Sticker shock over wedding photography

[KittyGolightly]

Yikes, I''m starting to panic over the price of photography. I just didn''t realize it was going to cost so much!

So, can I ask how much you ladies plan to budget? Or if you don''t want to give a number, a % of the overall budget? It seems like the average is $3000 to start. But then, we''re getting married in Brooklyn, so I''m guessing that the prices are higher than in other areas.

I''m tempted to skip the photography altogether, but I know I''d regret it later on.

 

[Deelight]

We decided we wanted a really good photographer however with budgets and such we never set anything in stone however have a max we think is reasonable to pay. For photog''s our quotes came back as 15k, 10k, and just over 5k - we were like OMG I was in tears thinking I am going to have to go with someone crappy as here there is really expensive or crappy cheap photog''s no middle ground (or so I found in my area)

FI really liked 15k guy and so I talked to him about his packages and stated to him that there was a lot of fluff we didn''t care about but not enough of stuff we wanted so he made us our own package for just over 5k and we believe we got a bargin. This after the reception is our biggest cost but at the end of the day I know our photo''s will be great, I have been banned from telling anyone is our IRL friends about the price though.

I also live in Australia so prices here are more expensive I find then the states

The point to this story (yes there is a point ) is if you find a photog you like talk to them see if they will negotiate and make you a new package that suits your budget most of them likely will .

Good luck

 

[KittyGolightly]

Thanks Deelight!

I would have cried over those quotes too. It''s good to know there may be some room for negotiation.

 

[ArtistJess]

I live in small-town Louisiana and work for a wedding photographer. He is among the highest priced in this area (his prices range from $3000-$8000 for a few hours), but his work is incredible and worth every penny. His highest package is $7999 and includes all day shooting, approximately 1000 black and white & color photos, a leather proof album, a coffee table book, a bound album for both sets of parents, online viewing and ordering of images, an engagement package, and a bridal package.

It seems around here that you really get what you pay for. Of course, that is not always the case. There is some untapped talent out there, but they realize pretty quickly that people will pay more, and those prices don''t last for too long.

Good luck with your search!

 

[RaiKai]

Eek...I would get a bit choked up too!

We did skip photog with no regrets as it fit our budget (our total cost was under $10k) and our style (uber casual and intimate)...but I do get it is important for you.

I would consider contacting local amateur photo clubs, schools and so on to find someone who is either not relying on it as their sole income or who is just trying to build their book and starting out. I have seen some amazing talent from those who may not market themselves as wedding vendors yet or at all. For a lot less money. I know a few people who have ended up spending a lot less going this route...and still have some amazing photos.

 

[FutureMrsMRS]

Sorry to hear

A long time friend who has always had a passion for photography has recently launched her photography business. But she is shooting ours for dirt cheap.

Keep searching. Check tech colleges for upper class students. They usually have portfolios and can be pretty good. Good luck!

 

[Deelight]

Date: 4/26/2010 7:03:56 PM
Author: KittyGolightly
Thanks Deelight!


I would have cried over those quotes too. It''s good to know there may be some room for negotiation.

Your welcome it just takes time to find the right fit it took us about 12mths but you will find the perfect photog within your budget .

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I have a pretty well regarded wedding photographer in the bay area and I am paying under 5k for everything including engagement pics which I added on later. I am getting 8 hours of time on the wedding day with the photographer and one assistant, digital proofs, a website for my family to buy pics at, and she is going to scope out the site ahead of time. I feel like I am paying a fair price for the area. It took lots of shopping around. It is still a huge part of my budget. Maybe about 20% when all is said and done.

I did not buy the photo album, that would have been at least another $1000. I figure with digital proofs, I would be better off making my own.

 

[PumpkinPie]

we didn''t have a photographer, so I can imagine the sticker shock - 5,000$ is a lot of money - but if photos are very important to you, I would ditto looking around for up and coming photographers!

 

[Dannielle]

We got quotes ranging from $800 to a little over $10,000.

In the end we just printed off different pictures from different photographers and showed them to our parents to see which photographer people liked the most (we didn''t tell them the cost). People were really pulled towards one photographer and she was priced really well, $2,000 for 4 hours with unlimited shots given to us on a disc.

 

[katamari]

I think you are probably at an advantage being in such a big city. There are tons of great art schools nearby--you could consider trying to find someone who is working on an MFA or a DFA. You might also be able to hire the assistant to one of the more established photographers looking to break into the business.

We hired an up-and-comer and couldn''t have been more pleased with the results. He now charges $4000 a session and we got him for only a quarter of that. He still has the same talents. He just now has some Knot awards and local name recognition. If you can find someone right on the cusp of that, it should be the best option.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 4/26/2010 8:19:21 PM
Author: Dannielle
We got quotes ranging from $800 to a little over $10,000.


In the end we just printed off different pictures from different photographers and showed them to our parents to see which photographer people liked the most (we didn''t tell them the cost). People were really pulled towards one photographer and she was priced really well, $2,000 for 4 hours with unlimited shots given to us on a disc.

That is kind of what happened to me. I didn''t like the super expensive ones. Maybe their style was a bit TOO individual for me???

 

[jazzoboe]

I was shocked by the price of photographers, too, though here in Ohio I imagine they run a bit less than other areas. In any case, I looked at sooo many photographers and found that most of those which I found reasonably priced had, in my opinion, very poor quality pictures. Unfortunately I am extra picky as I am a bit of an amateur photographer myself, so I couldn''t fathom paying $1000 to someone who''s pictures look worse than my own, but that''s about all we could afford, seeing as how out total wedding budget is about 6K. Too bad I can''t physically photograph my own wedding

Anyway, I finally found a photographer in the area who had fairly good quality pictures (not the BEST I''ve seen, but pretty good and plenty of experience in wedding photography, backup equipment, etc.) and his packages range about $600-3000. We talked to him and negotiated a bit on what our package would include and for a total of $795, we are getting:
An engagement shoot
5 hours of shooting on the wedding day (and he will offer to stay longer at $95/ hour)
Digital enhancement of all photos
Online gallery for ordering prints
Hi-res DVD of all engagement and wedding photos he takes with full printing rights

We basically opted to get no prints from him since I wasn''t super impressed with his albums and there are lots of reasonably priced places around here to get prints, plus with the DVD I have the option of doing a little editing myself if I''m not 100% thrilled with anything before printing. Plus then we get a little more time to save up $$ for prints/albums.
I guess my advice is just to shop around A LOT and remember that just about anyone worth working with (and this doesn''t just apply to photographers) will negotiate with you to help you find what you want as close as possible to your budget. It''s always worth asking!

 

[Clairitek]

I got a married in Newport, RI which is another high cost area for weddings. I searched for photographers from out of town who were willing to drive in to RI for the big deal. I think I got a steal for my photographer which was $2500 for all day coverage (seriously, 830 am to 1030 pm) and digital proofs, online gallery. No album for us, which I don''t regret. I am happy with the edited proofs (and the 400 high quality 4x6 prints he gave us). I feel like we paid less than average for our package as the other quotes we got were between $3000 and $4000 for the same stuff. When I looked in the Philly area, it was around $3000 for a photojournalism style photographer with an album.

Keep on looking. Have you checked out WPJA.org (if thats the style you''re looking for).

Definitely consider cutting out the fluff- album, engagement shoot or TTD shoot and concentrate on getting plenty of coverage of your day and the rights to digital files. From my experience it seems that this is a great way to stretch your budget.

As far as getting those extras you might want to advertise on Craigslist for people who want to do an engagement or bridal shoot for you for free or little cost to build their portfolio. I did this and ended up with a few cute engagement pics taken where DH and I met. I also got a free boudoir shoot from Wedding Bee classified ads from a photographer who had wedding and fashion experience but wanted some b-pics for her portfolio to start selling that service.

 

[laughwithme]

Can you try checking craigslist? Or put ads at local colleges with photography classes saying you''re willing to hire a student for the day? Or trade services with someone - maybe they can photograph your wedding and you can help with landscaping or cooking or something? Or could you find a friend/family member who likes photography, and rent an SLR camera for them to use?

Photography was one of the big items for us, but we wanted it that way. We searched for a long time for a photographer who wasn''t just good, but great. And we knew we would pay a high price, and that was ok. Our photog offered packages from $1-4k+. We purchased her most expensive package. Others in our large city range from $500 for a few hours, to $10k+ for an entire bridal weekend.

Good luck with your search!

 

[KittyGolightly]

Part of what''s making this a bit difficult is that the wedding will be in NY, but I''m in LA, and the boyfriend is in Boston. I''m also starting to panic about lots of things because we don''t have a lot of time to plan this thing (I''m 99% sure the Big Day will be on September 25). Eek! In all likelihood, I''ll have to adjust my budget for this upwards.

Claritek, thanks for the WPJA website. I didn''t know about it.

And thanks to everyone for your creative suggestions. I hadn''t thought about the possibility of hiring a student. It may be difficult to coordinate from LA, but it may be a good option.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I''ve seen.

I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:

You buy the dress, wear it once.
You eat the food, the food is gone.
The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.
You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone''s recycle bin.
You buy the cake. You eat it, then it''s gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).

The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think "why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I''m not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?"

But that''s just my opinion. And it''s worth exactly what you paid for it.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

My husband and I looked at a LOT of local photographers and without looking at price, just pulled the cards/brochures/websites we liked. We kept comparing until wie got it down to 2. Then we looked. One had the medium package, which we ended up getting, for about $2,500. The other one started her work at $6,000. I liked this method because we started by finding what we liked and then going in price from there.

The most helpful thing was going to bridal shows so I could get a lot of brochures and cards to compare. If you know anyone in the area, ask them to go for you. Just don''t sign up for ANYTHING. My Dh and I made that mistake and the wedding junk poured in. It was so bad that when we moved we didn''t give the post office our new address just to save ourselves

 

[sba771]

I was quoted 12k from one photog and my wedding one is from Brooklyn and it is like 6k. I know of a photographer in NYC who is much less than what you have been quoted so far, she is doing my e-pics and b-pics and her name is Kimberly Salem, other PS''ers in NY have used her I believe and her prices are super reasonable and she is photo journalistic. http://www.kimberlysalemblog.com/

 

[pancake]

I''m Australian and my friends often find that the kicker is in the price of the album. We''re getting married in Italy and we are paying EUR 1100 (so ~USD $800) for two photographers (and I am so happy, their portfolio is AMAZING!) for a 4 hour service. We have elected not to order an album at all, and are just receiving the photos in high quality digitals on DVD. We''ve looked into the cost of having high quality albums made separately with the digital proofs and it''s much cheaper - also, our reception will be next year back home and we''re not sure yet if we''ll want to combine photos from the reception with those from our ceremony.

 

[laughwithme]

Date: 4/26/2010 10:50:27 PM
Author: Travel Goddess
I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I''ve seen.


I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:


You buy the dress, wear it once.

You eat the food, the food is gone.

The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.

You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone''s recycle bin.

You buy the cake. You eat it, then it''s gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).


The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think ''why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I''m not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?''


But that''s just my opinion. And it''s worth exactly what you paid for it.

10,000% agree with this. I am actually pretty shocked that the original poster is tempted to skip the photography altogether. It is the only way to capture those memories in a tangible way.

 

[ts44]

I was willing to spend a little more on photography for the above reasons. Still, some of the quotes gave me sticker shock too - one guy I emailed for a quote emailed me back "Hi i''m glad you''re interested in using us as photographers, expect to pay over 5k for your photography." Verbatim! He didn''t get our business. We ended up going with a photographer in our area that negotiated a custom package for us that came in around 3k. Negotiate and see what''s really important to you - we didn''t care about "parent''s albums" or extra stuff like that. Taking out the fluff in some of these packages can really help the price and get you a great photographer within your budget.

 

[KittyGolightly]

Date: 4/27/2010 2:26:08 AM
Author: sba771
I was quoted 12k from one photog and my wedding one is from Brooklyn and it is like 6k. I know of a photographer in NYC who is much less than what you have been quoted so far, she is doing my e-pics and b-pics and her name is Kimberly Salem, other PS''ers in NY have used her I believe and her prices are super reasonable and she is photo journalistic. http://www.kimberlysalemblog.com/

Thank you for this referral. I''ll check her out.

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/27/2010 8:10:31 AM
Author: laughwithme

Date: 4/26/2010 10:50:27 PM
Author: Travel Goddess
I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I''ve seen.


I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:


You buy the dress, wear it once.

You eat the food, the food is gone.

The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.

You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone''s recycle bin.

You buy the cake. You eat it, then it''s gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).


The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think ''why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I''m not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?''


But that''s just my opinion. And it''s worth exactly what you paid for it.

10,000% agree with this. I am actually pretty shocked that the original poster is tempted to skip the photography altogether. It is the only way to capture those memories in a tangible way.

I totally agree with this. I look at my wedding pictures on a daily basis (at the very least, the ones printed and hung in my bedroom). I really enjoy them and don''t regret spending the money (and I wouldn''t regret it if I had spent double like I was originally thinking). Just think about it on a per use basis... if you enjoy your photos as much as I have and other brides have, then the cost per time you look at those photos is so little its almost negligible!

 

[KittyGolightly]

Date: 4/27/2010 11:45:29 AM
Author: Clairitek

Date: 4/27/2010 8:10:31 AM
Author: laughwithme

Date: 4/26/2010 10:50:27 PM
Author: Travel Goddess
I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I''ve seen.


I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:


You buy the dress, wear it once.

You eat the food, the food is gone.

The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.

You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone''s recycle bin.

You buy the cake. You eat it, then it''s gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).


The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think ''why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I''m not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?''


But that''s just my opinion. And it''s worth exactly what you paid for it.

10,000% agree with this. I am actually pretty shocked that the original poster is tempted to skip the photography altogether. It is the only way to capture those memories in a tangible way.

I totally agree with this. I look at my wedding pictures on a daily basis (at the very least, the ones printed and hung in my bedroom). I really enjoy them and don''t regret spending the money (and I wouldn''t regret it if I had spent double like I was originally thinking). Just think about it on a per use basis... if you enjoy your photos as much as I have and other brides have, then the cost per time you look at those photos is so little its almost negligible!

My concern is that because I *way* underbudgeted for photography, I''m going to have to cut back in other areas of the wedding. We''re having a modest wedding already, so these other areas would really impact the guests.

If I had more time to plan or lived where the wedding was going to be held, I wouldn''t panic over this quite so much. But honestly, I think we''re just going to have to reassess the budget once we get some real vendor quotes in hand.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I feel better having vented.

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 4/27/2010 12:30:41 PM
Author: KittyGolightly

Date: 4/27/2010 11:45:29 AM
Author: Clairitek

Date: 4/27/2010 8:10:31 AM
Author: laughwithme

Date: 4/26/2010 10:50:27 PM
Author: Travel Goddess
I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I've seen.


I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:


You buy the dress, wear it once.

You eat the food, the food is gone.

The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.

You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone's recycle bin.

You buy the cake. You eat it, then it's gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).


The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think 'why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I'm not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?'


But that's just my opinion. And it's worth exactly what you paid for it.

10,000% agree with this. I am actually pretty shocked that the original poster is tempted to skip the photography altogether. It is the only way to capture those memories in a tangible way.

I totally agree with this. I look at my wedding pictures on a daily basis (at the very least, the ones printed and hung in my bedroom). I really enjoy them and don't regret spending the money (and I wouldn't regret it if I had spent double like I was originally thinking). Just think about it on a per use basis... if you enjoy your photos as much as I have and other brides have, then the cost per time you look at those photos is so little its almost negligible!

My concern is that because I *way* underbudgeted for photography, I'm going to have to cut back in other areas of the wedding. We're having a modest wedding already, so these other areas would really impact the guests.

If I had more time to plan or lived where the wedding was going to be held, I wouldn't panic over this quite so much. But honestly, I think we're just going to have to reassess the budget once we get some real vendor quotes in hand.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I feel better having vented.

Glad you're feeling a little better about the situation, even if its only a vent.

I totally get what you mean. Before DH and I decided to just get it over with already and have a small wedding (seriously... March 15th we decided to scrap the big wedding... June 20th we were married) I struggled with this. I wanted a kick ass photographer but didn't have the means for that AND the reception and dress and whatever else I wanted out of the day.

ETA: Part of post removed... I totally got this and the other phogoraphy thread I was responded to crossed! Sorry about that!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Well...the good thing about the NYC area is that photography prices are all over the map. I used Angelica Glass but she may be more than what you budgeted for. That being said, I have heard that J''Adore Love is less expensive and I have also heard good things about Love Captures. Check out Brooklyn Bride''s blog...she usually has good suggestions.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Our photographer is $9000 for the basic package. I think she will be worth every penny - she is just amazing and we adore her. However, photography is really important for us. So important that we changed our wedding date to book her. She was all booked for 2010 and parts of 2011 when we tried in November 2009. I researched over 30 photographers before selecting her.

We are speding around $5000 on our videographer. The one we wanted was over $8000 but we figured we won't be watching the video that much.

Like it was mentioned above, the photography and videography are some of the only things you actually take with you. My friends that cheaped out on photography always regret it. Videography ... not so much.

 

[Parsley]

Not a bride, just a dreamer, but I thought I''d chip in with a thought that may help!

Look for newly established photographers, or part time photographers. They will be cheaper, and need the business to add to their portfolio, and they can be amazing. I say this as my brother is just starting to branch out further from being a part time photographer to a full time photographer and he is amazing! I''d show you some examples of his work but I''m not sure I''m allowed. At the moment he is going by word of mouth alone, although I am designing his website for him to boost it. Ask around as many people as you can, check out universities and colleges, just because someone is not as established does not mean they aren''t good, and if anything will be more determined to take amazing pictures for you. I know my brother at the moment has very low costs, I think not more than £400, so that he is reaching as many people as possible, and he provides a lot for that money, so I''m sure you''ll be able to find some people in the US in the same position as him!

I hope you find someone amazing for your wedding who is TOTALLY worth the money.
xxx

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 4/27/2010 8:10:31 AM
Author: laughwithme

Date: 4/26/2010 10:50:27 PM

Author: Travel Goddess

I think ours is around 3K-4K. I live in Iowa. Our photog is one of the more expensive ones that I've seen.



I justify spending a lot on the photography like this:



You buy the dress, wear it once.


You eat the food, the food is gone.


The DJ plays music, you dance, then he leaves.


You send fantastic invitations, the majority will end up in someone's recycle bin.


You buy the cake. You eat it, then it's gone (unless you save that top layer till next year).



The pictures are really the only thing that you will have every day. I think 'why would I even bother to have a pretty cake or gorgeous dress, make up, hair, etc if I'm not going to have great pictures to look back and enjoy all those little details?'



But that's just my opinion. And it's worth exactly what you paid for it.

10,000% agree with this. I am actually pretty shocked that the original poster is tempted to skip the photography altogether. It is the only way to capture those memories in a tangible way.

I don't know if it is *shocking* to not hire a professional photographer. I don't think that means that you end up without any photos at all. I think it is really common in a lot of smaller, slightly more "off beat" weddings not to hire a pro - at least of the ones I have attended and my own. We skipped hiring anyone to do photography as we wanted to really keep the intimate atmosphere of our wedding. With such a small guest list as we had...a "stranger" would stand out and affect the vibe (even if we got along with them) and as we were having a rather "unique" ceremony it may also have affected how our guests participated.

And I will say...with a relatively modest budget that we were footing the bill for, it also allowed us to spend more on some other areas (like providing our guests with credits for the spa and resort to use over the weekend as gifts).

We did not allow any pictures or video during a big part of our ceremony, but once the legal vows and such started our guests were free to take pics. We have a few "amateur photographers" in the mix so we ended up with some great pics...and some not so great pics too...in many different styles! We did end up with a video of the ceremony and the dinner after as one of the guests is also quite handy with a video camera and even made stills from that. We put them all up on one of the photo-hosting sites so friends and family could sign up and get free prints through sign-up offers if they wanted, and now and then we take advantage of other deals that come along. You can make some really neat albums for dirt cheap for example....especially if you keep an eye out for offers.

Not that long ago it was common to only end up with a couple photos of the day (i.e. the typical bride in her best dress and groom in his suit or uniform standing in front of the church). My grandparents never complained about not having 1,000 proofs....and they still remembered the day fondly and looked at that one picture with joy.

This does not mean in anyway that I am against photographers or saying the OP should skip out! I have seen some amazing photos from weddings too. It just is not that out there not to spend big money (or any money) on photos.