Finding a Photographer=Epic Fail... HELP!!

[KerriLynn]

UGH!! So I don''t even know where to begin, I have been looking for a photographer for the past 3 months, and I can''t find anyone who lives up to my standards in the price range we have set, with packages that have the elements we want... HELP!!

A little background, we are 22 and 25 years old, paying for half of the wedding by ourselves, and we really do have to stick to a bugdet ($3500 for photography). I place a lot of importance on photography, and want images that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

So... here is where I am getting stuck! For $3500 we want:

8 hours of coverage (possibly with a 2nd photog)

Hi-res CD of photos (with copyright)

Online proofing

An album (not sure what kind yet)

An engagement session


What we really aren''t concerned with:

Proofs of photos/proofbook

Print credits

Parent Albums
Large prints (11X14, or 12X1


BTW we are having the wedding in Philadelphia, so that is the area I have been searching, and finding nothing... I have contacted literally countless photographers, that either don''t customize their packages or, tell me they will but by eliminating certain things from their current packages won''t reduce the price, but anything that I want to add, I''ll be charged extra for... REALLY!?!?! How does that make sense!!!???

Philly Brides... Please make recommendations!!

 

[legallyspoiled]

When is your wedding?

 

[KerriLynn]

May 29, 2011

 

[legallyspoiled]

Oops. Pricescope removed my recommendation.

I didn''t realize that solicitation or self-promotion were prohibited. I thought that people solicit and promote/recommend companies here all the time.

Oh well. Best of luck to you!

 

[princessplease]

I live in Philly and am using a very reasonable photog located in Bensalem who will travel to our venue/hotel (google wedding photography Bensalem PA and they''re the first photog that comes up under "local businesses")

We have 8 hours of coverage from two photogs, a 10x14 album, proofbook, all rights to images on CD, online hosting for 6 months and NO travel fees for $2900. SIL used them, and they were AMAZING to work with!!!!! They have no "packages" per se; everything is customizable to what you want. They even did a payment plan with us where the total amount was divided by the number of months until the wedding, and then that amount was direct debited from my checking account. I think an esession was an extra $200, but we actually found our e photog on weddingbee who did the photos, editing, and a hi res CD with full copyright for free. (We tipped him, though)

 

[emeraldlover1]

Have you called Monika and David from project mad love? They run two separate businesses but I know Monika lives in the Philly area. She is a doll. http://www.projectmadlove.com/ and http://www.monikabroz.com/

I happen to perfer Monika''s work but David is also quite good. Together they make a great team. We won a free engagement shoot with them last year and the photos came out terrific.

Also, I think that they will work with your budget however what you are looking to get with that amount of money might not work. You might need to sacrifice the prints and albums and in the mean time get the dvds and print your own until you can afford them. At least that is what I would do. Good luck.

 

[violet3]

ME! ME! ME! I HAVE ONE!!!!

my photog was absolutely incredible, and i live in DE - he travels anywhere, and he''s reasonable, young and so talented. He and his wife work together, so you ALWAYS get two shooters, and they are photojournalist in style. We got so many great candid shots of us and all of our friends and i couldn''t be more thrilled with their work. They also make you feel so comfortable and photogenic, and they are EVERYWHERE, without ever appearing like they are there. The engagment session is part of the package, and everything else is negotiable - they''ll build a package with you for sure! (and the price is much less than your budget btw)

here''s his website - www.leafo.us -- if you scroll down on the "blog"'' we are amy and chris

I''ll start a thread of my prof photos so you can see if you like them

 

[KerriLynn]

Update... We are looking for the photojournalism style that a few of you suggested, and we would consider making our own album if it is truly impossible to find what we want, within our price range.

Also, would anyone consider using an inexperienced photographer? I found one individual who offers everything I''m looking for and then some for $3500, and that is his highest package. He is photojournalistic in styling, but he has only done a few weddings completely on his own.... Currently he is an apprentice in Salt Lake City, but he finishes in May, and is coming back east, but for some reason I just have a feeling of uneasiness about him.This is his website: www.chuckliuphotography.com your input is appreciated!


Legallyspoiled: Is there some other way that you can make me a recommendation?

Princess: I think I found who you were talking about, but I''m not sure... Are they a large company that has a list of photographers that they choose from, or an individual? I don''t want to deal with a studio that farms out photographers and you don''t know who you will be working with until the day of...

EmeraldLover: I loooove your recommendation, it''s exactly the style I''m looking for, so I will definitely be giving them a call! Did you use them for your wedding?

Violet: Thanks for the recommendation, your photo''s turned out beautifully, and I will definitely make and inquiry with them as well. I would love to see a thread with your pictures, just so I can get more of an idea (the blog didn''t have very many) And totally unrelated.... is your wedding band a BGD U-Prong eternity??? It''s lovely!


Please keep the recommendations coming, they are wholeheartedly appreciated!!!

 

[violet3]

Ok! I posted them for you not all - i wish i could post some of the great candids of friends and family, but i don''t want to do that without permission. If you have any interest, I cannot say enough about them!

My ring in the picture is actually my Ering - i chose an eternity band rather than a traditional ering - it''s from a local jeweler, and i love it! Generally speaking, i just wear the one band. It''s probably the same setting as the BGD uprong, but i don''t think they were around when i got mine - i think he was still working at WF. Quite a few people on here have similar bands - the setting is SO low and comfortable and lets in tons of light!!!

 

[Ella]

Date: 4/21/2010 5:20:20 PM
Author: legallyspoiled
Oops. Pricescope removed my recommendation.


I didn't realize that solicitation or self-promotion were prohibited. I thought that people solicit and promote/recommend companies here all the time.


Oh well. Best of luck to you!

Just to clear something up, solicitation is never allowed and neither is self-promotion. We do allow recommendations for vendors if you are not affiliated with them (for example, not related, friends with, or employed by them). Hope that clears up some confusion.

 

[KerriLynn]

Violet, Thank you so much for posting those photos, it is certainly helpful, I will give them a call tomorrow and have them send me some package options! And congratulations on getting married, I''m obsessed with your e-ring... Do you mind if I ask who your jeweler was? I actually live on the border of DE and PA, so I wonder if they are close by (I am looking for a similar eternity band for a RHR)

Another question... who did your flowers?? they are TDF!!!

 

[KerriLynn]

Date: 4/21/2010 9:33:50 PM
Author: Ella

Date: 4/21/2010 5:20:20 PM

Author: legallyspoiled

Oops. Pricescope removed my recommendation.



I didn''t realize that solicitation or self-promotion were prohibited. I thought that people solicit and promote/recommend companies here all the time.



Oh well. Best of luck to you!

Just to clear something up, solicitation is never allowed and neither is self-promotion. We do allow recommendations for vendors if you are not affiliated with them (for example, not related, friends with, or employed by them). Hope that clears up some confusion.

Thank you

 

[violet3]

Actually, my jeweler no longer carries my setting

But i know you can get the same one at WF - the "annette uprong" and as you said BGD.

My flowers were incredible!!! i used Bayberry florists in Rehoboth Beach, DE - the bridesmaids had pink calls with peacock feathers in them - they were just amazing. I''m guessing you are too far north for that though huh?

 

[emeraldlover1]

No, I didn''t use them. By the time we won and used our free engagement session from them we had already booked our photographer for our wedding. While I loved our wedding photos for some reasons I actually think that Monika and or David would have done a great job and they are FANTASTIC to work with. I love Monika''s editing style which is why I would pick her first. I would call both independently to see where their prices start. Personally I didn''t ask because I knew we wouldn''t be using them but I get the impression that they are fairly easy to work within a budget and you have a reasonable one.

If this helps at all....our photography budget was twice as much and we still haven''t gotten our album yet. It wasn''t included and we just haven''t gotten aroud to it. Having the pictures on DVD, living with them for awhile and making our parents albums on shutterfly in the mean time has been a great decision for us.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Oh...personally, I would not use an inexperienced photog unless I really trusted their eye. Even my well experienced photog has off days and I just wouldn''t want to risk it. Additionally, I am really into edited digital photos. I''ll post an example for you tomorrow. And by edited I mean color enhancements for the most part. I believe their is a certian skill to it that some photogs have.

 

[Clairitek]

I live in the Philly area (but got married in RI). I did a boudoir session with Mary Kate at Kate''s Lens and really loved working with her. Check out her site. She''s pretty talented, IMO.

Also check out Kristen Leigh from Maryland. Another PSer is using her in her Maryland wedding about 3 hours from Philly. From what I''ve heard from this PSer (who is a personal friend of mine) she was really reasonable. Her wedding is next week but I after looking at the website I can''t imagine their photos being anything short of stunning. Might be worth it to ask if she is willing to travel to Philly for your wedding, if you like her work.

Not sure if someone has already mentioned this in this thread but check out the Wedding Photojournalist Association. This is how I found my awesomely affordable photographer with only 3 months to spare in Rhode Island. It was great to be able to go a big source of photojournalistic style photographers in one site. WPJA Website

 

[KerriLynn]

Date: 4/22/2010 1:19:08 AM
Author: Clairitek
I live in the Philly area (but got married in RI). I did a boudoir session with Mary Kate at Kate''s Lens and really loved working with her. Check out her site. She''s pretty talented, IMO.

Also check out Kristen Leigh from Maryland. Another PSer is using her in her Maryland wedding about 3 hours from Philly. From what I''ve heard from this PSer (who is a personal friend of mine) she was really reasonable. Her wedding is next week but I after looking at the website I can''t imagine their photos being anything short of stunning. Might be worth it to ask if she is willing to travel to Philly for your wedding, if you like her work.

Not sure if someone has already mentioned this in this thread but check out the Wedding Photojournalist Association. This is how I found my awesomely affordable photographer with only 3 months to spare in Rhode Island. It was great to be able to go a big source of photojournalistic style photographers in one site. WPJA Website

OMG Kate''s Lens is lovely!! What a fantastic recommendation!!! She''s AHH-MAZING!! I''ve already contacted her... Thank you so much!! I did check out the WPJA site for the philly area, and all of the photojournalists seemed to start around $4200, which is too high

Please keep the recommendations coming, this is such an IMMENSE help!

 

[rhbgirl24]

Ooooooooooooo GOT one for you!

He did our wedding if you would like to look at the pics- our wedding was 20 mins from Philly. And he was AMAZING! Plus the price was great (includes unlimited prints, and copyright for all high rez images.)
I really couldn''t recommend him enough. My sister even wants him!

Steven Kasich



http://ny-njphotographer.com/

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 4/22/2010 10:33:02 AM
Author: KerriLynn

OMG Kate''s Lens is lovely!! What a fantastic recommendation!!! She''s AHH-MAZING!! I''ve already contacted her... Thank you so much!! I did check out the WPJA site for the philly area, and all of the photojournalists seemed to start around $4200, which is too high

Please keep the recommendations coming, this is such an IMMENSE help!

Those prices are not very up to date, and who knows where they take the values from. That was my experience. It''s worth it to look at each and find out yourself.

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/22/2010 4:05:34 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 4/22/2010 10:33:02 AM
Author: KerriLynn

OMG Kate's Lens is lovely!! What a fantastic recommendation!!! She's AHH-MAZING!! I've already contacted her... Thank you so much!! I did check out the WPJA site for the philly area, and all of the photojournalists seemed to start around $4200, which is too high

Please keep the recommendations coming, this is such an IMMENSE help!

Those prices are not very up to date, and who knows where they take the values from. That was my experience. It's worth it to look at each and find out yourself.

I concur with SunnyD. Worth contacting some of them if you're really interested.

Glad you liked Kate's Lens! She was so so professional to work with.

Maybe also check out K. Thompson Weddings. Her photos are really lovely. At the top of your price point. Had she been available to travel up to my wedding I might have hired her! I could look at her blog all day.

K Thompson Weddings

 

[Clairitek]

Bump to find out how things are going for you in the photographer search!

 

[KerriLynn]

Date: 4/26/2010 9:31:05 PM
Author: Clairitek
Bump to find out how things are going for you in the photographer search!

Thanks! We met with two photographers this weekend, Lindsay Docherty on Saturday, and Kate''s Len''s on Sunday. Both were very nice, and I think that based on personality we liked Lindsay more, but her prices were really high (4k before album) D''OH! We also liked Lindsay''s album options alot better than KL....

The thing is Lindsay is over budget, and KL is under budget... What to do, what to do...


Suggestion''s still appreciated!

 

[PBF]

Dan Derby is an excellent B/W wedding photographer. He's shot a lot of product for me too.

http://www.danderby.com/

 

[KerriLynn]

Date: 4/27/2010 1:57:25 PM
Author: PBF
Dan Derby is an excellent B/W wedding photographer. He''s shot a lot of product for me too.

http://www.danderby.com/
&
http://danderby.zenfolio.com/

Does he travel for weddings? I saw that he is located in New Hampshire... our wedding will be in Philadelphia.

 

[PBF]

Yes, he'll travel there. I just called him..... peruse his site and make sure you like his style and then call him. Also, he shot my brother's wedding 2 years ago.

Use this site. The other is not good (edit it from your post please. Thanks)

http://www.danderby.com/

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/27/2010 1:12:15 PM
Author: KerriLynn

Date: 4/26/2010 9:31:05 PM
Author: Clairitek
Bump to find out how things are going for you in the photographer search!

Thanks! We met with two photographers this weekend, Lindsay Docherty on Saturday, and Kate''s Len''s on Sunday. Both were very nice, and I think that based on personality we liked Lindsay more, but her prices were really high (4k before album) D''OH! We also liked Lindsay''s album options alot better than KL....

The thing is Lindsay is over budget, and KL is under budget... What to do, what to do...


Suggestion''s still appreciated!

$4k before an album does seem steep!

If you like Mary Kate''s work, I''d say go for it! Do you plan on doing an engagement shoot before hand? If you are, that might help you guys figure out how to work with one another.
As far as the album options... not sure what to say about that. I guess I''m in the camp of a DIY album. I love the photobooks we had printed from My Publisher for our parents. We plan on using mpix for our own album if we ever make one. I bought prints from there and the quality was quite stunning. Would you at all consider doing your own album if you have all of the images edited? With the money you would save by going with a less expensive (but talented) photographer you could probably get an album 2x the size if you decide to DIY. Just a thought!

Good luck with the rest of your search. Let us know what you decide!

PS- Where are you getting married? In Philly proper or in the area?

 

[KerriLynn]

Claritek: This is where I get stumped...
Lindsay- edits EVERY photo, for color enhancement, blemishes, flyaway hairs, etc.
Mary-Kate- doesn''t edit any of her photo''s for that type of stuff (or at least that''s what she said) as she wants to keep it truly photojournalistic in nature.

We do plan on doing an engagement session beforehand, and this is how they both stack up in that category:
Lindsay- unliminted e-session (usually 2+ hours), unlimited locations, change of outfits, usually recieve 100-200 photos
Mary-Kate: recommends 1-2 hour session (usually just 1), 1 outfit, 1 location, usually recieve 20 photos

Thanks for the suggestions on where to make our own album, and after seeing a bunch this weekend, I think that we have a better idea of what we want (10X10, 30 sided, glass front album, with leather binding). I''m not sure if that is something offered online, but I''ll have to look into it. The only thing that makes me hesitant about going that route is then we don''t have the guidance of which pictures to choose, and how to lay them out. But if we do go with Lindsay, making our own album would probably be a good option, considering all of the photos would be edited...

And to answer your last question, Yes we are getting married in Philly proper at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Area @ 16th and Locust) I''m soooo thrilled that we picked this location, its absolutely gorgeous, and I loove that area of the city. There are so many fun things to do, and so many great photo ops!

I will definitely let everyone know what I decide, but I think that we may meet with a few more photogs, just to be able to make an informed decision

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/27/2010 4:01:23 PM
Author: KerriLynn
Claritek: This is where I get stumped...
Lindsay- edits EVERY photo, for color enhancement, blemishes, flyaway hairs, etc.
Mary-Kate- doesn''t edit any of her photo''s for that type of stuff (or at least that''s what she said) as she wants to keep it truly photojournalistic in nature.

We do plan on doing an engagement session beforehand, and this is how they both stack up in that category:
Lindsay- unliminted e-session (usually 2+ hours), unlimited locations, change of outfits, usually recieve 100-200 photos
Mary-Kate: recommends 1-2 hour session (usually just 1), 1 outfit, 1 location, usually recieve 20 photos

Thanks for the suggestions on where to make our own album, and after seeing a bunch this weekend, I think that we have a better idea of what we want (10X10, 30 sided, glass front album, with leather binding). I''m not sure if that is something offered online, but I''ll have to look into it. The only thing that makes me hesitant about going that route is then we don''t have the guidance of which pictures to choose, and how to lay them out. But if we do go with Lindsay, making our own album would probably be a good option, considering all of the photos would be edited...

And to answer your last question, Yes we are getting married in Philly proper at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Area @ 16th and Locust) I''m soooo thrilled that we picked this location, its absolutely gorgeous, and I loove that area of the city. There are so many fun things to do, and so many great photo ops!

I will definitely let everyone know what I decide, but I think that we may meet with a few more photogs, just to be able to make an informed decision

Ah! I can totally see why you are leaning the way you are. I guess now it comes down to just how much you want that album. I ordered a leather bound album from MyPublisher for our parents and I loved the leather and binding. It had a window through the cover with a photo behind it. If you do a search there have been many threads in the past about DIY albums if you want some more information.

I think editing is worth paying for (by going with a more expensive photographer who will edit that way). I guess its a matter of style of the photographer, as you mentioned. Some just prefer not to edit out the real life stuff, yanno? One of my friends spent a ton of money on her wedding photographer (over $5k for 8 hours of shooting, 2nd photog, and digital files) and he wouldn''t edit the way she wanted. The day was really sunny ad bright with a really gorgeous blue sky and when she got her proofs back it was all washed out. The angles and composition were wonderful, but you''d think she got married on an overcast day! She asked him to fix it but he hasn''t yet and I''m not sure he will unless she shells out another $1k for an album.

Did you check out these guys? http://www.jpgphotography.com/index.php
or this woman? http://www.megancarrie.com/

I am in the process of trying to find someone to shoot us in our wedding gear in Philly. We have had a coupe of people lined up but it always falls through. We own a house in the area and want some fun pictures around here. Definitely tons of great photo ops in the city! I really want to go stand in line to order a cheesesteak from Pat''s in my wedding dress. To me, that photo just seems priceless and totally Philly!