- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Hahaha! I just posted a similar thread trying to find out about average costs. We've been quoted $3000-$4800 for just all day coverage so far.
If that price is ONLY to take pictures of your reception (i.e. no engagement shoot, no prints, no CD of images, etc) then I would say that is a bit ridiculous even for a great photographer. But if it includes more than just taking pictures, and her work is really good, I don't think that is way overpriced.
Most photographers are not just taking pictures. You are getting their talent with composing a good picture and photo processing. You can pay less for a photographer who gives you unedited images but if they are not good at taking pictures, you might not be happy with the results.
Unfortunately, $5k doesn't surprise me at all... And with a DW, they probably calculated in traveling costs
This is just for her 2 be there. No prints no e-shoot. For my hometown reception not at the DW
I planned on paying around $500. Our venue including food is $2500!
I would look for a student photographer at a local school or something. They can probably take pictures for a lot less since they are just building their portfolio.
The wedding is in the Bahamas, were not having a photog. Its just going to be our parents & 1 friend each and the guests of the friends will be taking pictures for us.
The reception is in Maine
For $500 you may be able to get a shoot and burn. As in, the photographer takes photos, burns them directly onto a disc, and hands it over =\
Oh oh, sorry just re-read, for your hometown wedding, not DW.
Maybe you should talk to her about your expectations....are you having a small wedding? Maybe talk to her about pricing for a small photoshoot, not a full traditional package? She might be thinking that it is a full reception...traditional wedding?? I don't know.
You could try to give your budget and see what she can do but I honestly don't know what you can get for $500 for photography.
Well, we're paying $5500 but that includes our e-session, 8 hours of wedding-day coverage, a second photog, online proof gallery, 650 high-res 4x6 professional prints, a wedding album, all high-res images on CD. Plus we LOVE our photographer-- she's super talented and sweet.
I think $5000 is a bit much JUST for her to shoot your reception. I agree that you can look into hiring a student or someone who is just starting off.
$5,000 is a lot, $500 is way too little.
Here in Canada 6 hours with 2 photographers (one pro, one assistant) is about $2,200 and I think that's pretty average. I thought that was a lot too, but I also understand there is a lot of work editing the images and also you are paying for the experience etc.
I'm from Maine too and I think that sounds like a lot for what you're getting. If you were getting the whole shebang then the price would make more sense.
um, yeah way too much. .. if you were getting the prints etc. that might be reasonable, but trust me, you can find a good photographer for 1-2K and that includes prints.
I have heard from so many people that they wish they had spent less on a photog. AND I've had so many friends whose favorite shots came from a friend. We found a great photog that allowed us to pay for just her hourly work, and then to put the photos on a DVD...$200 per hour. She is awesome, and she knows we'll have more money after the wedding to spend on $1000 albums. (ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?) Lol. This crap is way over priced. Srsly.
Right! if it says wedding its like 1000x more expensive! All we want as a disc anyway I do plan on looking at LOTS of other people. Personally i wouldn't spend $1000 on it i dont think its worth it!
Did you share exactly what you're hoping to receive. Sometimes if photogs don't know the details of what you're looking to receive then yes they throw out a general dollar figure. ALL photogs have custom packages and I am pretty positive in saying this, I am sure if this was a photog you're highly interested in they can create a custom package for you and maybe then the price would be more to your liking...If its still too high then heck you tried, you learned, and you know what to do with your next negotiations 
I used to be a wedding photographer for a pretty moderately priced company, and $500 wouldn't even get one of our photographers out the door.
Maybe you can find a student or someone who is just starting their portfolio.
Photography will be by far the largest portion of our budget. Packages with my photographer start at $3800, and she is worth every penny.
Imagine just how much one art photography print costs. Then multiply that by 500, or 1000. Wedding photography is art, not snapshots.
My sister had this same sticker shock while looking for a photographer. Call me crazy...but I would never spend 5K on a photographer just for them to take pics that I will never see unless I shell out MORE money. For that price, you should be receiving an album, a CD of edited images...something other than just photos being taken.
I'm not surprised. My favorite photog is about $10K. I couldn't afford him, but oh well.
If you look at the difference in quality of pictures from an expensive photog and an inexpensive one, there is definitely a difference. It just matters how much YOU care about that difference.
There was a good blog posting somewhere (not helpful, I know...I'll post once I find it) from someone who would be THE ideal friendor photographer. The person was an a photographer but not a wedding photographer. The person shot a wedding alongside a professional and the differences were staggering.
I'm going to look for it and post the link....
Thank you for the artice i will be passing it onto my other engaged friends who are not bees! I just dont think ANYONE should be charging that much for there time not even a doctor!
If you think about it, a lot of people charge similar rates for their time. It also includes all the photo processing time after the wedding. Here's a good article about the time commitment after the wedding:
http://www.weddingbeepro.com/2008/12/09/why-do-wedding-photos-take-so-long/
So it takes time after the wedding too. Many of the cheaper photographers do not take the same amount of time to process the photos after the wedding. In fact, I was researching a photography studio, and many freelance photographers were complaining about a specific studio since it doesn't let the photographer showcase their work due to crappy photo processing.
Oh, so following up on my last post, let's say there are 500 pictures as the final product for your wedding. At a rate of 5 minutes of processing per picture, it takes 41 HOURS to process the photos. That ends up being just over $120 an hour, which may seem like a lot, but it's not really that much, given all the costs of running a business (equipment, rent, computers, tax, etc)
The difference between a doctor and a photographer is that a doctor works every day of the week, with some exceptions/vacations/etc. A photographer can only shoot a few days out of the week, perhaps once a week if he's solely a wedding photographer! Then they spend tons of time editing your photos and so on, and photography equipment and an arts/photography education is pretty far from cheap!
At first I was dead set on not spending much on a photog, but the differences in so many aspects of the quality of the photos between a low-end photographer and a higher-end one are really incredible. I will be shelling out that $5k plus, unless I find some total pricing anomaly who makes incredible pictures that capture all the things I want them to and yet can somehow afford to shoot for less than that.
So they know what i want and its $800 extra for the disc. I could invite 195 MORE guests to take pictures for the total price that is just crazy!
I will deff be looking on CL to find someone just starting out. I just cant see spending that kind of money on a photog. I could almost finish my house for that!
ImHO it's too much. I know it's a great time but don't gauge the customer. I wouldn't pay it but there are folks that think that goes with the venue. Now if you have your wedding in a hotel in New york and it doesn't matter what a thing costs, then blow it to the wind.
I know I'm getting a great photgrapher and it's way less then that. sepia, color, posed, unposed, getting dressed, until the end, etc. they have talent and they have books with the pictures on the pages, etc.. it's great...
Im getting quoted $2800-$4500 on average. Some of the people charge $6000 and up, others charge $2000 and under. But the majority that I've spoken with are right in that 3500 range. Sadly :(
I'm getting my photographer for $1,500. That includes 5hrs shooting time and a CD of high-res images. And her hubby is joining her as a back-up photographer for free! It's almost half my budget, but the photography is one of the most important things about my wedding, so I'm willing to dish it out on someone I really like and trust.
Because clearly all folks with weddings in New York (or is it just hotel weddings?) have no budget and will agree to be price-gouged just because they can. 
It's great if you can find a photographer who you like who is willing to do inexpensive work, but I respect the time, talent, and commitment that goes behind being a great photographer and recognize that not only is not cheap to get to that place, but they deserve a reward for it as well. Not that I'm even sure the average wedding photographer with a $4-6k price point is being "rewarded" extremely well; I don't know what kind of lifestyles the average one can afford.
Don't be afraid to ask what they can do for you for your budget. I booked a photographer whose normal base price is $3000. I told him our budget was $2000. He put together a package that worked for us (6 hours of photography, all full-res images with printing rights, online gallery and slide show, no prints and no albums). He's fantastic and I'm delighted.
I just found someone on CL- turns out i knew her husband & SIL from high school!!
She has lots of wedding experience and shes willing 2 do 6 hours w/ a disc for $400!
I am meeting with her on sat and can not wait to finally found someone!!
There's some info on why it's expensive in this thread
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/please-help-me-understand-why-photography-is-so-expensive
One way to bring the cost down would be to hold the "party only" reception on a Friday or Sunday night... or any non-saturday really. Photogs are much more likely to give you a break or book a smaller package on any other day. Typcially, they only get 1 day a week to work, so that one wedding needs to be worth their time... so they can feed their families. There's some of the breakdown in the thread I linked too... They don't make nearly as much as you think they do....
Unfortunately I think a lot of wedding photographers, even if they're spectacular, have insanely high prices. I am a photographer and because I don't charge insane prices(We keep our prices low so that everyone can afford great portraits) I can't afford a wedding photographer.
Try looking on facebook, asking friends, craigslist, etc for photographers in the area just starting out. Be very clear in what you want out of/from them. Make sure to cover all your bases. You can score a fabulous "newbie" proffessional photographer for cheap. Especially if they're still portfolio building.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| rachgirl82 | 39 |
| pengoala | 33 |
| kate02121 | 12 |
| ndreighton | 11 |
| Sunfire | 11 |
| couawilou | 10 |
| Indecisivebride2012 | 10 |
| louiseW | 10 |
| MilksMom | 9 |
| Lyndzo | 9 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
 SpecialSundae |
4 |
| rachgirl82 | 2 |
| Hobokenbride2012 | 2 |
| Missbliss | 1 |
| Frog E. | 1 |
| pengoala | 1 |
| Ivyperks | 1 |
| kate02121 | 1 |
| beargoose | 1 |
| ladyartichoke | 1 |
So I’m from Maine things are generally not overly expensive around here besides wedding photography apperently! A friend of mine recommended a photographer to me (her sis is a photog but lives out of state so she couldn’t do it) So I went on her site the pix look good so I filled out a request form and got the email back $5000 just for her to be there and take the pix! And it is only for my reception, we’re having a DW. I could not believe that’s how much someone changes! Is this normal? I will in no way use these people!