Affordable Photographers?

Amanda8219

I just spent the last 3 hours researching photographers. Sticker shock is an under statement! I understand if there is one thing you should splurge on, this would be it... but wow!

Does anyone know of a reasonbly priced photographer in the Portland area? We are looking to spend no more than $1,000. I found 2 via the forum that are under this amount, but one is already booked for our date, and the other... well, I honestly did not like their style at all.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

charfield4

We went through the same thing since we are on an extremely tight budget.  We finally realized that your pictures are the one thing you will always keep from your wedding, so we decided to find a way to cut costs somewhere else.  We ended up finding someone to take pictures and give us rights to all of the images so that we can print them as we like for about twice of what you are looking to spend.  She was very flexible with us and said that if we decided we could afford and wanted an album even a year or two after the wedding, that she would still put it together for us. 

Another suggestion is to find an aspiring photography student (craigslist maybe?) or someone just starting out with wedding photography.

SaraR715

Our budget was a bit more than that, and we did end up going over as well... so I don't have specific recs, but my advice would be to look for someone who's style you like, then find out if they have any seconds or assistant photogs that might not have as much experience or something and would be willing shoot your wedding alone for less. It would help that person get more experience on their own and if you let them use your photos for advertising, website, etc. they might give you more of a discount.

Another tip: just make sure that you get the coverage you want. You can always buy the rights to images later, prints, albums, etc. Find someone who will take the pictures you want - if you want till the end of the night, don't cut the photographer after the dances & cake - find a way to keep them there to get all the pics you really want. If you don't care as much about candids, getting ready shots, or the reception, that is a place to save - ask them to cut a few hours from the package and save some $. If their "packages" start at 1500 or 2000, ask if you can customize to accommodate your budget. Cut the dvd, cut the album, cut the assistant. Most people are willing to work with you.

jchow009

I used Simply Mella photography and I love my pictures. Check out their website and Facebook page, she is a little bit over your budget but she is very flexible. Maybe she can work some package out for you!

misssunshine17

Check out Nick Anagnostis! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nick-Anagnostis-Photography/173902912198

He and his wife are really great! They work together on most shoots, check it out

sarah0712

Check out the NH board.  I saw a few posted there that were in your budget and photos looked great.  I don't remember names as they weren't available for our date...

Also, I've found that a lot of vendors don't charge travel fees or they are small compared to savings...

Good Luck!

pennylg

We negotiated with our photographer to get her for a 1/2 day (all of her prices were for whole day services and I didn't need that much time). We also trimmed our budget elsewhere to give us more to spend on the photographer, images and a really nice album. Good luck!

Amanda8219

Thanks for all the suggestions!! Will definitely check them out.

katykat786

Cuppa Photography is pretty reasonably priced for the quality of work, and she is a sweet heart to work with!!

LittleRandall

Check Out Briana Daily Photography She is in Bangor but travels.

pennylg

We decided to go with Stacia's Photography on Brighton Ave in Portland. Our wedding isn't until October but I was very impressed by her work. I would definitely suggest that you check her out at least online if not in person (I really clicked with her).

kreskino

check out facebook.com/kosphotos

she only charges $350 for 5 hours of shooting and a $50 deposit. It's $70 for each additional hour and you get all of the photos on CD to print yourself.