As the photographer is retired, He's probably more than willing to
just let you have the negs. However, this assumes he still has the
negs. I've known my fair share of wedding photographers that dump them
after 5-10 years. The extreme rarety of having somebody come to you
for a reprint of anything after five years is pretty slim. For one
thing, half the marriages aren't even intact after that long. Of those
people who have had albums destroyed in fire or flood, it's even rarer
for the people to even think to ask the photographer if he/she still
has the images.
I do agree with the Moose. Or was it Chuck? Or Chris or whoever said
to be a humble midwesterner when asking--Leave the attitude for Bob. A
crisp $100 bill also works wonders. (with the photographer and with
Bob).
If you are lucky, he won't have remembered your wedding. You NEVER
want to be remembered by a wedding photographer. We never remember the
good experiences.
Chuck is also right about the changing marketplace for wedding
photography. I'm now in the mode of getting ALL of my money up front
in the package. These days I'm getting absolutely nothing on reprints.
People are just not buying prints these days. In fact, if you don't
include the album as part of the package they won't even buy an album!
People immedately return to their lives and forget all about the
wedding. I think this has a lot to do with the fact so many people are
living together before marriage. I also account this to the fact that
the way people socialize now is entirely different. We don't host
parties at our houses or invite friends over--we go out to eat at
restaurants. A wedding album was an important centerpiece of the
hosting experience. The big fancy wedding print was always the most
important piece of artwork in the home. Not anymore. Yes, you always
have exceptions, but the general trend is obvious.
I'm not sure how to make big money in photography anymore. Not sure
it's even possible. There are always exceptions, (the 1% people that
always rise to the top in anything), but generally speaking the rest
of us struggle to exist and either have "real jobs" or spouses that
work. (or both). Reading Kirk Tuck is fascinating because here is a
decent photographer in a major market, with excellent connections that
struggles. He may not be one of the 1% people, but he's pretty
representative of the commercial photographers I've known.
AG
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