How much did you/are you spending on photography?

iallrd8it · November 2009

Hi knotties

I was just curious how much you are willing to spend on good photography. I have found a photographer that I love who is really pricey but his pics are amazing.

HilaryH1231 · November 2009

I think its hard to know what you would be willing to spend without knowing what your money can buy you, aka the average price of photography in your state. For instance, if I say I'm paying $6000 for photography, that might seem completely ridiculous to some people, but in NYC, that's not a crazy price and so I am more willing to pay it. I think you should be willing to pay the amount that would fit within your budget. However, I do personally think that if I had to splurge on anything, it would be photography.

I <3 Seabass · November 2009

IMO loving your photographer and being able to afford them are the 2 most important things to think about when hiring a photographer. Don't worry about what anybody else paid or what the average price is. It only matters what your budget is and what your comfortable paying.

hollyjlynn · November 2009

I completely agree. My husband and I had a really small budget and we could only pay 1,500 for photography and I regret it to this day. We have been married for a year and a half now and I have been thinking about the things I wish I would have done differently so I thought I'd browse the forums again to see if my mistakes could help out other people. Our whole wedding budget was $5,000 from my parents which is not much at all. We pulled some favor, did some trades and we made it work but we did not pick the right photographer for us. When picking a photographer you really need to think about your style, who YOU are and what you want from your wedding pictures. Unfortunately, we didn't know our style then and regret it a lot now. We are wedding photographers (Won't mention our name so know doesn't kick me off) but since our wedding we have done tons of weddings for everyone else and really developed our style for what we love in photos and looking back at my own wedding pictures, they are just nothing like that. I wanted edgy, artistic, beautiful, creative images with a photojournalistic touch. I say photojournalistic touch because lots of photographers can catch tender, candid moments in weddings but it takes someone special to do that in a creative way. Since i've been doing this for a while now I really understand price and I know a ton of photographers and there are a lot of them that charge a lot but are not worth a lot and others really are worth that money. So you really gotta figure out your style and BE SURE to view a whole set. Lots will give you a small set of great images and then just do hardly any editing to the rest. So be sure the whole set sample is really good if your gonna put the money out there. Anyways, all that to say, if you really know what you want and you've found "the photographer" just the "the dress" you'll know its right and I would cut anything possible to work with that right person if I could go back. People will not remember the food at the reception (which is soo expensive) where as you will always have your photos to remember your wedding. I would say drop $3,000 - $5,000 for a photographer in michigan but be sure they are worth it.

alliecarrie41 · November 2009

"willing to spend" is completely subjective to the individual, the photographer, budget... you should be willing to spend what you can AFFORD to spend. also more money does not equal better pictures.

britlee in love · November 2009

A lot of pricing depends on area. Here you can get good photography for $1000. It goes up from there. I would have spent up to $1500.

Goldlie11 · November 2009

For me, the max is $4,000. I'm hoping to pay less than that though. Photos are one of my biggest priorities.

iallrd8it · November 2009

Thanks everybody

you've really given me a lot to think about and helped me out so much!

kadydidit · November 2009

For "the one" photographer, I'd spend what it takes. You can always try to barter with the photographer too, see what they can do with your budget.

tehyashima · November 2009

I am willing to spend thousands...but what I am actually spending is closer to 1,000 dollars. However, my photographer is also my best friend. So she is saving me about half on my engagement/wedding photos. Just remember pictures are all you have left (well besides your husband anyway) to remember your wedding.

MissLeahM · November 2009

About $4,000.

Photos are a priority for me. A year after the wedding, all we will have left are the photos and memories. So if we have to skimp on other things, then so be it.

Good luck!

e_jakiela · November 2009

Yes, depending on the area, you can pay even as much as $8K for 8 hours. I initially hoped to spend no more than $2K but I did not like the work of the photographers at this price. The one I did like, who was recommended to me, promised the couple an online website with pics, an album and all proofs, and it's been a year since their wedding, none of these have been delivered yet... my friend doesn't care because they have the video and some good pictures that family members took, but I would NOT be ok with this.

My photographer is Ryan Brenizer and his unlimited time package is $3995. twice as much as I wished to pay, but he is really good, does a wedding each week and gosh, he is acclaimed...

e_jakiela · November 2009

Oh, I forgot to add: to afford him, I am doing all of my flowers DIY as well as my invites, and STDs...

But, seriously, he is worth every penny!

jinxed8605 · November 2009

My photog is $1200 includes rights and a disc of the pics. Prints are separate but I plan to buy those on shutterfly!

austindara · November 2009

I've heard that the old standard was 10% of the wedding budget, but as a wedding photographer, I've seen people spend up to 30%

People always say, "don't go cheap on photography" but if you go cheap on everything except for photography in order to afford it, you might not have much for the photographer to photograph

That said, this is what I usually tell people on a tight budget: Spend what you can afford on your wedding day, but the day after your wedding, pay your dream photographer for a couple hours of his/her time for a portrait session a la carte. Of course, you'll have to get dressed and dolled up again, but it would be so worth it!

Good luck!

Nukke · November 2009

I'm from Canada, and I'm having my Canadian photographer come to our destination wedding in NY state. She will cost just under $2000 CAD when all is said and done. We'll be paying for her commute to NY, and we'll be getting engagement photos, 8 hours of wedding shots, 800 pics (high-res, unwatermarked), also converted to B&W on disk, a proof album of 200 photos, and a 15 min slideshow. We have a small wedding budget, but decided we would "splurge" on photography because we want to be able look back on this day for the rest of our lives. Photography is such an important keepsake!

I suggest reading what your photographer offers carefully. For example, many photographers won't allow you to use their photos (example--you can't post them online), or they'll put big ugly watermarks across your digital images when they give them to you on a disk. Be warned!

I hope you find exactly what you want. We sure did!

How much did you/are you spending on photography?

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