Reception Photographer

Most "wedding" photographers are going to charge a little more. I've noticed many charge a minimum of $300 for a 1-2 hour non-wedding related photoshoot, so I think your best bet is checking craigslist or asking friends and family if they know any photographers to refer you to. You may be able to find college students or someone just starting out in the field who will fit your budget. It also doesn't hurt to email photographers that you are interested in and see if they are willing to work within your budget.

I think $400 is a little low and you might have to consider spending more on photography than anticipated. I'm only having a photographer at my ceremony and she's charging me $850 for 3.5 hours of service. I know a lot of photographers I talked with charge at least $250 an hour or more depending on their experience.

A friend of mine, who is also getting married pointed out to me that the photographs are all you have left after the day is over. He convinced me to move some things around on my budget and put more money toward photography. We're spending $2650 for 8 hours of photography with 2 photographers and unlimited rights to the digital copies. I barely flinched when I put down the 50% deposit this past weekend.

$400 is super low. And trust me, if you aim for the cheapest photographer possible, your photos will be terrible, and all of the money will be a waste. Better to spend $1500-2k on a great photographer than throw away $1k on a terrible one.

You're not going to be able to find a good person on a prime date for that $.

I'm getting married in the Tampa area (St Pete), and I contacted a bunch of photographers before choosing one. They really don't charge by the event (ceremony & reception vs just reception), it is more of an hourly thing. I would say to get a photographer on a Saturday (when there is usually an hourly minimum) you are going to have to spend at least $****.

I am very lucky, in Boston but, my former babysitter is in her jr. year of college for art therapy and she is minoring in photography and she does amazing job with her photos so we have hired her on for $300. Check with your local art schools and see if you can take a peak at some of their work.

When contacting a photographer dont mention anything about wedding. Tell them u have a gathering and would like it photograph. U dont have to find a wedding photogragher for this. U should be able to just get a photographer. It will be cheaper bec they will charge more for the word wedding.

I don't agree that if you spend less than 1000, your photos will look crappy! Some excellent photographers offer discounts to get their name out there and/or build their portfolios! For example, my niece is a photography student just starting out. She takes WONDERFUL photos, and I was amazed when I saw the concert photos she took for a band, ones for a sweet 16, a quince and another event! She knows photography and is really talented. If she was not one of my BMs I would have totally trusted her to take my photos!

I know someone else who takes all teachers pics for FREE! She is also wonderful...if she wasn't pregnant, I would have considered her as well!

OTOH, my Bff's photographer is about 3000 bucks, IMO, he sucks because his editing is too heavy for my liking!

So, I say this to say, you never know what you will find if you look hard enough!

IF you lie (even by omission), don't be surprised if the photographer walks out on you!

Most pro photographers can book a full Saturday at full price and will not offer a discount for a partial day.

Perhaps you can hire the photographer for both the ceremony on 8/15 and the reception on 8/23?

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Like I said, I only need a photographer for our reception, which will be more like a family/friends get-together. It's not going to be anything fancy.

Luckily, my fiance remembered that one of his Jesuit brothers does photography and videography for some nature channels and magazines. He does event photography in his spare time. I looked at his event portfolios and they are beautiful! We were lucky enough to book him for $350 for 4 hours! Hooray!!!

Thanks again for all of the help!

Maybe you can give me his number I will need one for December I found one for 7 hr $1,000 and digital prints.