Meeting with Potential Photographers

ElcaB · October 2013

FI & I are exploring photography options. We're meeting with two photographers next week, one of which I already know is The One. The only problem is, he's over our budget. Plus, we'd have to cover his traveling expenses since he's out of state. Any advice? (Negotiating on the package isn't an option as it's his most basic package and doesn't include any prints or photo books.) Is this one of those either-hire-him-and-go-over-budget or find-someone-else-in-your-price-range situations? Photography is HUGELY important to me, but I suffer from sticker-shock at the expense of it all.

It'd also be helpful to know what to expect when we meet. Can you girls fill me in about how your meetings with potential photographers went and offer any advice?

southernbelle0915 · October 2013

ElcaB said:

FI & I are exploring photography options. We're meeting with two photographers next week, one of which I already know is The One. The only problem is, he's over our budget. Plus, we'd have to cover his traveling expenses since he's out of state. Any advice? (Negotiating on the package isn't an option as it's his most basic package and doesn't include any prints or photo books.) Is this one of those either-hire-him-and-go-over-budget or find-someone-else-in-your-price-range situations? Photography is HUGELY important to me, but I suffer from sticker-shock at the expense of it all.

It'd also be helpful to know what to expect when we meet. Can you girls fill me in about how your meetings with potential photographers went and offer any advice?

Personally, I'd eat Ramen for 4 months, wear shoes I already had, downsize my bouquet, having my girls carry single flowers, etc. if it meant getting the photog I wanted. Could you cut anything elsewhere? What haven't you purchased yet? Is it necessary? Would you be willing to pick up a few hours a week at a coffee house or retail shop you like? Would your FI do the same?

Did you request to meet with him or did he request to meet with you? If you called the meeting, I would say be prepared to show him what particular shots you're looking for. Make a list of what you want. Portraits with....; shoe pictures; pictures of your hands; pictures of the two of you walking; pictures of the WP jumping; candid photos of people mingling at cocktail hour; B&W first dance photos; etc. Whatever it is you want, tell him so he knows what you expect and can make the most of your hours the day of.

itzMS · October 2013

We chose the most expensive photographer in our city for a multitude of reasons.

You have to love the photographer's style/portfolio more than anything else.

DH & I needed someone to create art for us...we're terribly unphotogenic...and that's why we paid the price we did.

Worth every penny (more like every $1,000 bill...)

FutureMrsN3312 · October 2013

We had narrowed it down to 2 photographers to meet with. 1 was FI choice the other was mine. FI's choice seemed to fit our budget more and mine was more expensive and over budget. Turns out FI's choice did every a la cart and didn't offer videography. So even though we thought he would be cheaper he wasn't at all. (we wouldn't have albums, printed proofs, or a second shooter) Plus we would have to find our own videographer.

My choice was way out of our "budget" or so we thought. I found him thru a FB friend (kid I went to hs with that does fashion photography) so he gave a discount for that. (10% off). We got an additional 5% off for booking early, and 10% off our videography package because we were using both of their services. (Which also got us a better package). We got all day coverage with 3 photographers and 2 videographers, unlimited images, rights to all of our pics, 1 big album for us, 2 parent albums, 4 blu ray dvds with our video with a few different chapters etc.

So for us it turned out that my choice was much closer to budget but still over. Before we started planning we knew we wanted a nice venue, with good food and booze, an awesome photographer, and a DJ that was going to keep a dance floor packed all night. Those were things we weren't willing to budge on.

To come up with the extra cash for the photo/video package I decided to cut back my flower and invitation budget. To me those aren't nearly as important and who remembers them anyway.

At our meetings they showed us their work (which I had already stalked via their websites and FB), went over pricing, and went over how our day was planned out. The first photographer seemed more like it was a hobby where the 2nd went to film school and was much more polished.

Good Luck! Where is your wedding? Did you get any recommendations from your local board?

smalfrie19 · October 2013

I cannot offer much advice because I knew from the get go who my photographer was going to be. But I think what is important is that it is someone you are comfortable with and whose work you really like.

WinstonsGirl · October 2013

IMO, Photography is the one thing I refused to cheap out on. And boy did we pay for it. Our photographers also did my Brothers wedding, which is where I first worked with them (I was a BM). In comparing them to others I had worked with (other weddings), I knew they would be great. I had my only bridezilla moment when DH was concerned they were a little too expensive.

Know which style you want (photojournalism or portraits), which shots you want and look through their work. If you already know you want them, bite the bullet, cut some costs elsewhere or try and make a bit of extra cash and book them. Good photos after are totally worth every penny

lizandmark2014 · October 2013

I am doing what southern bell said. I will wear shoes I already have. No chair covers or programs. I am not sending save the dates. I am eating out less. I will walk to work every day I open. ( 1.5 miles)
I hope you get the photography you like. Please update.

J9lawrence · October 2013

I agree with the other ladies, photography was not an area where I wanted to cut costs on. I would hate to look back in 5 years and wish I had better pictures. From the start of our planning, our big focus was photography, good food, good drinks and a fun DJ. I was willing to cut other areas of our budget to make it work. Good luck!

erinlin25 · October 2013

I thought my photographer was "the one" until I met with them-- they showed no interest in me or my wedding and acted like they were the sh!t because of the great work they did. Will not lie, I was definitely drawn to their pictures and would have gone over budget if necessary but was not impressed with their arrogance, so we met with our "second choice" and absolutely loved him. He was more reasonable in price (not the cheapest but under our budget), offered more in his package and took high quality photos. He showed interest in us, and knew our venue so was able to paint the perfect picture for us when we met. He was genuinely excited to be a part of our day. He made our wedding day run smoothly and we got 1000 gorgeous pictures from it.

So while not all over budget photographers will be arrogant, just make sure they are the right fit for you and it may not hurt to meet with someone in your budget to compare. If they are over budget they just might not be the one for you! If they are worth going over budget and you can swing it then great!

So my opinion would be to meet with them but keep an open mind and meet with someone in your budget to compare. Photography is important, but you should determine how much going over the budget is worth in the long run.

ElcaB · October 2013

Thanks, everyone. Here's an update, for anyone who cares:

I've been extensively researching photographers for the past two weeks and came to a disappointing realization: One of the top photographers in my area ("Jeff") is the same price as the out-of-state photographer I love ("Dan")...but Jeff offers so much more for the same price. Dan's pricing is just for two photographers and a disc of images, plus rights to the photos. For the same price (but still over budget), Jeff provides two photographers, an E-session, a bridal session, an album, and a disc.

They're both very talented, but I still love Dan's photos more. I just don't think I can justify picking him over Jeff when considering expenses.

katieg520 · October 2013

southernbelle0915 said:

ElcaB said:

FI & I are exploring photography options. We're meeting with two photographers next week, one of which I already know is The One. The only problem is, he's over our budget. Plus, we'd have to cover his traveling expenses since he's out of state. Any advice? (Negotiating on the package isn't an option as it's his most basic package and doesn't include any prints or photo books.) Is this one of those either-hire-him-and-go-over-budget or find-someone-else-in-your-price-range situations? Photography is HUGELY important to me, but I suffer from sticker-shock at the expense of it all.

It'd also be helpful to know what to expect when we meet. Can you girls fill me in about how your meetings with potential photographers went and offer any advice?

Personally, I'd eat Ramen for 4 months, wear shoes I already had, downsize my bouquet, having my girls carry single flowers, etc. if it meant getting the photog I wanted. Could you cut anything elsewhere? What haven't you purchased yet? Is it necessary? Would you be willing to pick up a few hours a week at a coffee house or retail shop you like? Would your FI do the same?

Did you request to meet with him or did he request to meet with you? If you called the meeting, I would say be prepared to show him what particular shots you're looking for. Make a list of what you want. Portraits with....; shoe pictures; pictures of your hands; pictures of the two of you walking; pictures of the WP jumping; candid photos of people mingling at cocktail hour; B&W first dance photos; etc. Whatever it is you want, tell him so he knows what you expect and can make the most of your hours the day of.

Ditto to the above. The photographer was the second most important thing to me. It is all you have when the wedding is all over besides your husband. If you really can't afford it, which is understandable with some of these prices, ask him who else he might recommend that is similar to his style. I researched for weeks looking at sample pictures and asking for recommendations until I found the photographer that I could afford with the style I was looking for. Good luck!

katieg520 · October 2013

southernbelle0915 said:

ElcaB said:

FI & I are exploring photography options. We're meeting with two photographers next week, one of which I already know is The One. The only problem is, he's over our budget. Plus, we'd have to cover his traveling expenses since he's out of state. Any advice? (Negotiating on the package isn't an option as it's his most basic package and doesn't include any prints or photo books.) Is this one of those either-hire-him-and-go-over-budget or find-someone-else-in-your-price-range situations? Photography is HUGELY important to me, but I suffer from sticker-shock at the expense of it all.

It'd also be helpful to know what to expect when we meet. Can you girls fill me in about how your meetings with potential photographers went and offer any advice?

Personally, I'd eat Ramen for 4 months, wear shoes I already had, downsize my bouquet, having my girls carry single flowers, etc. if it meant getting the photog I wanted. Could you cut anything elsewhere? What haven't you purchased yet? Is it necessary? Would you be willing to pick up a few hours a week at a coffee house or retail shop you like? Would your FI do the same?

Did you request to meet with him or did he request to meet with you? If you called the meeting, I would say be prepared to show him what particular shots you're looking for. Make a list of what you want. Portraits with....; shoe pictures; pictures of your hands; pictures of the two of you walking; pictures of the WP jumping; candid photos of people mingling at cocktail hour; B&W first dance photos; etc. Whatever it is you want, tell him so he knows what you expect and can make the most of your hours the day of.

Ditto to the above. The photographer was the second most important thing to me. It is all you have when the wedding is all over besides your husband. If you really can't afford it, which is understandable with some of these prices, ask him who else he might recommend that is similar to his style. I researched for weeks looking at sample pictures and asking for recommendations until I found the photographer that I could afford with the style I was looking for. Good luck!

lc07 · October 2013

Getting the coverage was more important to me than getting the album right away. I figure, what's the use of having the album at a lower price if I don't love the photos that are going in it?

lizandmark2014 · October 2013

This is a hard one. I would do what someone else suggested and ask for a recommendation from Jeff or Dan. An album is not always needed in a package. My photographer gave me the name of a reputable company I could have an album made, prints or a small coffee table book. ( I picked the non album package) He also does al-a cart prices so you can customize a bit.

ashleyep · October 2013

ElcaB said:

Thanks, everyone. Here's an update, for anyone who cares:
I've been extensively researching photographers for the past two weeks and came to a disappointing realization: One of the top photographers in my area ("Jeff") is the same price as the out-of-state photographer I love ("Dan")...but Jeff offers so much more for the same price. Dan's pricing is just for two photographers and a disc of images, plus rights to the photos. For the same price (but still over budget), Jeff provides two photographers, an E-session, a bridal session, an album, and a disc.
They're both very talented, but I still love Dan's photos more. I just don't think I can justify picking him over Jeff when considering expenses.

Can you afford going over budget? You have to love your photographer and their photos. If you have wiggle room in your budget you might be able to make it work.

But meet with both of them and at least make an effort with "jeff".

KateJ16 · October 2013

One thing my photographer suggested when we were talking about costs was that he could do a wedding album after the fact - he said hat he has a lot of couples who come back and do it for the first anniversary (sometimes as a gift from parents). That is what we are going to do - that way we can save on some extra money right now, and figure out our album pictures, size, cost, etc. later.

melbelleup · October 2013

smalfrie19 said:

I cannot offer much advice because I knew from the get go who my photographer was going to be. But I think what is important is that it is someone you are comfortable with and whose work you really like.

Same for me. Mine is a family friend who takes awesome pictures!! Luckily, my FPIL are paying for photographer and DJ and they agreed upon the price

carly324 · October 2013

Spend. the. money. on. photographer. You will have these photos forever. I personally think that photography is one of the most important vendors. But I suppose to each their own..

I say try to cut down somewhere else and go with the photographer you want. Especially if you hit it off!

thisismynickname2 · October 2013

If the photographer can give you a disc with the rights to the photos, do that. Do not buy an album through the photographer- you're talking hundreds of dollars when you can create your own album on a site like Snapfish for like, $30. Seriously. My photographer recently finished our engagement photos. She first released them on Pictage while she worked on the disc, and Pictage is ridiculous expensive. But, the CD came, and she'd given us a set of photos to share on social media and a set of high-res photos. I uploaded all the high-res to Snapfish, created an album, and voila! $38 with shipping and it's just as good, if not even more personal, than the ones that the pros would do for several hundred.

And for perspective, I paid $3k for my photographer and $300 (sale) for my dress at Nordstrom, $50 for shoes at Nine West, and my mom's designing all the invites. If you want the photography, you'll find a way to fit it in the budget

Good luck!

Ajuliana · October 2013

I spoke to several photographers, and only met with one. It was the week after FIs dad passed away, and I started crying. He just talked to me like a real human being and didn't talk business until I asked him to. THAT'S the kind of person I want to do business with--oh, and his photography is impeccable and he's done events for the governor here before.

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