I'm finding it difficult trying to find one too. I have looked at loads, some great and some awful but they are so expensive. I don't care how good someone is, I am not paying £1000 for them to come out just to take pictures without anything else included!! Anyone have a good photographer in north west that isn't charging a fortune?
CommentAuthormjb87
It's shocking isnt it - cant be forking out over £1000 like x
CommentAuthorAlex Kilbee
DeeC and mjb87
Firstly, congrats on your engagements.
I'm going to address the issue of cost of wedding photography here and how it pertains to your wedding. I get the impression from a lot of brides on here that they think that wedding photographers are just a bunch of dirty old men in trench coats who are out to take as much of your hard earned money as possible.
The truth of the matter is that wedding photographers fall into two camps -
Those who are doing it as a 'paying hobby' - i.e they have a job but shoot pictures on the weekend for some extra income the tax man won't know about. They will charge you whatever figure they can suck out of their thumb.
Those who do it as a profession - i.e shooting weddings is all they do, they work in a professional manner and charge professional rates which they need to work at in order to keep the business healthy.
Those who fall into the first camp may seem like a bargain choice when first compared against those in the second camp if you are simply looking at a bottom line figure. Like most things in life however, there is a bit more to it than that.
People who masquerade as wedding photographers on the weekend are the sole reason why you see articles in the paper about appallingly poor video (as witnessed recently), or 'photographers' who disappear after taking your money, or giving you terrible images of the wedding.
I can't stress this enough - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Lets pretend I'm a caterer for a second - if caterer X quotes you £2000 and I quote you £200 wouldn't you think there was something dodgy about me? After all, how can I afford to charge only a tenth of caterer X? Do I use rotten meat, catering vats of 'mystery jam', or have I cut corners by not getting proper health checks, or training?
A professional photographer isn't charging say, £1000, 'just to come and take a few snaps on a Saturday' - they are charging you for their time (usually a full working week per wedding from start to finish), plus all their overheads, oh and of course their talent, expertise and skill.
There is no right or wrong, and I've no doubt you'll find someone who suits you and your budget - I just want brides to also have the photographers point of view on pricing.
I care deeply about giving my couples a professional service with amazing images in quality albums and sometimes it can cut a bit close to the bone when people (not you guys specifically) say we are all shysters out to basically bleed you dry. Hopefully a bit of dialogue between brides and photographers can help clear these muddied waters somewhat.
HTH
Alex
CommentAuthorSijen
I had to do a LOT of research before booking my photographer ladies - and I've gone for the best package he offered and that suited me and my H2B - we're in Liverpool and our photographer is in Chester but covers all the North-West. He is pricey but if you go for the albums / bridal preps / first dance etc, but we didn't want all that and he tailored a deal to suit us.
I think the best thing you can do is set a limit to what you would pay for...and what you want for that budget. Our budget turned out to be unrealistic as we did not have a clue on what to ask for or how much a photographer charges.
Alex is right about the cost and you will generally find the higher the cost, the better the photographer. We're simply getting our photographer from arrival to the ceremony until speeches (before meal) - approx 4 hours of photography. Then he is giving us EVERY photograph on 2 discs - 1 in colour and 1 in b&w. This is only £650 which we thought was an absolute bargain!
We decided on this package after meeting with a couple of other photographers and looking at their work...You really need to do that first!
On the other hand - have a look at the recommended photographers from UK bride and some offer discounts.
Good luck anyway x
10 years together...
Finally Mr & Mrs
27.07.12
CommentAuthorKimi
I've gone with a local (Wigan) professional who's catering to what I want at a decent price. You really need to shop around - pop into bridal shops local to you as many hold info to companies and people to use, also recommended is wedding fairs as that's where I got mine from.
The days are flying by, can't wait :)
CommentAuthorSijen
Yeah I met mine at a wedding fair then he came out to the house to discuss what we wanted - no pressure in booking him (unlike others we had spoken to) and was really pleasant. We are very happy with our choice!
10 years together...
Finally Mr & Mrs
27.07.12
CommentAuthorDeeC
I do understand how hard photographers work and it must cost a lot to buy in albums etc. I personally was on about a photographer who wanted £1000 just to come an take pictures which I personally think is a lot to ask for when you don't get any pictures, CDs or anything included. They were all add ons which you have to pay extra for. I have seen a lot of great photographers who charge fairly for thier excellent work. Sorry if i offended anyone.
CommentAuthorDeeC
I do understand how hard photographers work and it must cost a lot to buy in albums etc. I personally was on about a photographer who wanted £1000 just to come an take pictures which I personally think is a lot to ask for when you don't get any pictures, CDs or anything included. They were all add ons which you have to pay extra for. I have seen a lot of great photographers who charge fairly for thier excellent work. Sorry if i offended anyone.
CommentAuthorAlex Kilbee
^^^
DeeC, not to worry, I wasn't offended by your post.
There is an awful lot of talk in the last few years about how we as wedding photographers are all rip off merchants, so I just try to take any opportunity that presents itself to show things from our side of coin, so we can all get a better understanding of each other.
Personally, I'd say £1k just for attendance is a little bit on the steep side, but not wholly unreasonable - it depends on that photographers own business model (are they happier to shoot less at more per wedding etc..?), or are they in demand so much they can dictate market forces?
Also, did they mention the costs of an prints, albums, DVD's?
You may find that actually you could put together a better package with them a la carte, than with someone who has, say, three set in stone packages at, say £950, £1400, £1950.
My own pricing is split for attendance, with prints, DVD's, Albums etc being charged independently. A lot of brides have said it makes it far easier to understand the costs involved and easier for them to create a package that fits their budget.
Again, it depends on what market they (the other photographers) are targeting and what area they are working in?
HTH
Alex
CommentAuthorLinzie Liverpool.
my wedding phtographer is charging me 750 which includes him comin to mine in the mornin taking shots of us getting ready, whole day at church and reception and evening recepion. we get a cd with all images on, free canvas print and 2 books of photos
he did my mates wedding and pics are fab. well worth the money
CommentAuthorLinzie Liverpool.
that also includes projector images of daytime bein shown in nite time and he does keyrings and pics at 5 pound each for ppl to buy
CommentAuthorMrs_Job
There is a photographer that does a whole day photography and video up to 12 hours for about £800 based in rhos on sea in north wales, i have him booked for video, im 99% sure hed travel to you as he is travelling to mold for us, he will just charge petrol, let me know if you want his website. x