Just curious as to what most everyone is spending on photography? Should I budget mostly for a good photographer because that is thing besides memories that will be left after all is said and done? Do most people get DVD's or Prints? Im so confused as to what to do?
Re: Wedding Photographer?
We spent $2000 for two photographers for the whole day. They were with us for about 9 hours total. When compared to all the other professional photographers that I researched, that was about half as much. I got all my pictures on a DVD and I have printed whatever I wanted. I used Kari Nichols in Hot Springs.
My husband had talked to a friend of a friend who was doing wedding photography in her spare time and would have only charged us $600, but she didn't have a portfolio and I didn't feel comfortable hiring someone when I had no idea how good she was. I would prefer to pay more and be assured that I had a professional. When I think about it, $2000 for two photographers for nine hours isn't really that much more than $600 for one that wouldn't stay all day.
Look around. Talk to more than one. I wouldn't hire anyone who doesn't give you the rights to all your photos.
Thanks
I'm looking at a photography group out of Dallas to bring with me to Hot Springs for my wedding in April, 2012 but haven't made any plans yet.
I went with Kathryn McGill (now Cavallero) paid only 650, which was a great price for photographers in the Bentonville area, but I'd have paid more and went with someone else to have my pictures by now.
The day of our wedding she said she'd have a preview of our pictures available in a week, two weeks AFTER that deadline we finally saw something. Four weeks ago she said she was finished, we've still not seen all of our pictures, everything past us leaving the chapel has yet to be released. Two and a half weeks ago she said she'd mailed us a CD with all of our pictures; guess what? We've still not seen that either. Ten days ago she said all of the photos should all be viewable in 24 hours, we're still waiting on the ALL of our photos part to be fulfilled.
At first she gave lame excuses, way after the fact, then she moved on to saying that there must be something wrong with our e-mail accounts, because she'd been e-mailing us and we'd never gotten them. Now it's the website provider she uses, it's their fault because we've not been able to see our pictures; and before that she said it must be our internet that wouldn't let us see them.
I am so incredibly disappointed - my mother talks about taking her to court on a daily basis and all of the people we invited that couldn't come feel like we're lying to them.
In short, don't go with her, and who ever you do decide to go with, look for their references and ask about their experience, I feel like that's just as important as liking the style of photos they take.