How much to pay photographer friend?

A friend of mine did our engagement photos. He wouldn’t allow us to pay him, he said to just give him a Starbucks gift card. We gave him $350 in a card, that way he couldn’t give it back lol. Depending on the amount of time he is taking pictures and the amount of time it takes for him to edit I would suggest $700-$1,000. Editing takes a lot of time and if it’s done right it makes all the difference!

I should also add that I don't expect him to edit the photos. I'm very skilled in Photoshop. So basically I just need good quality photos.

I'd pay what is typical in your area for a starting photographer. Remember there is so much more work that goes into photography than just taking the pictures.

Hire a pro.

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Thanks for the advice! Assuming he doesn't edit, do you think I can come down on the price a bit?

View Quoted Comment You might be able to but if he takes some amazing photos of the day you might not want to.

Hi Jessica! Welcome to the community

I can definitely see the dilemma here as figuring out pricing can be tricky! Typically the average cost of a wedding photographer is $1,200 - $3,000. This, of course, includes different packages, 1 -2 photographers, and a ton of other services. If your family friend is just taking candid shots then the price of that would be much less than what is normally included. When thinking of price take into consideration his time, any travels, equipment, and experience. The WeddingWire Cost Guide can give you a sense of what to charge and there's an awesome forum post talking about a similar situation!

Wedding Photographer Cost Guide

How Much to Pay (friends) the Photographer

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I second this. Look to schools, art schools, your local high school (Art teachers often moonlight as photographers) but you really need a pro here, with a signed contract. If something goes wrong.....do I need to repeat the story of my brother and his wife who "hired" her brother for their wedding in 1987 and he forgot to put film in the camera?

I had one of my good friends take my pictures, engagement pictures to be exact, and she edited the ones I wanted and she made my Save The Dates and ordered them she’s also my bridesmaid so she told me to just pay her by paying her bridesmaid dress which was about 150 which saved me a good amount of money so I would suggest paying him about 100-150 bucks since he won’t edit them himself you know and your doing the rest. But it’s really up to you how much you were planning to pay.

A family friend is doing my photography. She's my mom's childhood friend, so she just asked what she would like to be paid. She asked for $500 plus any travel expenses, which still more affordable than any other quotes I got! I was worried initially about insulting her by offering too little for professional services, so I'm glad my mom asked.

Since you havent talked to him first, you should figure $1200 and play it by ear and see what he says first, what if he says no...or what if he already has a price in mind. You really should give more than $100 whether you are going to edit or not, it's his time that he is being paid for

Hey there, so a friend of a friend will be doing our photos. She does it on the side and takes amazing pictures. I asked her what her costs were and she stated that with ceremony and reception she would charge $150 that includes a usb Drive with all the unedited photos. We will be giving her a generous tip as well as a plate of food at the reception. It all really depends on your budget and what you’re willing to put towards photography. I agree with other posters on checking out local photography schools as well. In my opinion, I’m all for helping someone with their portfolio! 💜

I would say $100 for each hour he will be photographing. I would recommend getting at least a basic contract written up to cover both of you. It should list what services he’ll provide, outline the agreed upon compensation, and release the rights to the photos.

We have a friend who offered to do our photos as our gift. She is a pro who is trying to get into weddings (currently she is well known in the area for portraits and cosplay events) so she asked only that she could use us as a full wedding for her portfolio. She has refused to put a price in the contract - we are paying only for the USB and getting our own prints - and she is letting us provide her with a USB to use. We are giving her the guest meal and seating her with other friends at the reception (which we are focusing around the food anyway so we arent expecting lots of pictures of people eating for hours) We arent super comfortable with not paying her so we have decided to tip her her usual hourly rate from her website for on location cosplay shoots. (she charges $30 an hour for those) We figure that it is close to an action shoot and if we were hiring her directly (instead of her approaching us to ask if she could be the photographer) that would be what she charged as it is the highest price point on her price list.