fact it is even growing, and will continue to grow!
To me, 2012 and 2013 have proven that professional wedding photography is here to stay, despite the amazing image quality that has been coming from the advanced new cameras we have seen lately. Pros have been nay-saying and talking about the demise of our industry since what, 2008? And yet many working pros have had better and better seasons each and every year, or almost every year, even in a down economy!
Some other professional photo industries may not fare so well, however weddings is one of those few high-pressure situations that demands more experience than most hobbyists and beginners possess. Many of the new photographers who "give it a shot" will find that they really don't want the stress, and many of the brides who have hired a "nobody" and have seen the results are consistently spreading the word that hiring an experienced pro is the way to go.
Yes, there will always be "the bottom of the barrel" just like any other industry; don't confuse this as a phenomenon only associated with weddings! In other words, not every human being on the planet has an eye for art, or the budget. This is one thing that pros need to wrap their minds around: Just because some people don't appreciate good art, or don't have $3,000+ to spend, doesn't mean the entire industry is doomed. Art has always been subjective and it always will be!
On the other hand, unfortunately there will also be the couples who hire at "the bottom of the barrel" even though they could have afforded more. They might be satisfied at first, yet a few years after their wedding they'll start to notice the difference and realize that they could have done better. Again, nothing about this is unique to our industry! Of course hopefully these couples will continue to spread the word about the importance of hiring an experienced, talented photographer.
So, that's the good news. The industry is growing, and will continue to grow no matter what newfangled camera technology comes out. Even if in 5 years pro quality results are possible from $700 cameras that weigh 12 ounces, people will still hire pros. People will still pay good money for good art. People will always pay good money for personal service, too!
Is there any bad news? Sorta. The industry has expanded very rapidly over the past ~5 years, and this will cause a lot of change. However in my opinion this is just change, not bad news, but it depends on your own personal aspirations of course. Either way, keep in mind that what I'm about to say is not founded on actual statistical research or anything, just my ~10 years of observation.
Here's a simplification of what I think has happened over the past few years. I'll use "yesterday" to generally refer to previous years, and "today" to generally refer to, roughly, 2013 and 2014.
If there were 10 pro photographers yesterday, there might be 50 today. However the number of clients out there may have only gone from 100 yesterday to 150 today. So every photographer who had 10 clients yesterday to do business with is only going to have three clients to do business with today. OUCH! Obviously these numbers are totally off the top of my head and simplified to be nice round numbers, but the concept is clear: The increase in working pros is greater than the increase in paying clients. It's that simple.
What does this mean? More pro wedding photographers are going to find themselves working part-time. In my opinion this mainly refers to new pros who are just starting out and working part-time now, but hoping to go full-time in the near future. Most full-time pros who are already well-established can probably continue to find enough work to support themselves full-time, unless they really slack off on marketing or customer service of course.
So if you're currently working full-time as a wedding photographer, do you need to watch out? Sure, but probably not as much as some of the pessimistic people out there would have you think. Just stay on top of marketing / social media trends, give your clients good customer service and stunning images, and you'll be fine.
However if you're just starting out, it is important to be realistic about your goals and expectations. Maybe 20 years ago if you wanted to be a wedding photographer you could just print some business cards and book fifty weddings in your very first year. Unfortunately the pace of success has dramatically slowed down for most. Unless you are the next big overnight rockstar, (which I'm not sure you'd want to be?) ...you'll want to come up with a much more stable, long-term plan for success. If your goal is to work full-time, you're going to have to really work hard in every aspect of business, from delivering stunning images (duh!) ...to marketing in new and innovative ways.
It may sound like a negative outlook for me to say that many / most new pros will not be able to achieve more than a part-time career in photography. Personally though, having worked both part-time and full-time as a wedding photographer, I really don't feel like being a part-time pro is all that bad.
I know that many 9-to-5-ers complain about how their day job is soul-sucking, un-rewarding, and that they wish they could quit and just work for themselves. In my opinion this has more to do with one's whole outlook on life, and less to do with actual daily tasks, bosses or workplace drama, etc. Why? Because working for yourself can seem equally un-rewarding and stressful if you don't have the right outlook on life. In some cases, being self-employed can be even more stressful, dramatic, or whatever.
So, looking forward to 2014, what might I "resolve" for our industry as a whole? To simply focus as much as possible on personal well-being and stability. To do whatever we have to do in order to pay our bills, whether it's part-time this or full-time that.
I used to dislike the saying, "Work hard, play hard!" ...just like I couldn't stand the saying "Work smarter, not harder". Yet the bottom line is we all gotta pay our bills one way or another, and we can choose to either let ourselves be consumed by that aspect of our lives, or we can just do our jobs well, get paid well, and focus on everything else that really matters most in our lives.
Happy New Year to all!
=Matt=
So, here's how I feel: While many pros (or wannabe pros) out there are complaining that the industry is going down the tubes and that clients have horribly poor standards and will hire any regular Joe to shoot mediocre or even abysmal wedding photos, (and be relatively satisfied with them!) ...I feel that the industry is in fact alive, well, and NOT doomed. In fact it is even growing, and will continue to grow!
To me, 2012 and 2013 have proven that professional wedding photography is here to stay, despite the amazing image quality that has been coming from the advanced new cameras we have seen lately. Pros have been nay-saying and talking about the demise of our industry since what, 2008? And yet many working pros have had better and better seasons each and every year, or almost every year, even in a down economy!
Some other professional photo industries may not fare so well, however weddings is one of those few high-pressure situations that demands more experience than most hobbyists and beginners possess. Many of the new photographers who "give it a shot" will find that they really don't want the stress, and many of the brides who have hired a "nobody" and have seen the results are consistently spreading the word that hiring an experienced pro is the way to go.
Yes, there will always be "the bottom of the barrel" just like any other industry; don't confuse this as a phenomenon only associated with weddings! In other words, not every human being on the planet has an eye for art, or the budget. This is one thing that pros need to wrap their minds around: Just because some people don't appreciate good art, or don't have $3,000+ to spend, doesn't mean the entire industry is doomed. Art has always been subjective and it always will be!
On the other hand, unfortunately there will also be the couples who hire at "the bottom of the barrel" even though they could have afforded more. They might be satisfied at first, yet a few years after their wedding they'll start to notice the difference and realize that they could have done better. Again, nothing about this is unique to our industry! Of course hopefully these couples will continue to spread the word about the importance of hiring an experienced, talented photographer.
So, that's the good news. The industry is growing, and will continue to grow no matter what newfangled camera technology comes out. Even if in 5 years pro quality results are possible from $700 cameras that weigh 12 ounces, people will still hire pros. People will still pay good money for good art. People will always pay good money for personal service, too!
Is there any bad news? Sorta. The industry has expanded very rapidly over the past ~5 years, and this will cause a lot of change. However in my opinion this is just change, not bad news, but it depends on your own personal aspirations of course. Either way, keep in mind that what I'm about to say is not founded on actual statistical research or anything, just my ~10 years of observation.
Here's a simplification of what I think has happened over the past few years. I'll use "yesterday" to generally refer to previous years, and "today" to generally refer to, roughly, 2013 and 2014.
If there were 10 pro photographers yesterday, there might be 50 today. However the number of clients out there may have only gone from 100 yesterday to 150 today. So every photographer who had 10 clients yesterday to do business with is only going to have three clients to do business with today. OUCH! Obviously these numbers are totally off the top of my head and simplified to be nice round numbers, but the concept is clear: The increase in working pros is greater than the increase in paying clients. It's that simple.
What does this mean? More pro wedding photographers are going to find themselves working part-time. In my opinion this mainly refers to new pros who are just starting out and working part-time now, but hoping to go full-time in the near future. Most full-time pros who are already well-established can probably continue to find enough work to support themselves full-time, unless they really slack off on marketing or customer service of course.
So if you're currently working full-time as a wedding photographer, do you need to watch out? Sure, but probably not as much as some of the pessimistic people out there would have you think. Just stay on top of marketing / social media trends, give your clients good customer service and stunning images, and you'll be fine.
However if you're just starting out, it is important to be realistic about your goals and expectations. Maybe 20 years ago if you wanted to be a wedding photographer you could just print some business cards and book fifty weddings in your very first year. Unfortunately the pace of success has dramatically slowed down for most. Unless you are the next big overnight rockstar, (which I'm not sure you'd want to be?) ...you'll want to come up with a much more stable, long-term plan for success. If your goal is to work full-time, you're going to have to really work hard in every aspect of business, from delivering stunning images (duh!) ...to marketing in new and innovative ways.
It may sound like a negative outlook for me to say that many / most new pros will not be able to achieve more than a part-time career in photography. Personally though, having worked both part-time and full-time as a wedding photographer, I really don't feel like being a part-time pro is all that bad.
I know that many 9-to-5-ers complain about how their day job is soul-sucking, un-rewarding, and that they wish they could quit and just work for themselves. In my opinion this has more to do with one's whole outlook on life, and less to do with actual daily tasks, bosses or workplace drama, etc. Why? Because working for yourself can seem equally un-rewarding and stressful if you don't have the right outlook on life. In some cases, being self-employed can be even more stressful, dramatic, or whatever.
So, looking forward to 2014, what might I "resolve" for our industry as a whole? To simply focus as much as possible on personal well-being and stability. To do whatever we have to do in order to pay our bills, whether it's part-time this or full-time that.
I used to dislike the saying, "Work hard, play hard!" ...just like I couldn't stand the saying "Work smarter, not harder". Yet the bottom line is we all gotta pay our bills one way or another, and we can choose to either let ourselves be consumed by that aspect of our lives, or we can just do our jobs well, get paid well, and focus on everything else that really matters most in our lives.
Happy New Year to all!
=Matt=
“My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
0
Comments
I will say recently I had to look at hundreds of wedding photographers websites, not for my photography purposes but another project. It actually bummed me out everything looked the same to me, my work included. Maybe two photographers stuck out to me who have been shooting hard for 12+ years. So I guess the encouraging thing is if you continue to stick with it for many years and really push yourself you will set yourself apart from. I think the majority of photographers work we see out there that are in the $3000 + range have been shooting 4-8 years. I think there was a huge surge in wedding photographers who jumped in within the last 4 years some of these people are pretty talented but I think the industry will go through another transformation in a couple of years when all this surplus of talent starts hitting their 10-11 year mark, it will be exciting to see.
Being fairly new to the industry, I've noticed a few things about those who do succeed (at least some of the new breed wedding photographers). The ones who have a solid business mind-set, along with the artistic vision, are the ones who have made it full time. I feel like in this day and age, you need to get your work out there with social media. Blogging has helped my business tremendously, and it's something I've grown to love doing (a nice win-win).
A positive outlook will keep you in the business too. Hit a slow period? No clients to shoot? Don't beat yourself up. Use it to your advantage. Test yourself as a photographer, and come up with a stylized shoot that will turn heads. Reflect on your business model. Find ways to improve. Use it as a time period to "grow". You'll be surprised how transformative this could be for anyone in the industry. You'll get noticed, you'll gain confidence, and your imagery will sell.
I'm hoping I can add more insight in the next couple of years. Cheers to a great year, and many more in the industry
Sam
I think one BIG change in the digital wedding age is the extensive coverage that being freed from film (material costs) affords - as I recall it used to be 72 -100 shots, which usually wound up being mostly formals, no? (please do correct me if I'm wrong). Now, it's often all day from first eyeshadow to last dance. That just wasn't a thing until digital; that has, I think, driven the market as much as the greater ease for non-full-time-pros to jump in and have a go. Additionally, with somebody who's going to be around all day, brides are choosing their photographers for their personalities as much as their photos - they want somebody who will be an advocate, their new-best-friend-for-the-day, their adjunct wedding planner, and somebody who's going to be a fun guest as well as the person capturing images. You don't just turn up, take pictures and leave - you're a major part of the day (at least in my two experiences that was the case).
One other thing - which I think applies to ALL branches of photography - is that, as MG says, you can't just wait for opportunities to present themselves. I am constantly amazed at the number of photographers who flat out refuse to branch out and/or even do the occasional freebie or pro-bono gig. I don't mean get taken advantage of, or scrape the bottom of the barrel and undercut colleagues, but it is AMAZING what can come back to you if you occasionally reach out and offer something. Even for free. Certain shoots that I have done for friends and colleagues - voluntarily (I won't be badgered into it by freeloaders!) -have had an IMMENSE payoff both artistically and financially. Case in point: headshot client from my earliest pro shoots for modest $. She loved the work, told all her friends (many of whom booked), came back to me for promotional images for posters which I did at a "favour" price because I knew she didn't have much budget, more of her friends booked me based on those, and now she is putting in for a grant for a BIG project and has included me in her proposed budget as "official" photographer.... for much MORE than I would usually charge. No guarantee she'll get that grant, but very nice to have been taken seriously, to have somebody to whom I reached out reciprocating in this way. It CAN happen.
This also leads me to my other point: leveraging different markets to feed others. As I'm already in the arts, performance and publicity photos were kind of an obvious route, but I never in a million years expected my performer and photographic markets to feed each other as much as they have. Sure, headshots may be the starting point, but that is also what has led to family shoots, weddings, a couple of product shoots, gig shoots etc etc. I feel sure that other part-time photographers can do the same thing. Share your baby/family/model images on Facebook - next time your cubicle-neighbour needs pictures of Little Johnny, or Grandma's 80th birthday party or whatever, you may just be the first person they call. I have without any doubt found Facebook my most powerful marketing tool - people don't just HEAR about the photo work I'm doing, but SEE it, and it has really led to quite a lot of business for me.
Specialisation: brand-defining, or activity-limiting? Obviously, my "specialty" is headshots/performance stuff, but as long as I continue to learn and grow with other activities - including weddings, despite my continued hesitancy about them - and continue to enjoy them, why not explore it? I find it curious how many people are absolutely locked into doing one genre and one only. Of course everybody will have a specialty, but does that preclude giving other things a try, particularly if it expands into other markets..... which may in turn drive people back to your main market? And if it turns out to be a flop and/or something you simply don't want to pursue, you don't have to share/show the work - if you're smart about it, doing things like that won't "tar" you; it's pretty easy to keep control of it so that excursions into other genres/experiences don't water down a business brand (unless you want to showcase diversity).
Lastly, pricing. Absolutely, charge what you need to charge to cover your time, expertise and all the rest. I understand why the very best who are cultivating a luxury market charge what they do. But down a couple of tiers from that I do honestly believe there's an awful lot of "charge what the market will bear" pricing out there. I know with my headshot pricing, I have gone to considerable lengths to ensure that I have ONE package which a grad student or young "starving artist" performer can afford. I trimmed what the pacakge includes so that I'm not "giving it away" and my time is compensated for, but it was really important to me that people who often need my knowledge of THEIR market the most can afford decent shots and don't just use their best friend and an iphone on a sunny day and hope for the best (yes, it has happened. It never ends well lol). I also priced it a la carte; it's amazing how many times I've made MORE money from that "base" package when mom or grandma or whoever steps up and buys them the goodies above and beyond the shoot. Win-win.
I'm not sure quite how that would apply to wedding pricing structure, other than that I frequently see packages from pretty average photographers starting at $2500 and going on UP from there. If you can afford it? Wonderful. But not everybody can, and I would so much rather see a competent wedding photographer do a time-limited gig for a more affordable price, than charlatans who don't deliver a product (either in quality or, sometimes, at all!) getting the gig because the brides feel there's nothing else they can find which fits into their budget. I'm sure that dates availability plays into this (why take the $1000 quickie gig on the same day somebody wants you for the $3000 full package etc etc), but there must be a way). Not every single wedding is going to be a luxury event, and I do feel there's a market for reasonably-priced quality wedding photography as well as for the glamour gigs.
/rambling
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Many nails hit on the head here! I'm glad that ppl feel the same way I do about the industry health.
I'm also excited to see that people are understanding the dynamic of surviving as a service-based professional "creative" these days. I think that especially the "specialization" and the "boutique" business model is giving way to a more flexible, personal service oriented business model that focuses on giving back and/or "feeding" your main business by being open-minded about the work you do and when to make an exception to this or that rule.
I'm not saying that the boutique business model is going to fail, I'm just saying that I think being more flexible is the best choice for the near future. We need to focus on personal service, artistic style, and experience. These are the things that no army of "wannabes" can compete with. (Note I didn't use the term "newbies", because I feel that there is a difference. Plenty of new people will enter the industry, and that's great! They just need to make sure they're not "wannabes" who are just trying to milk an industry that appears to be low hanging fruit to them. They will be sorely disappointed,
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Maybe I'm ridiculously naive, but I just don't see this as a problem. A phone selfie is never going to be as good as an archival print, and if an instagram shot is going to substitute for a "real' print hanging on the wall, I suspect something of a budget client to begin with. That said, many chimed in saying they have "no cellphones allowed on site" and "no other photography allowed" in their portrait AND wedding contracts (hence why I thought of this thread). How the heck is it even possible to control that in this day and age??? I of COURSE realise there are sometimes genuine issues with copyright and needing to keep control etc etc. It just seems to me this doesn't need to be one of them
Frankly, I think the selfie obsession can be a brilliant opportunity to market! Somebody in the thread I mention above suggested giving them a studio hashtag to use so it points back to the photographer (I think that's inspired!). I suggested they could include themselves in a selfie with the client and thus have some control/tagging power, as well as getting some profile. I know I always post a FB teaser for clients as quickly as I can; some photographers send one directly to the client's phone for sharing. I will also reiterate that my entire business has grown via word of mouth and FB. Fiends - both mine and the subjects' - see the tagged sneak peeks and contact me when they needed a photographer.....
It just seems there are so many creative ways to turn everybody's desire for instant gratification i to our advantage, rather than feel threatened and as though we have to become confrontational about it....
What's that saying about the devil being in the detail ?
Re the topic ... wedding togs should just be glad that more / most / all? potential punters / clients aren't like me n' mrs pp.
No big fancy gig / rings or similar 'stuff' - probably about half a doz pics, no bs or whatever ... like me (but probably more so) she just has great difficulty in getting her head round what's going on in this game.
pp
Flickr
ROF
I eloped, so I have ZERO connection with the wedding market personally - got married in Manchester Town Hall with 4 friends as witnesses and met a bunch of friends for a Rusholme curry afterwards
Young energetic females have an advantage....brides can relate to them. You have to bend over backwards for the customer and make them feel important....follow up....communicate....be responsive. If you can't you may as well hang it up.
Branding and word of mouth are more important than the actual quality of the photography....truth is that among experienced wedding photographers with good equipment...once technical competence is reached there are Very Few photographers work that looks much different from everyone elses.
The work only has to be good enough....to compete in your market segment.
I see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I see some people who can't buy a wedding gig and others who are rolling in them.
If you are not booking weddings "and your work is sound"....raise your prices....there is less competition in the upper market.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21695902@N06/
http://500px.com/Shockey
alloutdoor.smugmug.com
http://aoboudoirboise.smugmug.com/
I couldn't agree more, this was very well said! Few people realize this though, and that's the crazy thing. I mean I feel sorry for the middle aged men who are grumbling about how the young kids and mom-togs are "ruining the industry", but the fact is that young women do have a huge advantage. I'm not being sexist or age-ist, (?) ...that's just the fact of the matter.
Then again, I'm not telling the grumpy old men to throw in the towel. I'm just telling them to get off their asses, find some energy and charisma, and understand that this career demands a certain personality type in order to survive. It's not the end of the world, it's just the best way to survive and make a living!
Very well said, as well. People often get all offended when you say things like "branding and marketing are more important than actual photos" ...but the fact is, that's very true once you reach a minimum level of competency. The difference between a $5,000 wedding photographer and a $10,000 wedding photographer, 99% of the time, is supply and demand alone.
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
As a software engineer by trade I have to agree with the above. Its why sales and marketing people typically get paid more than the engineering staff. Related, way back around 2005 my favorite camera salesperson at my local store quit the retail job to go full-time with his own studio. His main observation he made to me was "my photography degree taught me nothing about running a business, and it should have".
You can create the greatest gadget, widget, or photograph. That alone does not build and grow a business. You need to know how to get yourself known.
And that's a big reason why I still keep the day job myself.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
However, when it comes to the art of wedding photography, his blog sums up my feelings about much of the current market.
http://www.smogranch.com/2014/01/11/postcards-from-a-wedding/
"The wedding industry was the first industry where I listened to photographers tell me they learned the business by going online, in 2005, and copying who was hot. This isn’t good. That might get you a business but it doesn’t make you a photographer. There is one photographer in particular, someone I first heard about years ago, who has been cloned by an entire generation of wedding photographer, right down to his camera and lens. I see dozens and dozens of wedding snaps that all look EXACTLY like his…only not quite as good. But guess what, it’s good enough. The bar is low so people can get away with this. And also, a lot of wedding snappers base their work and credibility on their clients who are mostly people who DON’T look at imagery. They like most things. This doesn’t lend itself to developing a higher standard."
And it seems like a vicious cycle in that couples begin looking at Pinterest, and they want pictures like this one photographer who had 50,000 pins. So more photographers begin photographing weddings in these trendy styles, which causes more couples to want them and on and on.
The end-result is a homogeneous industry of photographers trying to turn a profit at the expense of their individuality.
I'm not saying ALL photographers do this. There are many that don't. I'm just speaking of my recent observations.
Man, I'm cynical.
cynical ... or realistic
I live in an area dominated by the steel industry, specifically iron ore mining. The economic trend is "protect and save" and leads people to skimp on everything.
There is a good number of Studios in a 150 mile radius of my home. While in my home town there is ONE studio with a store front. She does 25-30 weddings a year in a price range from 1500-2500 and is the busiest person around here. She also does family, seniors and sports stuff so she is very active especially with three boys and a husband. I am very good friends with them and we discuss this topic often.
The biggest recurring topic is cd/dvd inclusion in packages and pricing. EVERY studio around here that is "Busy" with weddings has a cd/dvd included in their pricing. I have talked to many of them and they all say print sales are negligible in their minds. Many places lost "Clients" by NOT having a cd/dvd included but did still offer it as an extra.
There has been a ton of here today gone tomorrow "photographers" fly through the area. They radically changed the outlook of people and photography pricing by being ridiculously cheap and basically giving it away. An example in a "Friend of a Friend" situation.
The Bride inquired with me about her wedding. I offered to do it at what i felt was a decent price begrudgingly including a disc of edited images in the price. She opted for another Photogs "deal" for about $400 less. She asked me to look at the images after she got her online proof gallery. I had to politely tell her "well you got what you paid for". She had missed all of the important shots, No kiss, No ring exchange, No Introduction shots and the vast majority were missed on dof and improperly focused with very poor lighting.
Anyway, My point i guess is there is no time more important to be phenomenal at what we do in any genre we do it in. People look for the cheapest not the best.
Should we be including cd/dvd options and reducing our value? I personally hate the cd/dvd clause.
EOS Rebel XS Digital/ EOS 7D/ EOS 6D
50mm f1.8/ Tamron 70-200 f2.8 is/ 24-105 f4L
Canon speedlights and Alien Bees
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
For the two weddings I have done, I have included a DVD of the final images posted to the online galleries. Why not? They already have access via the gallery, and the DVD just makes it easier for them to share and pull the ones they want. I have encouraged them to order prints via me because I can get them better products (and better customer service) than they can get themselves via Costco or wherever, but ultimately that's up to them (fwiw, I have received orders, so they do use the gallery to purchase). I've already been paid; prints are simply a nice extra for me.
I haven't done albums for the two weddings I've shot, but I have let them know I can. Also - because I personally LOVE the product - I am encouraging them to talk to me about folio boxes/matted prints. They can't really get those from consumer labs, so I expect them to come to me if they are interested. I gather brides usually don't even think about albums etc until some time after the event, so expect that if they do pursue additional products it will be sometime down the line anyway. Fine with me - I've already been paid for my time!
I just feel like policing images in this Facebook and internet age is WAY too difficult, and I don't have time or interest to go that route. I do right click protect (big whoop - anybody who has used a comuter for 2 minutes knows how to screen cap and get around that), I watermark (more a matter of principle than particularly effective) and if I found out somebody was misusing/abusing my images (eg one was "stolen" for commercial use by a 3rd party) I'd probably go after that. But I give the subjects full rights to share their (UNALTERED by them - they need to stay the way I edited them) final images. Given how much of my business has come from word of mouth - largely FB sharing - it's been a plus rather than a problem.
Just my overinflated 2c.