State of the industry - from the customers POV

I had two senior reps and their parents in yesterday and this type of 'customer' always lets their hair down more, so to speak, the one that is spending money with you.
Hard to say if these folks are truly typical of the market out there - they love photography but are being senior reps to get pics for less or free.
The first lady booked me for a wedding a few years back so is a paying customer of our profession. Or was perhaps you'd say. She's been approached (as a "good pitcher taker") to shoot a wedding and was asking me about lighting and speedlights.  Point being our customers are our competition.
The other mom has 2 kids, one in dance for years (the senior) and a son in football. She's been on the board of her local football org. She buys little in the way of sports pics (just the mem mate and disk of her son) and the league photography is one of the parents that does it on the side. So you too can have a sports league - just join the board and do all that work for free. But don't expect the parents to spend a lot or not complain (which she did, not about the quality but the turnaround time)
And she said she hated her wedding photographer - when I asked a bit more she said it wasn't the pics so much but the service - it was like pulling teeth to get any product, the proofs, album, etc.
I"ve yet to get anything from my 2 bridal shows (just got the list from one yesterday afternoon) but a few photogs that have done some and a couple of DJ friends say it's dry out there...Venue managers say bookings are down this year, but in January inquiries were well over normal - so perhaps brides are just starting late (or way early..) and without a venue haven't gotten around to photogs/DJs yet. Or so I hope that's what it is.

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My opinions are my own and not those of DPR or its administration. They carry no 'special' value (except to me of course)