$500 photographer - too good to be true??

teamdynamite · January 2011

Okay ladies - I have interviewed about four photographers and have seen pricing from $500 for engagement, all day wedding, photos with edited images on a cd to $3,000 all day with prints, albums, all images on cd, etc.

I think it is very important to have chemistry with the photographer anyone chooses for any special occassion. My wedding is no exception. It's difficult to figure how one person can do everything at such a low rate while others costs seem to be through the roof. What was the determining factor for you brides? What was the ah-ha moment that made you so sure "they're the one" to shoot your extraodinary new beginning? Any tips? Thanks ladies.

NOLAbridealmost · January 2011

500 dollars is incredibly low. I would be cautious.

Amivy06 · January 2011

I agree that you should be a little cautious. Have you seen their work? I would wonder about the quality of their work at that price. Maybe they are new to the business and trying to gain clients. Either way, I would try to find out.

atomicphoto · January 2011

That is way too low to be running a legit business. Do they have liability insurance? Are they a legally registered business? Do they even have backup equipment?
I would be really weary of this.

fallbride1109 · January 2011

In my area, anyone that charged $500 would be someone just starting their business that I found on Craigslist. There are stories out there of brides discovering a wonderful up-and-coming photographer--but those are rare and I for one would not be willing to take such a risk.

I agree about the chemistry and that was the "aha" moment for me. When I met with my photographer, we sat and talked for two hours. We just clicked and for me that was the deciding factor (because I already knew I loved her work.)

Was there anyone you "clicked" with out of those four? If not, I would keep looking.

teamdynamite · January 2011

This $500 photographer I'm referring to is actually my florist. He was a professional photographer, but his big passion is really flowers. His floral arrangements are absolutely gorgeous! The album he showed of his arrangements are actually photos he shot. His words were "I made such beautiful things, but had no pictures to really prove it to anyone". His deal is the $500 for all day and a cd with all of the prints - edited. His camera is a 35mm with four different lenses. After meeting with a sixth photographer this evening, it just seems that everyone wants to offer themselves all day and capture all the magic moments and just put all the images on a flash drive or cd anyway. I guess I'm just trying to understand the logistics. What should be expected of a $2500 package other than all day footage and copy rights to all the edited images? It just seems that this is the only thing the photographers I run into seem to offer.....

NOLAbridealmost · January 2011

I think what we are implying is that while the 500 dollar guy is offering generally the same things as the photographers you have interviewed with the higher bids, they might be lower quality across the board because, frankly, the 500 dollar guy is a hugely cheaper version than most established (aka, reliable and professional) photographers in your area. It's not a matter of being offered fewer services than the more expensive people, but for having crappy service for what is offered.

fallbride1109 · January 2011

Shooting flowers is not the same as shooting a wedding. What you are paying $2500 for is experience. Is he going to have lights and other equipment? A second shooter? Is he going to get all your details, you getting ready, your formal shots, portraits, the reception? How is he going to do all this and your flowers too? Has he ever shot an entire wedding before? Can you see one?

Personally, I want a photographer whose passion is photography, not flowers. JMO.

KristenPhotography · January 2011

Have you seen his portfolio? Don't go on price alone. I've found that photographers who charge way below the going rate are lowballing just to get the job. It's not good for the wedding photography industry nor the client who runs the risk of getting lower than quality photos. Price doesn't necessarily reflect talent, but it reflects a lack of knowlegdge of how the industry works.

Remember, your weddings photos will be yours forever and your grandkids will look at these images. You want them to be perfect.

teamdynamite · January 2011

thank ya, thank ya

I do appreciated the input ladies.

Tikki 77 · January 2011

Take it from another wedding photographer. As started above by one lady, you want someone who's passion is photography, not flowers .

Wedding photography is VERY difficult, and requires experience to do right. It doesn't even matter if it's a top fashion photographer, if he doesn't know how to shoot a wedding, it's going to be a problem.

Get a real wedding photographer. I started out by charging $500 on Craigslist, and I was pretty dang good. The value was WAY better than the price I charged, but that is rare. So, yes, there are pretty decent $500 wedding shooters out there, but very rare it is to find one.(that is decent...or better)

If anything, be SURE your photographer has a(quality) backup camera. What if the first one fails (and they do). If no backup camera is there, it's bad news. No photos.

Good luck. : )

scrabble1966 · January 2011

The little I've learned so far is:
A $500 deal is just a shoot and burn. they take the pictures but no post editing.

As you go up the food chain the post editing time increases.

And then there is the album! This can be as much as $2000 ALONE!

So I'm still looking...
The best I've seen so far is savannah blue photography for price and quality.

scrabble1966 · January 2011

The little I've learned so far is:
A $500 deal is just a shoot and burn. they take the pictures but no post editing.

As you go up the food chain the post editing time increases.

And then there is the album! This can be as much as $2000 ALONE!

So I'm still looking...
The best I've seen so far is savannah blue photography for price and quality.

nbaby_makes3 · January 2011

As a wedding/portrait photographer I can tell you that shooting a wedding is something very different than any other types of photos. You also need to consider 2 things:
1) You CAN"T re-shoot these images! You can do a bridal portrait session, but as for all the candid moments and meaningful expressions, once they are missed they are gone.
2) You CAN find low cost photographers(via search or craigslist etc) but check their work, make sure they have some kind of experience. There is nothing wrong with up and coming photographers, just make sure they actually have some knowledge and are not just someone who likes taking pictures, bought a nice camera, and decided to make a few extra bucks.

I myself have only been in business for 3 years, and in the wedding world I am still considered fairly new. My prices start at $600 for a shoot and burn event. I would worry a bit about a florist who wants to do wedding photography... I would stick to someone who specializes in wedding photography.

teamdynamite · January 2011

We're booking our photographer Tuesday

It is NOT the florist. I've decided that settling on any part of our special day is just not an option. We are only getting married once, and damnit, it's gonna' be fabulous!

$500 photographer - too good to be true??

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