Photographer Choices

It is certainly not illegal nor unprofessional to hire a photographer without a studio. That’s ridiculous. We found a wonderful amateur photographer who might one day open her own business, but in the meantime she’s building her portfolio and taking amazing pictures. Also, I met her the first time at Starbucks. It was completely fine! Plus, we’re getting an awesome deal.

It sounds like he rubbed you the wrong way. Listen to your feelings!

And technically our photographer has her own business. It’s via Thumbtack/her website/Instagram, etc, and not out of a building.

I was thinking the same thing! I wanted to know if it was truly illegal to do so, I couldn’t imagine it being! He has great reviews, and his portfolio is beautiful, so we were set on birding him until he was on the phone with me for an hour and a half trying to sell his company! It was a tad much for me.

Thank you for the response!

This seems so crazy to me. What if they just work from home/on location the majority of the time so having a studio is an unnecessary expense? Our photographer doesn't have a studio, although he also does photography as a side thing, so I guess that's a little different. But I don't understand why it would be illegal for a photographer to meet with clients in a public place?

We hired a photographer who doesn’t have a studio and we met him at panera bread. That photographers sounds like he is just tying to get you to hire him quick! I would pass lol

Omg. This guy is a sleeze ball. It's so not unprofessional, people do it all the time! My photographer is awesome, I used to go to college with her. She's doing our pictures for like $700, and she did a engagement shoot for only $80....incredible. Just because you want to spend more money on photography while still on a budget (I'm the same way) doesn't mean you have to spend $3,500 or something. This is a picture from our engagement shoot:

What? That is surely not true. He sounds kind of manipulative and sleazy to be honest.

There are no LAWS about who you can or cannot hire. Your venue may have rules about insurance or contracts , but....frankly, you could hire your mom to take pictures and it would be perfectly legal.

I would run from that guy, and feel FINE about someone with no studio. That doesnt mean anything aside from: they probably don’t do studio portrait photography. That fine. Many wedding photographers don’t. It’s a different ballgame — likewise, many studio photographers *dont* do weddings!

My photographer doesn’t have a studio. In fact, she works full time somewhere else, and does weddings as a side gig, and does her editing out of her home.

A studio isn’t essential. A contract is !

Ummmm.......YES! Our photographer has had her business for something like 13 years, and she doesn't have a dedicated studio, mostly because she shoots weddings/engagements, so she goes to the client. She doesn't need a studio!!

And yes, we met her in a public place, and it was wonderful! She is amazing, and she does beautiful work, and I'm so grateful we found her!!!

I don't know who this guy is that you're talking to, or where you all are from, but that is the most ridiculous and pompous thing I have ever heard!! What an ass!

Thank you all so much! I thought the exact same thing, just wanted to hear it I guess! Needless to say, we will still be searching for photographers! Lol

My photographer didn’t have a studio and I met her at a coffee shop! That’s the norm for wedding photographers.

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Exactly this. As an attorney, that has got to be one of the craziest things I've heard! He sounds sleazy and he's a liar. I would run far away from him. Most wedding photographers don't work out of a studio because they are busy shooting weddings and they don't have time to do studio work (and these two styles of photography are usually very different). My photographer works fulltime at a different place and does weddings on the side. Of course she doesn't have a studio. Why pay several hundred dollars a month for wasted space?

Sounds like you’ve already worked out but I just want to add, if it’s a big company he’s trying to sell, and he’s saying they do 300+ weddings a year I’d be curious to know if “his portfolio” is actually HIS work and be worried about getting to meet your actual photographer for the day.