Wedding Photography

gjf1981

gjf1981

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Hey guys,

I've been a member on here for a while but not posted too much just soak in all the info i can really. This isnt the normal "i want to become a wedding tog but ive not got a clue" thread but I've looked at a load of posts on here to see if i could find the info i required but couldnt.

Anyway onto my question - over Christmas the other half and i got engaged. Me being me and wondering how much this wedding was going to cost me i started trying to sort a budget out. I got the the photography part and done some research to try and find a rough price on what i'd have to shell out for the photograpy. Now this is where i couldn't make head nor tail of the pricing. There seems to be a significant price range.

This is the question i thought i'd ask the professionals on here. Just a ball park figure would be fair but how much would a decent photographer be for a full day at a wedding? Morning, Church, Reception and Evening? Please don't jump down my throat and answer with "Whatever they want to charge" i was just looking for an average of what the professionals might charge and if its region specific?

Thanks in advance

Gareth
 
I think the range is so big due to the quality and service you recieve as well as the presentation of your final product.

If I were to be getting married I'd be asking someone on here for reccomendations in my area (ish) and then base my budget on quotes from those recommended
 
Prices can range from £200 to £5000 for a wedding. How long the coverage lasts, whether an album is included, and of course the quality of work vary just as much.
As already mentioned, do a bit of research on locals to you, and ask to see some examples of real complete weddings done by them.
After all, you get what you pay for.
It is a special day, not to be repeated, so I would budget accordingly. A lot of people don't seem to want to spend on their photographer, they would rather spend on everything else, with the photography seemingly way down the list of "must haves", whereas in fact the pics are the one thing which lasts a lifetime.
Good luck in your search.
Oh, and congratulations on your engagement BTW.
 
I'm not a wedding photographer but speaking from experience, our wedding photographer cost us £1,500. This included full day coverage from getting ready right through to the speeches. It also included our photo album, two parents albums and a disc of all the photos. There were other photographers we saw - some were much cheaper and some were more expensive. It all boiled down to the photographs themselves and how we got on with our photographer.
 
Thanks for the response guys much appreciated...

I thought this would be the best place to ask, to be honest the ones ive looked at doing my little bit of research the photos have all seemed to be fantastic and quality work (only viewed on their sites).

After dabbling in photography and of course looking at some of the albums the guys on here can produce then a quality and professional photographer is probably THE must have at the wedding.

Oh and thank you for the congrats too :)

Gareth
 
donkey_kong said:
I'm not a wedding photographer but speaking from experience, our wedding photographer cost us £1,500. This included full day coverage from getting ready right through to the speeches. It also included our photo album, two parents albums and a disc of all the photos. There were other photographers we saw - some were much cheaper and some were more expensive. It all boiled down to the photographs themselves and how we got on with our photographer.
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Thanks for the reply, im thinking that the last option for us is to see how the rapport is between us and the photographer regardless of price as the quality of photographs from the ones we've seen have been superb.

Gareth
 
Hey Gareth.

The rapport between you and your chosen 'tog is pretty much the most important thing. You've got to like them as much as they get on with you. They'll be spending the whole of your day with you. If they're not shy and retiring then they're more likely to be unafraid of getting in there for that elusive awesome shot. At the same time, you've got to ensure they're not a complete a*se.

I'd say once you've got a price range in mind then do it purely on personality and likeable-ness...once you're sure their shots are up to scratch! - of course!
 
my advice is don't bother with one. Get a friend that knows how to use a camera properly to take some posed shots and be done with it. You'll be able to count using your fingers how many times you'll probably end up looking at any album you get (or make yourself). Spend as little as you can getting married and spend the cash on something worth while. In todays economic climate why spend 000's just to sign a bit of paper :eek:

If you really want a photographer there all day you'll be looking at £800-1000 but you may find what they offer varies quite abit. Look for someone that gives you a DVD of images to print off yourself.



gjf1981 said:
Hey guys,

I've been a member on here for a while but not posted too much just soak in all the info i can really. This isnt the normal "i want to become a wedding tog but ive not got a clue" thread but I've looked at a load of posts on here to see if i could find the info i required but couldnt.

Anyway onto my question - over Christmas the other half and i got engaged. Me being me and wondering how much this wedding was going to cost me i started trying to sort a budget out. I got the the photography part and done some research to try and find a rough price on what i'd have to shell out for the photograpy. Now this is where i couldn't make head nor tail of the pricing. There seems to be a significant price range.

This is the question i thought i'd ask the professionals on here. Just a ball park figure would be fair but how much would a decent photographer be for a full day at a wedding? Morning, Church, Reception and Evening? Please don't jump down my throat and answer with "Whatever they want to charge" i was just looking for an average of what the professionals might charge and if its region specific?

Thanks in advance

Gareth
Click to expand...
 
gjf1981 said:
Thanks for the reply, im thinking that the last option for us is to see how the rapport is between us and the photographer regardless of price as the quality of photographs from the ones we've seen have been superb.

Gareth
Click to expand...
I really would be surprised to find the quality difference between very cheap and very expensive photographers isn't that great:thinking:. Round here the very cheap photographers are awful (as are some of the not-so-cheap)

Local to me the quality difference between 20 photographers with 'mid range' pricing is massive. But then I might have a more 'trained eye' than most.

I'd also go with asking for local recommendations on here, I think there are a few members from South Wales, but more info would be beneficial.

And Congratulations, :thumbs:
 
POAH said:
my advice is don't bother with one. Get a friend that knows how to use a camera properly to take some posed shots and be done with it. You'll be able to count using your fingers how many times you'll probably end up looking at any album you get (or make yourself). Spend as little as you can getting married and spend the cash on something worth while. In todays economic climate why spend 000's just to sign a bit of paper :eek:

If you really want a photographer there all day you'll be looking at £800-1000 but you may find what they offer varies quite abit. Look for someone that gives you a DVD of images to print off yourself.
Click to expand...

Some people actually value photography and like to look at their photographs for memories and moments that they didn't even realise were being captured. In the friendliest of terms and without thinking your a complete plonk or trying to get a 'typical' response.
 
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Phil V said:
I really would be surprised to find the quality difference between very cheap and very expensive photographers isn't that great:thinking:. Round here the very cheap photographers are awful (as are some of the not-so-cheap)

Local to me the quality difference between 20 photographers with 'mid range' pricing is massive. But then I might have a more 'trained eye' than most.

I'd also go with asking for local recommendations on here, I think there are a few members from South Wales, but more info would be beneficial.

And Congratulations, :thumbs:
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I edited a set for my personal training client. she paid £3000 for hers, no album and the images shocked me in the sense that i was not impressed at all.

I'm not sure if thats an exception to the rule or not.
 
I have been asked recently would I be able to do something about the quality of images on wedding disc [from 2010] - the images are so small the couple cannot print them! That shocked me. Especially considering they paid €2500 [just over £2000] - what they got was a bunch of so-so wedding images from the day, on a disc that's no real use - not much larger than thumbnail sizes - with no prints,for that price!??

Proof that you don't always get what you pay for.

I did the photography for my sister's wedding on new year's eve as a gift - they turned out fine, I'm no wedding photographer, but have experience with portrait shoots, inc large groups - and have done a lot of promo work for bands. I just carried what experience I had from there, plus the experience from my other sister's wedding just over a year back - into the wedding, and I was comfortable enough. Tough job, and I see why some charge what they do - but you have to deliver the goods! And not leave a couple disappointed like that - could ruin your rep very easily on top. For that kind of money I would have covered morning to end of reception, given 300+ full res , fully processed images on disc, a bunch of prints + album.

I've already got 3 jobs from the results of my sister's wedding alone.

Expect to pay at least 1500, but do make sure you know what you are getting for that.
 
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Phil V said:
I really would be surprised to find the quality difference between very cheap and very expensive photographers isn't that great:thinking:. Round here the very cheap photographers are awful (as are some of the not-so-cheap)

Local to me the quality difference between 20 photographers with 'mid range' pricing is massive. But then I might have a more 'trained eye' than most.

I'd also go with asking for local recommendations on here, I think there are a few members from South Wales, but more info would be beneficial.

And Congratulations, :thumbs:
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+1

and "how long is a piece of string?"
 
There's a guy on here called 'Dav' I think who (again I think) lives in your area... From what I've seen of his work its very good so I'd talk to him if I were you and see if he's in your price range.

If he's not then he might know another tog in the region who is that he rates as being a good person to use.

Sorry I can't be more specific about who 'Dav' is but if anyone knows of him a little better maybe they could direct the OP to his site, or Dav to this thread?
 
speaking form personal experience it really is down to budget, rapport and picture quality. Only you can decide that a tog who is £500 more that any other tog is a better tog in your eyes and that you have the rapport.

When i got married we did the following.
Had a quick scan of local and semi local togs that were within a price range that we felt comfortable to pay
Phoned them up to see what deals they were doing (if any) and to get an initial feel for their attitude / customer service / flexibility etc
Narrow it down to 5 and then go and meet them.
Take examples of what you want to achieve and see whether they can accomodate your requests / style / concept etc. (we wanted informal shots that included some good scenery as we got married at the Royal Society of Arts in The Strand , London. It was then down to likeability, personality, how discreet they could be but still get the shots.

It took effort but we were rewarded with great shots, a photographper who was unintrusive yet managed to be on the spot at the right time. Our guests barely knew he was there, but the ones that did speak to him said he was professional and curteuous. he also 'directed' us without being bossy etc.

And, going back to building a rapport, I am still in touch with him 5 years later, have seconded for him on a wedding where he showed me hints and tips.....and there is talk of studio work.
So all in all for a bit of legwork it has proved well worth it.

And he was on the lower end of the budget (about 1100 if i remember rightly, which didnt include an album but did include prints and the files).
It was probably the best investment of the wedding as people still comment on the photos now.

At the opposite end of the scale a colleague spent over 2k on her tog. good pictures but not outstanding. She had to ask the toast master to keep the tog away from her as the tog was so bossy and was 'in the way'. The tog was wearing baggy / scruffy clothes and managed to upset a couple of guests. Some of the locations the tog chose were 'wierd' (an old barge that was covered in dirt and grease....not good with a wedding dress!).

So all in all only you can decide what your budget is and who you get on with. Its tricky but well worth the effort.

Just my tuppenth worth.
 
gjf1981 said:
Hey guys,

I've been a member on here for a while but not posted too much just soak in all the info i can really. This isnt the normal "i want to become a wedding tog but ive not got a clue" thread but I've looked at a load of posts on here to see if i could find the info i required but couldnt.

Anyway onto my question - over Christmas the other half and i got engaged. Me being me and wondering how much this wedding was going to cost me i started trying to sort a budget out. I got the the photography part and done some research to try and find a rough price on what i'd have to shell out for the photograpy. Now this is where i couldn't make head nor tail of the pricing. There seems to be a significant price range.

This is the question i thought i'd ask the professionals on here. Just a ball park figure would be fair but how much would a decent photographer be for a full day at a wedding? Morning, Church, Reception and Evening? Please don't jump down my throat and answer with "Whatever they want to charge" i was just looking for an average of what the professionals might charge and if its region specific?

Thanks in advance

Gareth
Click to expand...

coming from south wales myself, my most popular all day package is £599. Some say this is to cheap, but i seem to be doing very well for myself as others struggle. where are you getting married?
 
CONGRATULATIONS :clap: :)

And yes pricing is very area specific - so what might be a great tog hereabouts for £2,000 might be very average in some parts or the most expensive by miles in others

Just Google your own area first as 'yourtown Wedding Photographer' and look through at least the first 30-40 websites - for any you like ask for availability first (if you have a date), and pricing second

Then narrow it down to those whose work you like and pricing you can afford - and see them all - you'll find some you get on well with, some you can't stand - its pretty obvious who to book :)

Happy hunting

Dave
 
We got married last year and being keen photographers it was easily our most daunting task. We found in the £1000-2000 area the quality varied quite dramatically, despite a very flexible budget we surprised ourselves and opted for a guy who charged £800 for prep to first dance (10hrs) and a bunch of CDs with edited full resolution images (as we were happy to design our albums).

He had shot at the venue many times, was very relaxed (I imagine far too laid back for many, but he suited our plans perfectly) and didn't use flash (which was important to us), you really do need to get out and meet them to see who you click with.
 
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Thanks so much for all your help people, much appreciated... Its not true what they all say about you lot at all ;)

Seriously though, thanks a million for all the replies :)

Gareth
 
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