A wedding photograph taken at Phu My Hung in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, a popular site for couples who want the modern, clean urban area as a backdrop.

Nuptial photographers complain amateurs have flooded the market and couples hit by the global cash crunch can’t afford expensive wedding photos.

Many of Ho Chi Minh City’s big-name wedding photographers – such as Hoang Truong, Pham Hoai Nam, Hai Dong and Ly Vo Phu Hung – are complaining that amateurs have flooded the market with expensive cameras but no skills.

Truong said it was style, not a camera, that made an excellent photographer.

“Today, anyone can be a photographer, but a camera isn’t enough,” he said “A real professional photographer does not let the lab produce the whole picture. A beautiful photograph is not only about Photoshop, its about aesthetics.”

Nam said experience and personal style were what made a photographer’s name. “Many wedding photography studios have gone out of business because they’ve failed to create a unique look,” he said. “Many clients care about quality more than they care about the price.”

But Hung said he’s had to cut prices to survive as couples cut spending amid the global economic crisis.

“I offer a small discount but enhance my services.”

Hung said he gives couples a 42-page album for the same price as a 36-page one or he takes 100 photos at the wedding party for free.

A dying art

On top of the increased competition brought about by the digital age, there’s also less demand for expensive wedding pictures.

Middle class Vietnamese used to spend tens of million of dong and travel hundreds of kilometers to take their pre-wedding photos. But the global recession has changed all that as well.

With couples’ belts tightened and the number of wedding photographers having grown exponentially in the past few years, many photo houses have had to offer discount prices from 50-90 percent off to entice couples who want the glossy laminated and wedding albums as keepsakes.

But many times, discount prices can come with a discount in quality with poor-quality bridal gowns, artificial flowers and smaller photos.

Feeling the penny pinch, many couples are not opting to travel to far away locales, such as Nha Trang and Da Lat, to take their wedding photos amid glorious natural backdrops. Most couples are now taking their photos in the studio.

A set of studio photos in HCMC usually includes the photos, a rented bridal gown, a groom’s tux, make-up, flowers and one extra large poster-size wedding shot for VND1.8-2.4 million (US$105-140) in total, or VND1.5-2 million ($87.64-116.85) in outlying districts.

But outdoor shots, even close to home like Notre Dame Cathedral, the HCMC Zoo, Thanh Da island or several of the southern hub’s museums, cost around VND5-10 million ($292.14-584). The new urban center Phu My Hung in District 7, especially its Red Bridge, is also popular with those who want a modern setting.

Reported by Do Tuan