Is Cheap Photography Worth It?

Research research research. Just keep looking. All photographers need to have a portfolio of their photos for you to look at. If you find a cheap one and hate the photos, then don't use them. You can try local universities and find a student who is majoring in photography. Their pictures won't necessarily be the best, but you can give it a shot. I found my photographer for $750 with sole rights to my pictures through my MOH. She is relatively new to photography but I love her pictures.

Ask for referrals. I met my photographer at a women's retreat. He works for a local newspaper but he also freelances. It's costing us $650 for the entire day. He would have done just the ceremony for $500 but I figured for $150 more we might as well have him for the entire day. He said he also likes to come to the rehearsal dinner so that #1 he can know how the day will flow and #2 so he can also take some pictures.

Thanks. I will have my Moh ask around since its kinda hard to do that from Colorado. i had a friend that is a Photography major. i could see if she is up to it i guess.

Honestly, the BEST way that I've found to research photographers is to just go to Google and type in "photographers (city you're being married in)" haha. I found sooooo many photographers that were way cheaper than I was getting from vendor lists.

Only use your friend if you absolutely love her photographs. And just make sure that you understand soo many brides on here will tell you that photography is the ONE thing you should not skimp on. It is the only thing you will have down the road to remind you of your day.

Yeah thats true. I just really dont have more than 800 max for Photos. i mean thats more than my dress my moh dress Ceremony cost, and reception cost all together. hmm i guess there goes my budget.

Not necessarily. Just shop around. You'll spend a lot of time on the internet/on the phone, but it is totally possible to find something you love in your price range! Just don't give up!

Lol I was thinking the same thing until I found my photographer. I was like there is no way we can afford over $2000 for a photographer when our budget is only $3000-$4000. I lucked out, though. There are a couple of brides on here who have used craiglist successfully. In my area, 99.99% of the ads on craigslist and/or responses to an ad you place will be scams. But in larger cities, you have a greater chance of finding a legitimate ad or of having a legitimate person respond to your ad.

Thanks i will keep looking hopefully something will come up.

Do some research, try craigslist, yes there are some great deals, ask if they can cut out the editing and giving you actual photo. If you have the copyright you can get them printed on your own for way cheaper. I hired mine for a special $295 for 2 hours of photo and I get a disc and the copyright. a lot of photographers do hourly soinstead of paying $2000 for unlimited hours and 2 photographers get 2-3 hours depending on what shots u want, and then print your own pics

I spent so long trying to find a photographer that wouldnt cost me several thousand dollars. I finally found one and the package was $875, but I thought it was too good to be true until I met with her and am so excited to have her do our wedding. Her package included full day coverage, all rights to images, a photo album with 300 prints and a disc with all pictures at high resolution. I was so excited after our appt I wanted to hug her! Just keep looking, youll find the perfect photographer!

Poke some art colleges with photography departments too! Also, some really good photographers end up working at the mall for paying the bills, but do some freelance too. You know, Picture People and Sears Photo.

Yea it's a good idea to talk to people you know personally or if your MOH knows someone good to use them. My FBIL is doing our pictures for free so it doesn't get much cheaper than that. Or if you used a friend they could probably do it at a discount or something. Or like someone mentioned up there you could use someone who does it as a hobby.

Remember that after that day is said and done, you will keep two things....your new husband and the photos.

Make sure your friend takes GREAT photos....they need to last you a lifetime

Yes, just make sure to meet with at least five photographers. It will be worth the investment in time to find a good one...not necessarily a high end expensive one. You don't need to buy the album from them. And you don't need to hire them for the whole day either. It's also very nice to get your engagement session thrown in for free. That comes with a lot of photog's wedding day services, included.

The photographer that we are looking at is $1,000. For that price we get an engagement shoot with 2 locations, all day coverage (10:30 am until like 8 p.m), a c.d with all the edited photos with the rights to them, and a table book. However, our photographer has had no formal training, just what she has been taught from other professionals. Like all pp said though you will treasure these photos for the rest of your life so really $1,000 to $2,000 isn't that much when you can treasure them forever! There are always other things that you can scale back on in order to accomadate a larger photography budget if you find someone you both love.

In addition to a photographer, I would ask all your friends/family members and other guest to bring their digital cameras/camcorders and help to capture the moment from all different angles, that way you have the professional ones and all the other shots your guests think you shouldn't be without.

I have the same problem, some of the photogs prices are way too much for our budget. I can understand the need for making a living, but sometimes it gets a little out of control.

I went online to craigslist and posted an ad listing all the things I wanted for the budget I could afford. I got a lot of responses from some very good photogs, and most were well within my budget. Lets be honest, its a recession and weddings (contrary to popular belief) are NOT recession proof.

We're also on a budget for photography but it's the one area I really wanted to splurge in. I talked my Fiancé up to $1k for the budget and then I talked about 6 different photographers to or under our budget price. A lot of times if you explain to them that you're on a tight budget and already pushing your limit they're willing to work with you. Also there were several that I said, "oh that's too bad we can't push the budget that far. We'll keep looking and good luck to you." Then they replied saying that they could bring it down just a little further for us. Between savvy negotiating and military discount we're working wonders with a little budget!

(I found a nice photgrapher in Portland OR for $960 to do 8 hours of photography, and engagement shoot, album credits, slide shows all thanks to a generous 20% discount. I'm so glad I asked!!)

Oy vey. I could go on for days about this subject. Too many brides treat photography as a commodity and look at the bottom line. Let me first start by asking everyone complaining about prices, do you turn down a raise when your boss offers it to you? No. I didn't think so. Yes. We all need to make a living, cost of living is ever increasing. As much as I'd love to think Canon sponsors me and gives me the $15k worth of gear for free, that is far from the truth. There is a reason some photographers are more expensive than others. The gear is only the beginning, add in schooling, business costs, travel, etc. You can find a fly by night photog on CL, I've heard horror stories of those photog's not showing up as well. There is a way you can look at the camera properties of pictures. I've seen many photog's with numerous different brand cameras in their port = stolen photos.

Your best bet is finding someone new building a port. Check out www.ppa.com for photog's in your area!