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There are so many different factors to change the pricing! It's a mess! Usually, you get the rights to the photos if they give you a DVD though they retain some rights so thst they can display the photos as their work. Good luck finding the photographer!
I did that a while back with our boudoir pricing. Its all alacarte. I am working on the samething for weddings now. You will be able to go to our website, click on pricing, then just start selecting what you want and the prices will be there along with the total you are spending. Its a complete, building it yourself wedding photography pacakge.
If a package price for a photographer you like comes in too high, ask them to ake a custom package based on your needs. Then specify the hours of coverage you need, what kind of output you're looking for (i.e. album, DVD of images, full rights, etc.) and see what they come up with. Although most photographers have a set list of packages, most will slo work with you if you need something else. And you never know until you ask. The worst they can do is say no. ;)
It seems to me that most photogs around here were willing to work with me on a la carte pricing. Basically I told them what I wanted and what I could afford and asked them if they could work with that. I'm with you-- I don't need physical photographs or albums.
One thing to watch though (because I did NOT know this before): Most photographers only do a quick batch edit on your full set of photos (if that). So they'll color correct, maybe crop, and that is it. The photos you see on their gallery are gallery edited... where they take the time to edit each photo individually for optimal colors, tone, light, etc etc. If you buy photographs or an album they will full edit the pictures you choose for that, but if you JUST get a dvd and no physical photos you won't get that extra step of editing. So that kind of sucks if you're like me and you like really artistic photos because the batch edited proof photos arent really going to look as good.
Our photo had five or six set packages but was happy to accomodate our needs with a custom package. We got a better deal and the things we wanted (and not the things we didn't want). Sometimes you just have to ask! :)
Yeahhhh, I boycotted that a while ago. MOH's hubby is shooting our day for $300. Wedding photographers in my area (no offense to anyone who actually is one) tend to be full of themselves and WAY overestimate the quality of their work. No way in hell am I giving you $4k to shoot a 3-hour reception.
Our photographers packages start at $2200- this was over our budget so we worked with him to create something that fits our needs. We ended up getting 2 photographers, 8 hours of coverage and all the rights to the photos (on a disc) for $1440. Another photographer told me not to book someone for below $2000 but I did and my pictures are AWESOME and I loved my photographer!!! Just try to make customized packages - photographers want your business!
I've sorted through so many portfolios and could definitely see a trend of the image quality per price. Some photographers bring extra equipment than a fancy camera, such as lighting kits which can drive up the price but you get some GORGEOUS images.
Then there's also other things that will drive the price through the roof, which is experience, awards, etc. These photographers can have packages for $10,000!!!
For me, I cared about the quality of the images, the professionalism of the photographer, and if the package was worth it to me. I needed a photographer for practically the whole day so I was willing to go a tad outside the budget to get them for a long time, and get the snazzy album!
As was mentioned above, photographers are generally willing to customize a package to your liking and budget.
So I have a question for you... do you really care about the quality of the images if you dont care about the physical photographs??? I understand what you are saying but at the same time you seem to be contradicting yourself.
As a wedding photographer there are many variables that result in how we are priced, and no two photographers are the same, even if they have two similar packages, there cost are probably vastly different. Not only are we charging for our time at the wedding, but also after editing your images which can be up to 40 hours per wedding if not more, and dont forget about all the time that we've spent with you before the big day as well! There are also things such as insurance for our camera equipment and even for liabilty at the venues you are holding your event. If there is a second photographer, the main photographer has to pay them as well to shoot your wedding. And don't think that that online gallery and cd of images is free my dear, those all cost money to be delivered to you.
I can't imagine being a bride and having to look for a photographer. You brides nowadays are flooded with options but I would enourage you to search for a photographer you instantly fall in love with their style and are in your budget range. Make sure you meet them and get along.
Somthing to keep in mind... 10, 20, 30 years down the road are you going to be able to even view that cd of images you get from your wedding? Why wouldnt you want something tangible to remember your wedding day, it's all you have left other than your wedding dress, maybe some dried flowers, and a video of the day!
It's always interesting to get experience from vendors and vendors who are planning/have planned their own weddings, too!
Thank you for this:
"As a wedding photographer there are many variables that result in how we are priced, and no two photographers are the same, even if they have two similar packages, there cost are probably vastly different. Not only are we charging for our time at the wedding, but also after editing your images which can be up to 40 hours per wedding if not more, and dont forget about all the time that we've spent with you before the big day as well! There are also things such as insurance for our camera equipment and even for liabilty at the venues you are holding your event. If there is a second photographer, the main photographer has to pay them as well to shoot your wedding. And don't think that that online gallery and cd of images is free my dear, those all cost money to be delivered to you."
I have had a time arguing for the cost of a photographer with FH, even the ones that are half the price of other area photographers but still offer awesome style (for my tastes). But I guess that since I am doing most of the vendor searching and other wedding planning, I have a different perspective on costs than my FH even though it seems like he is most concerned with keeping on budget!
Sometimes I see it as--I have never planned a wedding before but vendors have provided services for weddings various times; there are different perspectives. Thank you for understanding that we're looking for various services for the event, so everything is coming from every which way! :)
To answer your first question, yes, I do really care about the quality of the images (even if I don't care about the physical photographs). My constraints (we like to call them "parameters") are budget, the planning process we have, and how FH and I prioritize aspects of the wedding.
To generalize, FH's #1 priority is food and my #1 priority is photography. We both understand that those are two important aspects but when we both worry, we individually worry about those things respectively. But, as my FH says, everyone wants good food and good photography, so we aren't that special. It's more about our tastes and budget.
When a photographer quotes a package price that is half of our entire wedding budget, I have to step back and reevaluate my tastes, my priority and our finances. Although I say that the physical items like photos or albums are not a priority within the photography services, even with the digital photos, I understand that those are forever! People may forget what flowers you had, they may discard the favor you get them, and not remember the font you chose meticulously for the invitations, but those photos are forever!
It's funny because before I got engaged, I had all of this inspiration for our wedding and when we finally got engaged and looked for possible vendors, I found it easy to disregard a lot of things that I thought would be really important/cool for the sake of saving for priority items--like catering or photography. For example, I was dying for a photo/fauxto booth, a sorbet bar, and other things. It has surprisingly been easy for me to say, You know what, maybe we can do that, but let's focus on this first.
Whew, I need to get back to all of the photographers I contacted this month! Though I look for certain criteria (hours of coverage, etc.) and I can plug all of that into my spreadsheet for most photographers, each vendor does have a quirk about their pricing, for better or worse for us. But, it will get done!
You can try your local unemployment office and see if they have any photographers without work and get great deals! A lot of my friends did this and reviewed their portfolio's before hand and got fantastic photos! My best friend just got a photographer for 300 and video for 150 for the whole day using this method!
@IVKWed: "Somthing to keep in mind... 10, 20, 30 years down the road are you going to be able to even view that cd of images you get from your wedding? Why wouldnt you want something tangible to remember your wedding day, it's all you have left other than your wedding dress, maybe some dried flowers, and a video of the day!"
This is why we have the internet and photo printers. Back up all the pictures online in 2 places and print one if/when a photo is required.
@gso_bride: Seriously are we living the same life lol I am going through the same thing right now... Photographers in South Florida well most that I have met with are super full of themselves and over priced, If you want me to give you the contact of someone I'm thinking about using just PM me her prices are amazing because she used to just to portraits but I can tell from her style its exactly what I was looking for!
@gso_bride: I am having the same problem. My FI believes food is the #1 priority and I am more concerned with photography. (Mostly with the quality and style of the photos.. I'm not too concerned with the albums, etc) The price quotes I am getting are seriously making my head spin! I had originally wanted to keep it under $1k, but I'm now seeing that it's just not possible to do so... (Apparently I have expensive taste! ;) ) I'm shooting to keep it under $2k, but it will mean cutting in other areas of my budget.... I haven't found anything awesome yet... This is totally one of the more frustrating parts of planning.
@IVKWed: I think you make a valid point, but you say:
I would enourage you to search for a photographer you instantly fall in love with their style and are in your budget range.
and that would be great, but most photographers don't seem to post their pricing. And a few that I've called don't even want to disclose their prices over the phone right away. They want me to fall in love with their photos, decide that I have to have this particular photographer, and then whack me over the head with a price that doesn't fit into our budget. Not trying to be rude, but from this bride's perspective, that is what seems to be going on. Even a simple "packages start at $xxxx" would be helpful in determining whether ths photographer might fit into our budget.
@gso_bride: I totally agree with you on pretty much every point you made. Packages make me nuts! I am sooo over photography at this point.
I spoke with few photographers and saw their packages, and they did push me to get, but i didn't want everything that package had, so i had to search for someone who is willing to work with us. Photographer that we hired let us select what we want and quoted us a price that we were happy with. I don't understand why none of your photographers can work with you on customizing a packages?
One thing to make sure and I think someone already pointed this out-if you buy the CD of all the images they are not going to be edited. When you buy the pics and the album you will get all the fancy retouching and color, but if you just buy the rights to all of the photos and get the CD you might be disappointed.
I see you're in Greensboro. If you decide to scrap your photography search my DH and I do wedding photography. Out of Raleigh. Will give you entire rights and 100% of all photos in RAW or jpeg. He can edit them or not. He doesn't care about rights or gouging you for money. He can make prints and charge you or not, he can make books or not. We do all day shooting for a very cheap price. PM me for details if interested.
@IVKWed: I second, third, FOURTH your sentiments! I get so frustrated when I see brides rant againt photographers' per hour charges. It's as if they think the pictures magically edit themselves, or that the gear doesn't cost as much as it does. On time spent alone, most wedding photographers make less than I do on an hourly basis at my decent-paying job. Factor in their business taxes, equipment costs, overhead, professional memberships, web hosting/graphic design costs (I could go on), and it is a narrow profit margin, indeed.
To the OP: I DO also feel you on the a la carte options! Our photog started with a certain # of hours of service, all edited, and rights to al lthe images with DVDs and online slideshow. Everything else could be bumped up or added as you wanted. Definitely the way to go!
@flamingred: That's not true, it varies by photographer. Most photographers will not release unedited photos because they do not want their work/name associated with unretouched photos. We are getting a DVD of all of our photos - retouched/edited. The photographer edits out the duplicates/really poor shots. We can expect 70-80 shots per hour from that, which is on par with what you should expect from any decent photographer.
@crayfish: I think most photographers do basic processing on all photos. If I purchase my CD I'll get 1500 photos from our wedding day, but I'm pretty sure that the photographer doesn't photoshop (or whatever the high end editing/processing is called) all 1500 images if I get the CD. I could be wrong and I never asked my photographer-does anyone know what the norm is? Now for my album that comes with my package I expect everything to be perfected and also if I order pics from the website, but I do not think the entire CD of every image is edited beyond the basics of adjusting color accuracy and things like that.
The least expensive I have found in my area is $1200, but that is just time and disc. The girl I want starts at $1600, for the same thing, the next package she offers is $2800, for 8 hours, a disc, and album, her highest is $3800, time, disc, album, coffee table book of engagement photos, 250 STDs, and 250 TYs. She, also, does photo booths and boudoir photos, which no other photographer offers around here. They both have a la carte options.
@crayfish: thats not true whatsoever. Depending on the photographer you have many variables in front of you. I know as a photographer that although I don't like to release unedited photos I make that exception for weddings. Also, I don't know many photographers that will edit 80 photos per hour shooting. That is ridiculous to expect that from a so called "decent photographer" Photographers editing techniques are very different I know that in comparison to a lot of the photographers in my area my editing time usually takes twice as long as others. I can't stand when brides rant against photographers because they personally aren't considering everything we have to do throughout the whole process. You have all the meetings discussing business of how they want the wedding photos, the engagement session, the wedding itself, paying other photographer if needed, I know I spend at least 80 hours+ per wedding editing. I make less than minimum wage. And as for al la carte. I wish that some of you would realize that a good majority of the time for wedding photographers this is their only source of income and it can be very unbalanced through the months.
@aixnok: In response to your comment about a la carte options... I understand that is probably your only source of income, but why should I have to pay for 50 thank you photos, or 5 8x10's, and a leather bound album if I am never, ever going to use any of those things? I know exactly what I want, but if photographers are unwilling to go a la carte I end up with only 3 of the things I actually want and 5 things that I'll never use!
...That is very frustrating for a bride to be on a budget!!
I completely understand that what Im about to say is going to piss off a lot of people but its the truth. If ALL photographers strictly offered a la carte pricing then you would be paying more than your budget is now. Why... simply put, you would be purchasing our time on top of talent instead of where in a package a lot of photographers add in value that saves you money in the long run. There are a million different ways a photographer can price themselves, but at the end of the day, if they are full time, they are in photography as a business, not to give you the best deal. If they are out to give you the best deal I would be running in the opposite direction for fear that my wedding memories arent on the top of their priority list of what is the number one priorty to my client. Photographers face a hard road in today's economy. We have every bridal magazine telling brides to save money on a photographer by asking to negotiate, but how is that supporting the photography industry? If you want a photographer to give you a deal, then go to craiglist and find someone starting out or just doing this for fun. If you want quality images to remember your big day then please stop whining about photographers. Keep your chin up and dont settle for anyone less than who you fall in love with and can afford, but at the same time, have respect for the ONLY thing that will last when the day is over.
I find it silly that nobody rants about how much a dress cost, videography, having a coordinator, the expense of food and alcohol, the cost to rent a venue for only a few hours, and let's not forget about the flowers, list goes on forever with what can be purchased for the big day. But yet Photography is the number one complaint... it honestly baffles me to no end.
@IVKWed: i completely agree. it is seriously the most aggravating thing to me working in this industry with as little respect as people seem to give. And I understand that this may piss some people off but for those brides that get hot headed about photography pricing try being a bride to be with all those brides on your back while you're trying to plan your own wedding.
Hi, do you think your photographer might work on key biscayne? Could you give me her info so I can contact her?
Thanks!
@aixnok: Hi - every photographer I spoke with when looking for my photographer told me 70-80 edited photos per hour were what I could expect. Maybe that is specific to my area, or just specific to the higher price range that I was shopping. I did not find one exception to that, however. Perhaps it is different in different geographic markets, or different price points?
@crayfish: i think it more has to do with editing styles. I know I take more time in making people look flawless because I'm a fashion photographer. I'm assuming that they are more on the simplistic editing styles.
@IVKWed:Well said...I am a hobbist photographer and I enjoy making the couples special day about them. I custom build packages with my clients, I can do this because I am NOT a magazine quality phtotgrapher. My clients have expressed great joy in the photography I give to them, however they also understand my style/skill level of phtography. I do not do projected slideshows during the reception or offer a photobooth(both of which are great ideas and i have rented a photobooth for my own wedding) nor do I offer leather bound books, thank you notes..etc! I do however provide quality photography and help throughout the wedding and your printing options. Photography is an art form! It is an expensive day...your wedding day...just be careful!
@IVKWed: I have to agree with this post 100% I spend a lot of time on these boards trying to give brides a little bit of the photographer's perspective. At the end of the day, I do honestly think that most are grateful for the advice, because most truly just have NO IDEA what is involved in the process of taking and delivering their edited wedding photos. So let me preface this by saying this is my reason I don't blame brides for all the photo-related posts like this one that I see on these boards, but would like to take a minute to express my own thoughts.
Shooting and delivering a brides edited wedding images is 100+ hours of labor, all the worst kind (physically gruelling and high pressure on the day, and mentally tedius and seemingly endless editing, album design, retouching etc. after the day). Some packages have multiple sessions and products that require equal time to produce and deliver up to professional standards. The entire process from first contact to booking, to the wedding, to album delivery is often more than a year. For that entire time you are paying your photographer to be there to answer your questions (I literally have some brides who go onto 40 email correspondences JUST OVER THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION planning months in advance). We plan every aspect of your actual wedding day in terms of photography and then perform miracles on your day being able to capture every key, split second moment. Expectations are so high, that if we miss even one, there goes an otherwise happy client.
When it comes to other vendors: What does the baker do? They bake you a cake maybe a total of three days in advance, but some brides happily spend 1k+ on that cake made in just three days but complain about the cost of the photographer who is working for them for a YEAR! They spend 1k-10k on a dress they will wear once... do they really think sequins and satin are expensive enough to justify that price? Is it okay to pay ridiculous amounts to have an open bar all night, when those same bottles of liquor are 1/6th the price if you buy them in a store? So many other aspects of the day are ridiculously priced and involve little to no materials or labor, that it baffles me how the one vendor who is truly working their tail off for a bride is getting grief about their prices because too many brides are convinced uncle bob can do just as well with his Canon Rebel and no post processing. So that's my rant and I apologize in advance if I offended any brides.
It's easy to forget the work that goes on AFTER the wedding. SO and I are having the photography talk and he doesn't see why it's so expensive. He should know better because he's a graphic designer/web developer and he gets pissed when someone wants a full website with a FLASH intro (6-8 hoursof coding) and everything for $500. He's even suggested we edit the photos ourselves since he has all the same software photographers use and I do photography as a hobby. I don't want to do the work.
I do think that photographers should be more flexible. I hate packages because I may not want everything in said package.
It reminds me of the limo company. They charge almost $500 more for a wedding because the "wedding package" comes with a red carpet and a bottle of champagne. When I asked them if I could have it for the same price as the prom package since I didn't want the red carpet or champagne, I was told no because it's a wedding. Ugh.
I also more photographers would just list their prices on their website. I hate wasting time calling photographers only to find out their packages start at $3000.
Maybe we will get lucky and do a skill swap. Web site/blog, ect for services. ^_^
Well said @LBPhotography I agree with you 100%. We spend at least 100 on every wedding. We have a few weddings a year where we really have to hold our brides hands to make sure we give them exactly what they want and that will often double that. Something else that was missed was photographers are not only giving up their time but also are blocking off their life some times years in advance. I can't tell you how many friends weddings or family events I've had to miss because our commitment to our clients. Not to mention there are only so many workable wedding days a year so if you divide the overhead of running the business {very expensive and the better you are the more likely to have more overhead} plus living expenses with how many weddings you can shoot in that year you get what photographers have to charge what they do.
@Miss Tattoo I was able to barter 75% of my wedding with mostly graphic/web design and some photography. It never hurts to ask. Just make sure you have a strong bartering contract if you find vendors willing to work with you.
@PizzutiStudios: YEah, I'm hoping to maybe find a photographer who needs a website or maybe needs to step up one they already have. My SO charges $25/hr for freelance coding and design work so perhaps we can barter with some vendors for a discount or a full on trade of services.
I'll say this as nice as possible, and please understand that i dont mean this in a mean way, but perhaps you need to relook at that portion of your budget and allocate more to that portion. it sounds like photography is important to you, so perhaps you can move of yourbudget that is lower on your priority list and be able to book a photorapher you really love.
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I fully appreciate that there is a diffrence between the skill of a wedding photographer and that of other types of photographers. I also appreciate that wedding photography may be the single source of income for a person. With all that said...I am over wedding photography packages!
It's just my preferences. My most basic concerns for wedding photography are that the photography shoots a style I like and that the photographer works within our budget means. More specifically, I look at the hours of coverage a photographer provides, if he or she works with second photographer, how we receive a DVD of our images, and how we are able to see our photos online. I need to learn more about the whole releasing photo rights to a couple; if I can get rights to the photos, well, I want them!
No, I am not concerned with physical photographs, a wedding book designed by you, etc. Please provide those a la carte at a reasonable price. Don't get me wrong; I have seen some of these items from some photographers and they look gorgeous but for me, that is not the priority in booking my wedding photographer. Maybe it's because of my budget. Maybe those items are important to other brides, grooms, and their families.
Photographers have wide enough price ranges or starting prices that I have been able to narrow down my local choices to photographers that I think have a good sense of style and can capture moments and are priced within our budget. When a photographer gives you a first quote of over $3,000, I turn away.
I understand that price can depend of factors such as style, experience, availability, and those tangental photography items like albums. I get sad when I see a price level for a photographer that is within our budget and provides all I want/need except...the photographer only provides 4 hours of coverage. Plus, each additional hour can run you an extra $300. That doesn't seem to mesh at all relative to the price package in the first place!
Ok, that's my rant. Photography is a priority! I can't wait to book our vendor!