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Weddings

Photographers - How much do they cost?

9 replies

Hammy02 · 25/03/2011 13:41

I have arranged my wedding and now looking for a photographer. What sort of price should I be expecting to pay? Do you hire them by the hour? I have no idea of the process.

OP posts:
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BilboBloggins · 25/03/2011 13:46

It depends on the package they offer. I've seen anything from around £500 for ceremony, speeches and first dance, with basic album, up to thousands for all day, storybook albums, discs of photos etc.

Not sure there is an average price IYSWIM.

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girlywhirly · 25/03/2011 14:04

I'd pop into a few photographers and see what they do, and get estimates. They quite often offer packages, including their attendance, no. of photos, type of album, thankyou photocards for gifts etc. It really depends on what you want, and where and how you want the photos done. You will be asked if you want photos at home, or at church/venue, or at reception. Sometimes photos are taken at other locations as well. You will be asked about how you'd like to do group/ family shots. The photographer will help you choose by showing albums of previous weddings that he/she has taken. I'd be guided by other's recommendations, and your own impression of their work. Be aware that the good ones often get booked up far in advance, so that is an important consideration.

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Fluffycloudland77 · 27/03/2011 14:24

Be aware that the albums on display are their BEST work. We had the owner of the business do ours and frankly I'm disappointed. I got married last may and we haven't bothered picking up the disc or ordering the photos

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oohlaalaa · 28/03/2011 09:29

I'm paying £900 for an album and disc of photos. This is from 11am to first dance. It is a husband and wife team.

I know friends who have paid up to 3k, I think it's a case of you get what you pay for. I was quite relaxed about photo's. I have chosen the photographer I liked best as a person, who has pleasant informal photos but not fancy (no unusual focused shots, or black and white photos with bouquet in colour etc.)

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rubybambini · 28/03/2011 09:57

Really depends on a few factors:

-- photographer's experience and any accreditations they hold eg WPJA
-- the job - is it bride getting ready 'til first dance affair? Or just the service and reception, or...? Some photographers will do a package, some will charge by the hour
-- end package - do you get a website? A photo album? A couple of dvds to archive?
-- where in the UK you are (and also if the photographer you've picked has to travel)

Whilst wedding photographers seem terribly expensive, from the other side of the fence - a good photographer will be on her toes all day, and not miss a single crucial (eg first kiss) shot, or informal or unexpected shot that'll help tell the story of the day. It's relatively risky, hard, tiring work. As others posters have expressed their disappointment at their photographer's work - it's work that, if you're conscientious, you simply can't get wrong, eg camera fail, missing crucial family shots etc.

I've done friends of friends photos in the past, when I wanted to change career. I started charging around £100 an hour (London only) for reportage. There are some rather old albums here:

www.flickr.com/photos/handfulofconfetti/collections/72157619124963421/

The £100 an hour covered my time, my equipment, travel, hours of editing of photos, eg cropping, retouching, website and 2 DVDs.

When looking for a photographer, I'd say look for someone who seems very calm (I ended up doing a bride's hair once, seriously, when the hairdresser failed to turn up), who's genuinely interested in this type of photography, who really delves into and understands what you want, who's interested in learning about your family and any nuances within it (eg, people who might refuse to be in photos with other family members - it does happen - and how to work around that).

If you want formal photos, eg family members lined up, then don't pick a reportage photographer, and vice versa - the skills are really quite different. It should be clear from their portfolio what shots they're actually best at taking.

And this is a friend of my DP - who I'd love to use, should I ever get the chance =)

www.markwallisphoto.com/

Good luck, and congratulations!

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thomasbodley · 28/03/2011 10:02

I spent £2000 on my photographer - though this was in the centre of London and for a 12 hour stint. It included 1000 photos on two discs plus the copyright, and 150 photos printed.

I was incredibly disappointed.

My friends took better photos. In fact, if I'd given all my amateur photographer friends a 16gb memory card, it would have cost less and I'd have got better photos.

Wedding suppliers are total scammers. Of all of mine, I can barely recommend any of them.

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fairychronicle · 28/03/2011 10:15

Most photographers will offer various packages and will tailor them if you want them to for your particular needs. Like most people say there can vary tremendously - its best to have a look at some work and meet the photographers to see how you get on with them. The last thing you want is someone you don't like or warm to as it will reflect on the end result. My husband does wedding photography (we're Midlands based) and he always tailors packages to suit individuals as not everyone wants the same sort of thing., Good luck

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oohlaalaa · 28/03/2011 11:39

I would just like to reiterate Fairy Chronicle, it was so important to meet the photographer, and have someone who we could get on with.

Our photographers have been photographing weddings since 2003. The wife does photography as her job based from home, taking weddings photos, family portraits, commissions etc. Her husband has a job during the week, and helps at weekend.

Friends highly recommended the following people, but they were just too pricey for us:

www.fazackarley.com/

www.kateeshelbyweddingphotography.com/

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GrannyLLM · 04/11/2016 13:40

I am looking for a good family photographer in the Tunbridge Wells area. Can anybody recommend one?

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