how much should you spend on a photographer?

piiink2103

I am wondering how much you should spend on a photographer when looking? I have seen from 500-5000. I live in orange county, CA. Thank you

twilight.rose

This is completely dependent upon your budget, the package you choose, the experience of your photographer, etc.

For example, if you hire someone with 25 years of experience to shoot for 10 hours, it will undoubtedly cost far more than hiring a brand new photographer to shoot for 4 hours. Your question is totally subjective.

chocolategirl3000

we are paying about $1700 for 8 hours. This includes an album.

SJBNJB

In California, an average cost is around $2,500-$3,000 for an expereienced photographer for about 6-8 hours with some sort of album.  This is in general, and prices vary by what is included in the package.  But if you start to go too much lower, often times the experience level of the photographer goes down as well.  I really like Unveiled Wedding Photography in San Diego.  They travel, so Orange County isn't a stretch. www.unveiledwedding.com. They are super nice, fun to work with, very experienced and shoot beautiful photos.  I think their prices are very fair for their experience.  Good luck with your search!

gymbugmj2k

How important are the pictures to you/your day?
Do you want works of art that you can hang around your house, or do you just want someone to document the day so you can put it in a book?

My FI and I appreciate quality photography - we can tell when someone has good technique and things are properly focused/lighting used/etc.  We were HORRIFIED to find out that some of the photographers that charge $2,000 were shooting pics that were less quality than if my FI took them!!!  We definitely knew we'd be spending more money for the right person.  We ended up going with Neal Urban (nealurban.com) and get excited everytime we see a new pic of his. haha

But thats really what it comes down to.  Make a list of what is important to you. Do a LOT of research.  The most expensive/experienced aren't always the best. Check out their websites, find out if they have 1 or 2 shooters, find out if the person you book is actually who they send on that day or if they outsource.  Don't be afraid to ask questions and interview them --- they're following you around the whole day, so you better like them!

bridetobemo

It also greatly depends on where you live naturally California is going to cost more than St. Louis, MO where I live, we're paying $750.00 for all day, with a cd of all the images, his normal price is $1500.00 but my best friend referred me to him so he gave me what she payed since her parents are close friends of his. I'm super happy with his work, I'd be willing to spend his regular rate though because pictures are so crucial to me