Wedding Escapade Series- PAPARAZZI

Who would've thought that photographers nowadays cost an arm and a leg? Well, the last of my wedding escapade was all about getting a photographer. My brother offered his services and said that he'd do it for free. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that this was such a great idea in terms of how much we would be able to save. Alan then told me that if something goes wrong though, I wouldn't want my brother and myself to feel crappy. Also, I wouldn't want my brother to feel pressured during the event.

To prove how naive I am with the latest trends in photography, I thought that it was still the traditional layout wherein you could choose the pictures you like and the photgraphers would just do the layouting for you. Well, I was wrong. It's totally different now. All the photographers we've been to are actually into the "magazine" layout style. What does this mean? Think about the magazines we usually read, it's flat right? That's how albums look like nowadays. Pictures aren't just matted in anymore, they're more artistically presented with the "magazine" format.

I was actually impressed with the pictures and surprised with the prices. I've thought of a way on how I could tell you how much photographers charge in the Kingwood area without actually telling you what the rates really are.(checkout the legend)

***-Tres tres EXPENSIVE
**- Expensive but reasonable compared to a three star
*- Reasonable, still expensive, but who cares...we're running out of time.

Photographer # 1

I have thought that this photographer was on the list of vendors Kingwood Country Club gave us. I was browsing through it and his name isn't listed as a contact. Since we always see this photgrapher's shop along the 1960, we just decided to stop by, take a look at their work, and check what packages they have for weddings. Chris Walter Photography was the name of their shop. Husband and wife operate the business and Mr. Walter looks exactly like Santa. Hohohoho! A funny thing here is that their shop was actually advertising that Santa will be available for pictures this coming December. I wonder who that would be.

Anyway, Chris showed us a variety of albums, styles, and add-ons. The couple were very professional and as I've said earlier, we were very much impressed with the albums they showed us. When we discussed prices and packages, I just took a big gulp because I couldn't believe it. It wasn't the rate I was expecting. I remember mentioning to Alan that we should scout for three more photographers before we made a decision. Alan knew that the was the going rate of photographers in the Kingwood area.

Rate: * *

Photographer # 2

Alan and I decided again to check out the packet Kingwood County Club gave us for contact numbers of their preferred photographers. First on the list was Charles Falk. I gave his office a call and made an appointment in the afternoon. His place was still in the Humble Area but boy was it hard to find. This guy mentioned he didn't need to advertise because he had an abundance of clients. Lucky him then.

Again, it's a husband and wife tandem. Wife is incharge of finding out the details of the wedding and the husband is the master photographer. My impression of Charles is that anyone who'd ever work with him will have a blast because he loves to talk. He kept conversing with Alan the entire time that at one point, I was a little distracted and semi-annoyed. Hello...I'm here for the pictures!

Looking at his work, it's quite obvious that he's been in the business for so long. This was another very professional encounter that made me an immediate fan of all the photographers who take pride in their work.

The downside of this meeting was when the wife gave us their quote, it was way above our budget. For someone who didn't have a budget at that time, I just had to put my foot down and claim that it's not within our budget. This was an obvious one, it wasn't them.

Rate: * * *

Photgrapher # 3

It was actually Mama Florist who recommended this photographer. His name is Steve Tarver. Alan and I actually met up with him in his house after Thanksgiving. We were greeted warmly by his entire family. He told us that taking photographs is a family business and his wife and daughter were part of it. Each one of them had a role to play.

Mama Tarver was incharge of the interviewing, gathering details, and showing off their work. Daughter Tarver was incharge of the business side of things and Papa Tarver was the head honcho.

Most of the information we needed was discussed to us by Daughter Tarver. Their packages were reasonable enough and there were so many freebies included. Since I was aware of the rates, any package they showed me didn't come as a shock anymore.

One thing nice about this family is that they made you feel at home right away. We were even able to insert some humor now and again. The family was also able to recommend some vendors for a band and a minister.

Towards the end of the meeting, Nicole (Daughter Tarver) surprised me with a goody bag. In that bag were coasters, a bottle of water, and some brochures about their business. This was way too good. I had a feeling that they would end up being our official photographers. (Hah! I knew I could be bought)

Thank you, Nicole ;)

Rate: *

I was right! By Sunday, November 25, 2007, we were able to finalize our decision and we decided to hire Steve Tarver as our official photographer. Alan and I can't wait to work with them for our engagement shoot and the wedding.