Wedding photographer - what are we all paying and getting?

I have been resisting commenting on this thread all day -  I'm absolutely amazed what you are all able to get for your money and what great deals are available out there - and if you find a photographer you get on with at a great price thats wonderful.

As Pete is saying - Check the quality of your prints and also your disks - Domestic recordable DVD's only have a lifespan of around 5 years see article http://www.scscc.com/bkk/Data%20loss%20in%20CDs%20and%20DVDs.pdf 

I'm not sure how any full time professional could survive on some of those prices being quoted given how much work is involved with a wedding and the actual cost of good quality albums, prints and frames as well as the overhead costs of running a business , paying tax and insurance etc with and many paying a second photographer as well.

 

I totally agree with you there Tim the same goes for videographers too - prices vary of course as with every business depending on location, experience etc but like photographers we have to have insurance, then we need to purchase copyright licences as well as the usual business overheads and above all, the time filming and the hours and hours (days and days) of editing making sure that everything flows clearly and is super quality and that the audio is good throughout!  There is no way we could work for less - we love what we do but would hate to be working away for nothing! 

Well, I'm perfectly happy getting CD only - that way we can choose our own pics in our own time - which also gives us some space to get some money together for the albums. Our tog gives us the option of getting the prints done by her, and keeps the masters for a long time, in case we decide later that we want her to do them. Also, there's people out there who professionally mount/put together albums for you, if we decide to go that route. So basically, what I'm saying is it works for me to do CD only. For me the most important thing was finding a tog whose work I liked, and that I felt I would get on with for the day. I like the flexibility of being able to choose my own albums, and get prints developed where I choose. If you don't - then great!

Well our package was tog and assistant (who also had a camera and so took shots as well) from just before the ceremony right through until about the 3rd dance at the reception, although he made clear that if no one was dancing for the first three songs they wouldn't just leave, they were staying until he got the shots he wanted

The prints package includes a professional album (can't remember how many prints) and a CD with all of the shots on for us to print and copy as and when we wanted (I don't think that's the same as copyright free, he still retains the right to use the shots for his website, magazines and stuff).  He also did some photoshop work with a lot of the shots to add vignettes, colour pops, touch ins etc and said that if we liked an effect and wanted it applied to another shot (or wanted it removed so we had the original shot) we could let him know and he'd do that for us.  For this we paid £1,250, which seems quite expensive compared to what others are getting but we liked his work and more importantly trusted him to do a good job (agree with the HIBS on this thread, a bargain price isn't a bargain if you don't get the shots you want).

Another thing that really swung the choice for us is that our tog was one of the only ones prepared to put an indication of prices on his website - not a quote, just "Package A includes x and y and starts from £850, Package B includes x, y and z starts from £1,250" so we had a ball park figure to work with.  I was not prepared to phone/meet lots of photographers, take ages to explain exactly what we wanted only to find out that they were way out of our price range (or worse, feel pushed into saying ok because we had taken up so much of their time).  We may have paid a little more than we could have for the package we got but we trusted our tog to be up front and do right by us and you can't really put a price on that IMO. 

 

We've booked the photographer now :) £900 for 2 photographers all day with 300 prints in a presentation box and all the images copyright free on CD. I think we might have been able to save a bit if we went with another photographer but we really liked them and their work so its worth paying that bit extra. Now we just hope someone will buy us an album as a wedding present!!! ;)

I think the important thing to remember is there is no right and no wrong in this game, If  you get what you are after , get on with and trust the photographer and the price feels about right to you then its a good deal.

Miss Mayflower / Almost Mrs P  both of your packages seem to be about the same  one with and one without the album and are in the ballpark I would quote to cover similar weddings.

Tim 

I'm paying £1500 for my photography which seems a lot more than everyone is paying.  Although I am in Reading, Berks and everything is more expensive down here!  I am extremely happy with what I am getting (and paying) which is;

The Open Photographic Society offers free advice to help resolve issues such as those expressed in this thread - no commitments, catches or hidden agenda!

Hi

We are having a photographer who is going to see my OH and best man in the morning and then during my preparations. He is staying throughout the ceremony (at 1pm), wedding breakfast and all the evening reception until midnight. He has an assistant and we get a slideshow during the wedding breakfast of pictures taken during the morning and the ceremony. This is costing us £600 for the whole day and the slide show. We get an onlonline viewing too - you can put a password on and issue to guests or just leave it open for the world to see. Retouching etc is done before uploaded to the net and DVDs.We pay £120 for a DVD containing all the pictures and complete copyright. We can pay extra and get albums, canvases, prints etc if we want.

Some photography seems to be a totally ridiculous price - make sure you get good feedback on your photographer and see their previous work!. We met this guy at a friends wedding the previous year and he was amazing!

Hi Trickers!  I am in Reading Berks too. Its amazing how different pricing can be?! If only we didnt have to mention the 'W' word!!

Hi Kirstylouise

I cant believe you are in Reading and you got photography for that price!!!  Is your tog also based in Reading?  Do you mind me asking who you are using; just out of curiousty?!?!?

Rxx

Loving the slideshow idea!! Who is this person of which you speak? Are we allowed to say?

Hi ladies

His name is colin, his assistant is his wife, and they dont advertise, do wedding fairs or anything. All his business is purely word of mouth.

I have all the details at home - so can send you a msg later - My memory is shocking! hehe

 

x

Colin Swaine?

I'm using Studio Rouge who are based in Lower Early.  I saw them on Wedding TV and then they photographed my H2B's cousin's wedding last summer.  When I saw the pics I knew I had to have them no matter what the cost was!!!!

Whereabouts are you getting married?  In Reading?

Rxx

> I cant believe you are in Reading and you got photography for that price!!!  Is your tog also based in Reading?  Do you mind me asking who you are using; just out of curiousty?!?!?

This is why I posted my original comment, there is a massive difference between what you are both getting. In the fact that you have an 80 page coffee table book, pre wedding shoot and all the images retouched.

Assuming you have a good quality photograper, and are getting a quality book thats easily worth the extra money.

PhotographybyRiddell:

Assuming you have a good quality photograper, and are getting a quality book thats easily worth the extra money.

 

I'm in complete agreement with this - my prices start at £1050 which, on the face of it, seems slightly high as a starting point - but every single package includes a pre-wedding shoot, an archival-quality storybook album, a CD of all images to print and an online gallery.  I always start at the 'getting read' stage because it's my favourite time with the bride, and the one thing I wish I'd had when I got married, and for weddings where I stay beyond the speeches, a same-day slideshow is included.  I'm in Kent but cover nationwide. 

Packages vary from photographer to photographer, but quality varies enormously as well, of workmanship and also of product.  It's really important to find the right photographer for you, one that you're going to want to spend your wedding day with because, unlike almost all other wedding vendors (videographers and coordinators being the exceptions), we really do share your day with you from start to (almost) finish.