Is Cheap Photography Worth It?

With lots of research and calling around you should be able to find a low priced photographer. but please make sure you look at THEIR work. i have a friend who booked a cheap photographer who was just beignning in a large company and he showed the work of their top photographer at the company. it was not his and she was very unhappy with their photos. just do lots of reseach though and i think you'll be able to find one.

Try not to compare the cost of things. You have to decide what's the most important things to you. Everyone has a reservation price - the most they're willing to pay for an item. You are getting an EXCELLENT deal on your venue. Just try to save money in every area that you can. Your pictures will be one of the few tangible things you'll have from your wedding. Keep looking around. I think you'll find something that fits into your budget.

Try to find a photographer that is just starting out. They normally haven't had a chance to make a name or themselves so they aren't able to charge the really expensive prices because they are trying to break into the industry.

I'm dabble in photography but am not a professional by any means. I've shot many of my friends weddings as the secondary photographer. I'm free so I fit in the budget, love taking pictures, and am already in the count for the guest list. See if any of your friends are willing to help by taking some pictures at the reception. We're having one or ours take the video of our reception.

Hope this helps!

Like Christina said, that is your best bet of finding a good low priced photographer. That is pretty much where I am right now. In my area, I am on the skill level of the $2500-$3000, but charge about a 1/3 less than that.

I've said it many times. I don't recommend going to a photography school to find a photographer. Wedding photography is hands down the hardest art to master. Many people don't want to shoot weddings. They are high stress, and fast paced. There is no let me change this light a bit when you're after the glisten of first tear running down your face.

I've had students work with me as a second, and usually only get a couple usable images from them.

The best bet would be to try to see what vendors are willing to shoot files only, sometimes close open dates, or off season, will land you a good pro who wants to fill a date that is open that he might not book, or an off season one......tomthephotogman

Photography is the single most important thing to me (besides getting married of course) for my day, so i'm splurging a bit. but there are tons of other options to get great photos for less. If I were you I would defiantly look for a photography student at a reputable school in the area. I went to film school and we worked closely with the photography students and their work was amazing! Odds are if they are paying for the education they are passionate about it and will appreciate you helping build their portfolio. A friend of mine had a student shoot her wedding, and i thought his shots were very artistic. If you do choose a professional, no matter what their price range, make sure you can see a whole wedding start to finish not just their best work.

It's tough and may take a little more work but more than possible!

Good Luck!

Look on craigslist... i recently found 1 that charges $650 and 1 that charges $700. you might not get much, but its low

Try to look outside of your hometown if you live in a smaller city. Usually rates are cheaper in big cities because the market is saturated, that's what I did. All of the photographers in my town were too expense so I searched in the Chicago area and found great photographers for a fraction of the price that I would find in my hometown. Plus, the travel fees might not necessary cost you that much, because most photographers usually include a hour or two of travel with their packages and you pay the difference which usually is not that much. Definitely explore all your options and if you live close to a big city, research that area and you will save a bunch.

Keep in mind that photographs are one of the few things you will have a lifetime to remember your wedding by. I went very cheap on my photographs and I was so upset I was crying when I saw the pictures. I really would rather no one else go through that. The photo on my site was taken by my mother in law, thank god I got a few nice pictures.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!! I mean if you like their work & they are just a lower priced vendor than that's ok. BUT absolutely do not skimp on this. The photos are one of the most important part of your day!!!! They are what you will look back on, your daughters will daydream with, and be your memory when you get too old to do it yourself.

An option to save money would have them give you a disk & put photos up on kodak.com or a site like that for you to order your prints off of. That is wear they gauge the price!

Shop around! You have time before your wedding, look up bridal shows in your area and go to them. There will be a few photographers there and they'll have some good deals. One I found here in Chicago had a really good package starting at $700 which wasn't bad, but it just wasn't everything I wanted so I opted for a different photographer. There are some good ones out there for some good prices you just have to hunt them down.

Be very careful...this is important. A cheap, inexperienced photographer may get some good pictures by accident, but they will work much slower than an experienced wedding photographer, so you will spend a lot of time for fewer good pictures. They tend to miss important pictures because of their inexperience. They may be showing you a portfolio of pictures they didn't actually take! Wedding photography is different, and I've seen some disastrous photo student wedding pictures because they can't work fast and everything is blurry. Is $500 of blurry, poorly lit pictures a better deal than $2000 worth of beautiful, artistic wedding memories? Do you want to gamble?

There is a clear difference between cheap and low cost. I am willing to spend a decent amount of money on my photos, but I won't bust my budget. When I advertised on Craigslist a lot of high quality photogs with years of experience contacted me. Being that they were responding to a Craigslist ad with my budget clearly stated - each of them were willing to work with me. I always check references, google them, meet in person, and request to view copies of personal work. Good deal.

I have worked with many different budgets using Photographers that charge from $400 to $15,000 for wedding photography. I have to say you can really tell the difference. It is mostly in the editing and processing but that is what makes the difference. Out here in SoCal $2000 is near the bottom end of photography costs for a basic package. It all depends on what you are wanting. Personally, I encourage my brides to cut a few corners elsewhere and invest in a good quality photographer. The favors, invitations and programs won't be remembered but you will cherish your photographs forever!

I notice that most of the people responding here have yet to get married and see the resulting images from these "cheap" photographers. I'd love for someone to chime in who already is married and opted for one of these cheap photographers and to hear what they think about their photos.

Recently married and found through a friend a wonderful photographer who is building her portfolio. Great surprise! She captured so many good moments of my wedding, many ones I would never have known about if not for the pics. I opted for full coverage and edited disc but when I saw the pics I ordered prints and was wowed at the quality. Good photographers can be found on a small budget, just ask around. Check out Iamesphoto.com if live in Jacksonville Fla or surrounding area.

We got married last June and used 365 Memories Photography. (http://www.365memories.com) And we LOVED our pictures. She was recommended from a friend after we met with about TEN wedding photographers and couldn't find anyone we liked or felt comfortable. We had a tight photo budget for this area - about $1000 - and while it's nice that people want to build up portfolios and get experience, I just wanted QUALITY photos from someone with experience. I mean, why pay the same amount for 2,000 so-so photos on a DVD I look at once a year. Even if that meant I get less photos, I wanted GREAT photos I could display and be proud and remember. That's why we went with 365 Memories. She was affordable, very professional and very nice, very easy to work with on a very hectic day.

I think that perhaps more photographers havent commented on this thread because it is simply a VERY frustrating topic for photographers. So many people want to use "a friend" for their wedding. Yikes!! I cant agree more with the fact that you get what you pay for. Those of us who are experienced do have accurate prices because we know the correct amount of work that goes into a wedding, as well as the cost of equipment, how much we pay our second photographer, and the cost we pay for high quality printing products so that we can get you only the best! I myself, used a friend for my wedding photography. He was not an experienced wedding photographer, worked mainly with kids.Because of that we got good but not incredible photos. Didnt get those bridals which is one reason I specialize in Couture Wedding, especially BRIDAL photography- Good luck to you Sounds like you will need to get someone who is just starting out to fit your budget. Less experience often means cheap $. Congrats!

I wholeheartedly agree with Ari... so many people use friends but then later ask to do a trash the dress session as they hated their photos. The cheaper the person means the less experienced they are. They often don't have a backup camera, don't edit your photos for skin corrections, and give you bland photos. Another thing too is those who charge less/nothing have less equipment and may not have proper knowledge of how to light a dark reception hall or get photos in a church which doesn't allow flash photography.

Ask to see a photogs FULL wedding from the details, ceremony to reception and ensure the photos are crisp, well lit, and high quality as you want to ensure you can blow up your photos and if the photog is shooting in low res you'll photos will only look good maybe 4x6

Good luck

Stacy

Asking to see an ENTIRE body of work from one wedding will let a bride and groom know immediatley what caliber of photographer they are considering. I'm not talking about the RAW/unedited files ... I'm talking about the body of work that he/she has presented to a past client. If this is not available, reconsider your choices.