How much will your photographer cost?

nhelene

I am trying to select a photographer, and I'm going through serious sticker shock. 

Help put my mind at ease by figuring out a normal average.  How much are you spending on your photography package and what are you getting out of it?

MHeming

Our photographer is costing us around $2200/2300.  I can't remember the exact price at the moment.  I don't have our proposal with me at the moment, but I can post later with the details.

razdazzle

We are spending around 3k - it includes 8 hours on the day, 1 album for us and 2 albums for our parents, engagement picture session, disc with pictures and rights to reprint.  I felt like this was about average for everything that is included.

doingathing

Mine is $2000 for 1 photographer, 8 hours, includes a DVD of the pictures and rights to print them, no prints/albums/engagement shoot. There are generally a lot of photographers in this area in the $2000-3000 range for the basics, and also a few experienced ones for less than $2000.

LindsMullinix

Ours is 2850 for 2 photographers, 8 hours, 2 DVD's with all the fully retouched images with full print rights. 

fchan1

Ours is 12 hours, 2 photographers, full rights to the post-processed/retouched DVD, 3 prints of our selection, and an engagement session for $2295. This is his full, max package. No album or additional prints option, but he can advise on designers and album vendor/companies.

I TOTALLY hear you on the sticker shock. There were a lot of other photographers who's basics started around $2000 to $2500, but there were also a lot who's base packages started between $3800 and $4500 - and personally, I think that my guy's work is VERY comparable! Obviously, there were some photographers who were clearly superior, but they also came with a price. For his quality of work and what we're getting, this package was the best value of all the photographers we contacted and interviewed. 

LiaDee

Just looking at PP is depressing me, because we are paying $2000 for 5 hours, some prints, all digital proofs & rights.

Photography is so expensive...esp. depending on the area. I was shocked, too. But everyone told me it is THE thing to spend $$ on because the photos are what last forevaaaa.

MJ60

Question to DOINGATHING and FCHAN1  ......would you please tell the name and website of your photographers........both of you have good deals and are afordable prices for what you are getting......if those photographers are in the DC area we need to know who they are......

Also, are you having a videographer?

thanks

NOVA MOM

smarttj

I think LindsMullinix and I may have the same photgrapher...we paid 2850 and it included two photographers for 8 hrs and also rights to the CDs.  His name is Cassidy Duhon and he is fantastic.  We got our proofs last week and couldn't have been happier.  His link is http://duhonphotography.com/

2dBride

One general tip:  If you're concerned about the cost of photography, cut back on the prints/albums/etc. rather than on the quality of the photographer.  If you get just a CD or DVD of the images, with the right to make your own reprints, you will be able to buy prints and albums later when you have the money.  However, if the quality of the original images is lacking, there is nothing you can do later to fix that.

fchan1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_dc_much-will-photographer-cost?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:57Discussion:9dcd048d-0ed7-491d-a548-e9a61070e094Post:ee677f01-846f-42ee-891e-86ff950b8351">Re: How much will your photographer cost?</a>:
[QUOTE]Question to DOINGATHING and FCHAN1  ......would you please tell the name and website of your photographers........both of you have good deals and are afordable prices for what you are getting......if those photographers are in the DC area we need to know who they are...... Also, are you having a videographer? thanks NOVA MOM
Posted by MJ60[/QUOTE]

<div>Our photographer is <strong>Hino Banzon</strong>  - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.hinofoto.com">http://www.hinofoto.com</a>, based in Fairfax. I would recommend contacting him soon because when we met with him last month, he said that he would probably raise his rates this summer. Tell him that Fatima recommended him <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />  I also discovered that he is the secondary photographer to our original first choice, Steve Saldana. Steve got booked for our date within two weeks of me first speaking to him, but one of my friends recommended Hino since he photographed her friend's wedding. After we met with Hino and I poked around his blog a bit, I discovered that he and Steve shoot weddings together often! This is a great benefit because it generally means they have a very similar eye and style and Steve is fantastic so I can bet that Hino will be just as good. He strikes me as a little quirky, but as my FI says, it's always the weird ones who are the best! </div><div>
</div><div>I'm also getting a videographer through<strong> Photoria Studios</strong> in Annandale - <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.iphotoria.com">http://www.iphotoria.com</a>. When you go to the main page, click on Photoria Studios. My friend's family owns the company, so we got a substantial discount for all day coverage, but their 6 hour coverage is only $1295 and includes 3 DVDs, edited full length ceremony, edited movie of the ceremony and reception, and highlights montage - and if you view their videos, they are FANTASTIC!!! My friend's sister will be our primary videographer. Her name is Jen Roh - you can also let her know I recommended them. They also do photography, which is VERY good, but their rates fall into the upper end of the price range.</div><div>
</div><div>Video and photography were my two non-negotiables, so I feel very fortunate to have landed these two incredible vendors with so much coverage at such great rates. Even our wedding planner was shocked at Hino's pricing versus the quality of his pictures! Like I said before, he's probably not the BEST out there - certainly not a Chris Baltazar, but when you see his pictures versus what he's charging, it's almost a no-brainer.</div>

dawnmhayden

I feel like everything related to weddings is overpriced!  I think I need to switch job fields :-)
Anyway, our photographer is in Frederick, Maryland so I think that's why the price is a little lower than some DC based photographers.  We're paying $1900 for two photographers for 7.5 hours, an album, 2 parents albums, an engagement shoot, and full rights to all the pictures...

mikell22

I used to work in the Weeding industry and phptographers average $3000-5000, sometimes more if they have to travel.

mikell22

Oops, I meant Wedding Industry lol

fakename120

Ours was 8 hours, 2 photographers, online gallery for 6 months, all hi-res pictures on DVD, credit towards wedding album, and 11X14 "artistic" print of one picture was....drum roll...$4000.  Much more than we wanted to spend but the photographer was really good and did not make us pay for her to travel from NOVA to Baltimore.

nhelene

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_dc_much-will-photographer-cost?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:57Discussion:9dcd048d-0ed7-491d-a548-e9a61070e094Post:1c2a827a-9444-453d-b688-32bcbc2a3571">Re: How much will your photographer cost?</a>:
[QUOTE]One general tip:  If you're concerned about the cost of photography, cut back on the prints/albums/etc. rather than on the quality of the photographer.  If you get just a CD or DVD of the images, with the right to make your own reprints, you will be able to buy prints and albums later when you have the money.  However, if the quality of the original images is lacking, there is nothing you can do later to fix that.
Posted by 2dBride[/QUOTE]


I was thinking about that anyway... really the only people who are going to want nice glossy pictures are the parents and the couple... if I have reprint rights I can just send digital pictures to anyone that wants them...

Thanks for the advice guys... I am talking to someone next week who essentially starts at $2000... but I don't yet know how little that will get me.

suzyq517

Ours is $3200 which includes two photogs for 8 hours, an engagement session with an album (which will be our guest book) and a photo wrap flush mount wedding album with online gallery, DVDs, retouching and full rights to both! 

She starts around $2k and does fabulous work!

NYEstel

$950 for one photographer for 8 hours, DVD of all the photos, and rights to print any and all of the photos.

flip4em

You can definitely save by getting a smaller package with photographers. We paid $3400 for 8 hours of coverage with two photographers and a dvd with all the high resolution images (it also included a 2 hour engagement photo session) so we could print pictures on our own and I actually created our own wedding photo book on Smilebooks.com and the quality of the book was great. We got 4 huge (12X12 with over 100+ photos) photobooks printed on high quality photo paper for $500, when some photographers charge $500 per book. It definitely took me a long time to do (11+ hours) but it was well worth the savings if you are trying to cut costs. 

tracy_k

"You get what you pay for" is a load of crap, IMO. You get what you're willing to pay for, and it all depends on what is most important to you. My husband and I are just not that into having photos that look like an editorial spread in an art or fashion magazine, we wanted someone to document the day and take beautiful pictures of us, our family and friends. Done and done.

I got the following with my photography package from Victoria Rose at Beautiful Rose Photography:

- 6 hours coverage
- 2 photographers
- all images on disc with reprint rights
- a 20-page album

All for the bargain price of $850.

Granted, we lucked out in several regards... my husband works in the wedding industry and met our photographer at another wedding. She was just getting started with her own business after working with a multi-photographer studio for over ten years, so she gave us a break on the price (we booked in 09 for our Feb 10 wedding and she gave us her 08 pricing).

She is based in Fredericksburg and our wedding was up near Baltimore, so she asked if she could bring along a second photographer for no extra charge (um, duh!!) since it would be a long drive, ending late.

To be honest, I was a little hesitant to book her at first because her website is not the greatest representation of her work, but the portfolio she brings in person is FAR better. We met with one other photographer, Abby Jiu, whose work is amazing but I didn't like it 800+ dollars more than Victoria's work.

The end result? I LOVE LOVE LOVE my wedding photos (click here to check out our slideshow!) and would not change a thing, even if I had an unlimited budget (which I most certainly did not).

PS: I also got a videographer for $330, 4 hours of coverage and a disc with unedited footage. I didn't want any fancy editing, just a record. Susanne Bard, http://bardpro.blogspot.com.

vtran

Can you please give me the info for your photographer?

tracy_k

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_dc_much-will-photographer-cost?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:57Discussion:9dcd048d-0ed7-491d-a548-e9a61070e094Post:3ca0e1ef-6ef8-4dbf-9111-901df578d9c0">Re: How much will your photographer cost?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: How much will your photographer cost? : You shouldn't put someone else down because you're not willing to pay more for certain types of photos.  We want our photos to be journalistic and look editorial.  If we had just wanted photos to document the basics, as yours do, we would have just asked a friend who has great photography skills to do so.  And without cost.
Posted by MSSJF[/QUOTE]

I'm not putting anyone down. If someone's priorities include super-artistic photos because that's what they like, more power to them.

It's just that the wedding industrial complex in general (oh, and rude comments like yours) often make brides feel like unless they are paying upwards of $2000 for photos, they aren't going to get anything any nicer than what some friend with a digital camera could take, which is just not the case.

Lisa50

Yikes ... it is tough to tag what is the "normal" cost for photography here.  It's almost like the variations in housing prices from downtown DC to the way out 'burbs.  It seems as if you've been given a good peek at a wide range of prices we're paying.

Here are some of the variables that will impact pricing:

LOCATION.  Those of us getting a DC-based photographer will generally pay more than those who are from the close-in 'burbs (Arlington, Bethesda, etc.) and much more than someone from the ex-burbs (Frederick, Centreville, etc.). 

EXPERIENCE.  An experienced photographer will likely charge more than one who is just starting their business.  New photographers, just like most new business people, will have lower prices -- just to build the business.   Photographers, like fine wine, get better with age!

PRODUCT.   We pay for time, travel (gas, wear/tear on cars, etc.), # of photographers,  photography style, and finished product (album, prints, DVDs, etc). 

If a photographer chooses not to charge for all of these elements, it is not because there isn't a cost.  Again, a hungry photographer will "comp" specific items to build the business.  Or, conversely, one who is near the end of career might be giving price breaks -- just because.

Good luck to all of us on this one!  Go with your heart and, if photography costs are making you queasy, you may feel better finding someone who charges less.  At the end of the day, its not worth the stress to pay more than your budget will accommodate.

Best of luck!

MJ60

QUESTION TO NYEstel.......who is your photographer?   $950 for 8 hours is a very good price ---did you find her on Wedding Wire or The knot?   We are trying to keep within some kind of a budget and I like the comments on getting the DVD and planning to print the pictures in the future......

Thanks

MJ60

Question to NY Estel.....would you please share the name of your photographer.....$950 for 8 hours is an incredible find.......did you find him/her on Wedding Wire or the Knot?     I like the suggestions of getting the DVD and then having prints made later.....

Thanks

NOVA MOM

BrideDC926

www.brendamurphyphotography.com