Advice: Craigslist photographer?

I would meet with him first. For all you know, it could be someone acting as if that is his work just to get money from you and never show up.

I agree with that one chick. Def meet with him before paying anything. Pictures are a big deal, but even if they aren't "magazine worthy" you'll only look at them a handful of times before putting them on a shelf, and then, how long till you look again...if his pictures are good quality, I'd say go for it at that price. My dad is a wedding photographer and his packages start at $1000, so you can find decent photographers at a lower price.

Everyone starts somewhere but I don't think I would want to risk my wedding on a newbie. It's not like a regular photoshoot where you can get a do-over. There's only one first look, first kiss, first dance, etc. and if the photographer isn't familiar with weddings, he may miss these important moments. Please don't let price sway you on something as important as your photos. Years down the road, these photos are going to be the lasting memories and you certainly don't want to be say "if only..." - I know, I had a lousy photographer at my wedding. (I'm since divorced) but I didn't have one decent photo and I regret it to this day. Please do your research before making any decisions.

I found my photographer on Craigslist. I paid $450 for the entire day and I LOVE MY PHOTOS!! I am one of the lucky ones though because it doesnt always turn out good. You need to meet with him and make sure that he is knowledgable and has good equipment. They guy I used had shot weddings before and was able to show me alot of his work. I wouldnt go with someone who hasnt shot weddings as they are different and tricky to shoot.

I'd agree with the others about meeting with him. If he's someone you just can't get along with, that will show in the photos.

I'd also suggest insisting on looking at a complete wedding album. Anyone can get a few spectacular photos. But you also want to make sure he has the timing down to get good photos of critical moments (e.g., the kiss). Also look for indoor as well as outdoor photos, as lighting is trickier indoors.

Also, make sure that his package includes reproduction rights. If he gives you only digital images, but requires you to come back to him for prints or albums, the cost could be much more than you anticipate.

We used a photographer who advertised on Craigslist, and are very glad we did. But a lot depends on how critical photography is to you, and how much of a risk you're prepared to take with less information than you might have on other photographers.

Meet him? Naaaah. Give him the money and your wedding date. You'll be fiiiiiiiine.

My best friend used a guy that was just getting in photography. He was the son of a woman she worked with and also ad a Craigslist ad.

He wasn't terrible but he wasn't very personable. He had to run and get batteries while the bride was putting on her dress. I grabbed my Kodak digicam and snapped some cute pictures for her.

This was over a year ago and now he's charging a lot more than what he charged her.

I agree with the others on meeting him and looking at his work in person (bring your FH). Also, I'd ask him for references. It's not uncommon to do that if there are no reviews to read. Ask if you could speak to one or two past brides who used him for their weddings. His pictures look great, but I'd definitely do my due diligence. You could always ask him to put a hold on your date and then meet you at a local Starbucks or something to look at his work before you sign a contract.

We're planning to meet with him next Saturday. We do get the reproduction rights as well. He has shot weddings before (which is why I posted the link) and he's not a new photographer - he has about 6 years of experience. Also, we're not having a huge wedding or reception (no dancing, no tosses, etc.) so the most important pictures are the ones of FH and me.

I wouldn't be concerned at all about finding him/her on Craigslist as he/she would be interviewed no differently than if I found the Photog here or another wedding site. If after you're done interviewing him and you feel that he/she passes muster then go for it. IMHO Where/How you find your vendors shouldn't be the only determining factor.

Thanks!

Something lights up my radar a bit here. There's a very limited portfolio, a wide variety of styles, and some of the images look a little...familiar. I could be wrong. You could run some of the images through Google's image search to see if they turn up on any other websites (http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi) ...there are a lot of image thieves out there.

If you interview him, ask to see more portfolio - preferably a full wedding, either through a proof book or online gallery, and ask for references and perhaps even other vendors he's worked with, venues he's shot at, etc. The website is strangely light on information. Nothing about packages/pricing, no bio, nada.

I advertise on Craigslist sometimes! You just have to be very very careful on who you chose. The reason why we photogs charge what we charge is because we have experience, we have a sense of when and where the money shots are going to be, and you will be sure that you will get some beautiful shots. Make sure you meet with this person first and really look over their contract. Other than that I would say go for it! This may be a decent person just trying to start their portfolio and 5 years from now they'll be worth $5000 LOL Good Luck!!