looking for a cheap but good photographer

Western MA is going to be challenging for that price range. Our ceremony and reception are in Whately and we really couldn't find any "good" "professionals" under 2500. Especially if you want digital rights to the photos. I think we'll end up paying 5600 for 8 hours, 2 photographers and digital rights.

Also OP, I'm not sure if it's your style or what there other packages look like but we're using Love&Perry. Their portfolio is amazing.

You won't find good and cheap. Pick one.

Try craigslist. I found a few on there that I have appointments with.

Tina, yours were grand!!!!!

An engagement shoot is nothing like a wedding. A wedding is a rapid fire series of events; an engagement shoot is two people in the park with all the time in the world. It does not have relatives involved and it is, by nature, casual.

Keep in mind that the hours on site are the tip of the iceberg; the post production takes far longer and that's a large part of what you pay for.

And the worst part? You won't know they sucked until it's over. I know. Mine sucked.

It's like we keep saying the same things.. And no one hears.

You get what you pay for...

I disagree a bit on "you get what you pay for".

I have an AWESOME photographer. I'm paying 800 for engagements and the wedding and her portfolio is super beautiful. She does this just as a side job so maybe thats why? But, she's incredible. Sometimes it's more "you get what you research" Do your research.

Also, this could be skewed because I live in a really cheap state.

I got my package for 2300 with 8 hours of coverage of photos and video. 2 photographers and 2 videographers

If you live in vegas, I can help.

One thing that helped lower the cost of my photographer was cutting the "extras" out of the package ... We have the printing and downloading rights so we aren't getting an album or any prints from him. We also chose the option with only one shooter ... But it's only costing us $900 for the whole day, and that included an engagement shoot. But I also live in the middle of nowhere so it's cheaper haha

Let's just be honest....the word awesome and amazing are often grossly misused, I've seen evidence of the Uncle Bob photographers, they're anything but...the fact that someone is willing to take a loss usually means something. Or lacking field experience and building a name at clients' expense. You do get what you pay for, in more ways than one.

I'm sorry. Not sorry. No one awesome is going to charge 800 for engagements AND the wedding and the post processing.

If they are awesome they would be charging for it. And if they magically really ARE that good? Then they don't respect the profession enough because that's undercutting the industry like a mother fucker.

So, either she's lying, she's undercutting or you don't know what awesome photography looks like- Or your getting ready to be taken for a ride.

I hope for your sake she's just unprofessional and undercutting.

Good luck!

I guess we can just see when my BAM comes.

ETA: I should add though, I don't have photos of the ceremony, which I think makes costs go up a lot?

No one is going to say anything on your BAM.that would be rude as shit.

... You're not having the ceremony captured by photographer? Yes. That sounds drop the price. Probably not astronomically.. And certainly not under a grand but I can see a reduction in the rate.

Oh I know no one would say anything, but I mean the pictures won't turn out like the terrible ones you are all envisioning.

And honestly, UT is so different for weddings it's not even funny. So, the prices are a ton lower than anywhere else.

The lowest package for the photographer we used is now $1,350--and that includes only one photographer for 6 hours of coverage. And you only get a DVD of the edited photos, no prints or albums.

http://www.portraitnewengland.com/index2.php?v=v1#!/PRICING

You might find a photographer willing to do it for less than $1,000 if you had photos of only the ceremony. But the problem with this is that if you're having your wedding on a Saturday evening, a good and experienced photographer isn't going to want to take a job for only an hour or so, if that precludes them from getting a more profitable job for all evening.

Someone who got their degree in photography but is just starting out may be a great photographer, but it is unlikely that person has the experience to be able to get the timing right on a wedding. If you're doing photography of a corporate meeting, and you miss a shot, you can just line everyone up and try again. But if you miss the kiss at a wedding, you can't just retake the shot. So while you could use such a person for your wedding, you'd have to be willing to take the risk that some important shots would be missed.

So your choices come down to:

1. Pay more and get an experienced wedding photographer.

2. Move your wedding to sometime other than a Saturday night, and try to negotiate for photos of just the ceremony.

3. Get someone from a photography school, Craigslist, or Thumbtack, but understand that important shots may be lost or may turn out badly.

4. Rely on your guests to take amateur photos, but understand they will never come out as well as a professional's. (We have both professional and amateur photos of our wedding, and the difference in quality is obvious.)

When we hired our photographer, he was just starting out, so his rates were a lot lower than they are now. We had our wedding at noon on a Tuesday, and negotiated for just 3 hours of coverage. And we got lucky, and ended up with photos we love. (A few shots we would like to have had got missed, but nothing critical.) But we hired him based on seeing one album he had done, and recognized that we were taking a big risk. The question really is whether that is a risk you are prepared to take.

We were able to get a deal on a $2200 package for $1800 because we are off season and booked 2 years our. That being said, I emailed about 25 photographers. $1000 is a low budget for photography and as others have stated you are in promise seasons (is your wedding on a Sat?) but don't lose hope. You can also cut on hours (we won't have an exit, for example, so I won't have my photographer there the last hour.)

Do get someone with some quality, though. That's all you'll have to look back on.

Cheap and good do not go in the same sentence my friend.

I agree that the word "cheap" doesn't belong in the same sentence as "good." Try "less expensive."

And I am with Swin. I loved our photos and photographers who were such a big part of our day (I call them my bridesmaids.) They were with us for over 14 hours, found the hair and mua, created a timeline that included "give lots of hugs" and more. Sometimes I feel like we stole from them!