Tipping the photographer

[zaphire]

We're getting married November 23 and will arrive a few days before.
Our photographer wants to meet us a day or two in advance to discuss the setting and settle the payment.
My "problem" is when to tip him. I'm thinking the tip will be like 15-20% of his fee. But when?
Would it be proper to tipt in advance, before even working with him? If we wait and tip at the actual wedding day will we make him dissapointed at our first meeting?

Not a big problem but it puzzles me a bit...

[Andrea J.]

i am no pro, but it would seem to make more sense to tip him "after" the event.

[christene]

Well is this person self employed? From what I understand, you're not expected to tip people who work for themselves. If this is a photographer working for a larger company though, "Martha" says $30-50:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com...edding-vendors

Whichever way, I would think you would tip or give a gift after the service has been provided. Some may go way above and beyond and that should be reflected in the tip or in a gift.

And keep in mind -- the happier you are with the work, the more prints you will buy. They will make money on prints so I don't think a tip up front is required to nudge them to do a great job. They're going to want to give you as many amazing photos as they can for both the print sales and the referral.

[zaphire]

Yes, the most natural thing would be to tip afterwards I think.

He works for himself so the tipping is on. And I will be very happy tipping him generously if he does a great job.

christene kind of put the finger on the issue. Since the photography is the second most important to me after actually getting married I want to be sure that the photographer does a really great job.
But since I'm sure his 1o0% proffessional and a very lovely man I feel rather comfortable tipping after the event.

Funny how all the small details suddenly seem to matter and cause trouble when planning a wedding

[christene]

I totally hear you! Our wedding was less than two weeks ago and I'm still amazed at how the simplest of issues became a big deal for us. Tipping is tough for video and photo since it could be a while before you see the finished product. If you are happy with their work I think they really appreciate you telling others. There can be huge value in a rave review, especially here on the forum.

I think the most important thing with the photographer is feeling comfortable with him. If you trust him and feel like he knows what you are wanting to see in your photos, you'll be able to relax and have fun. The more relaxed you are the better the photos will be! The better the photos are, the more prints and add-on products you'll buy (like maybe a coffee table book you aren't currently planning on).

You might even consider giving him more business with a short pre or post wedding shoot. We did a trash the dress the next day and had so much fun (though it will be a while before I have the pics). It was nice to get some photos taken when I wasn't obsessed with details of the wedding. I have a feeling they might end up being our favorite pics.

Best of luck! These last few days will fly!

[zaphire]

Congratulations on your wedding christene! You looked absolutely stunning!

I will definitely consider a trash the dress session, I just love those photos!

No I just want the time to fly... pretty much climbing the walls here... This is the absolut darkest, coldest and ugliest time of the year in Sweden... So happy we decided to get married on Aruba :-)

[Bryan Morris]

Originally Posted by christene

Well is this person self employed? From what I understand, you're not expected to tip people who work for themselves. If this is a photographer working for a larger company though, "Martha" says $30-50:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com...edding-vendors

Whichever way, I would think you would tip or give a gift after the service has been provided. Some may go way above and beyond and that should be reflected in the tip or in a gift.

And keep in mind -- the happier you are with the work, the more prints you will buy. They will make money on prints so I don't think a tip up front is required to nudge them to do a great job. They're going to want to give you as many amazing photos as they can for both the print sales and the referral.

Martha Stewart and Christene are entitled to an opinion but I have to disagree. If your service provider is working for themselves or not and the service is to your liking I would say tip. You tip based on service not on who you work for. Besides we all know that this day and age clients prefer printing their own images at Walmart instead of a professional lab for some reason, thus they request a CD with the images.

Bryan Morris

[Karen Lutzker]

Regarding tips for any vendor whether they are working for a company or self employed, a tip is nice to receive for extra good service, but not mandatory!

[cyclone promotions]

tip is if you are happy with the service that was provided there is no set tip for a vender because you can start from $1,- To how many you like to

[Bryan Morris]

Originally Posted by Karen Lutzker

Regarding tips for any vendor whether they are working for a company or self employed, a tip is nice to receive for extra good service, but not mandatory!

I agree 100%!