Interviewed a Wedding Photographer. Any tips?

With the wedding date still more than a year away, we're well ahead of schedule on our planning.  I know, I know, time is going to fly and there are a ton of things that are going to sneak up on us.  But for now, we feel good that we have our church and reception location reserved.  So, with that done, we are on to photographers.

We met with one tonight at a local Starbucks.  He's an experienced photographer.  He has been published in travel magazines, and has been shooting weddings full time for more than six years.  From a personality perspective, we got a good vibe, and his photos were all good quality.

His prices were what I would consider moderate to pricey.  His lowest package starts at $800, but it is very limited.  It includes up to 4 hours of shooting, and $100 towards prints.  It does not come with an album, prints, engagement photos, or really much else.  The next package is $1,450 and also includes only 4 hours of shooting, but comes with engagement photos, a small album (8"x8"), and $225 credit toward prints.

The problem that we have is with the 4 hours.  Our ceremony will begin at 3:00pm, with the reception (at a different location) beginning at 5:30pm.  The reception is scheduled to go until 11:30pm.  Even if we assume that he doesn't need to stay to the very end of the reception, he will still be needed for a minimum of 7 or 8 hours.  Each hour after the initial four runs $150 per hour.  In addition, we would really like some of the "prep time" photos.  Pictures of my Fiancee's mom helping her get ready, my brother helping me straighten my tie.  You know, that's all part of the big day.

I have been told that the photographer is not something that we want to skimp on.  However, I also don't think that advice should be taken to mean that we should go ahead and splurge.

I'm just not sure I'll know how to distinguish one from the other.  Any tips?

Comments

[2million]

We recently locked down a photographer -- not sure I have any good tips. We ended up getting a photograher who isn't located in the city we are having our wedding at, but here worked looked really good, the fiancee hit it off with her, and she only billed per hour (something like $25; with no minimum pic spend). Probably one of the better wedding deals we have made so far.

[Jeff]

I'm what you might call and advanced amateur photographer, and also a newlywed so I've got some experience with this. Once thing I can tell you that you absolutely need to know is whether or not the photographer will be equipped to shoot with off-camera lighting and, more importantly, whether they will have an assistant with them to do light metering, etc. The woman who photographed our wedding did it alone and the pictures suffered because of it.

[Him]

Interview the most expensive photographer who will shoot your wedding in the style that you like. Carefully examine his work and style.

Now, look for an "up-and-coming" photographer who have the same style and quality. Hire him/her.

Of course Jeff's completely right. In our experience so far, there is a huge discrepancy of skill and style between photographers who are $1,000 for the day and who are $5,000 for the day. It is up to you to figure out what you'll be happy with.

[edenz]

It is important to get a good photographer, but you probably don't need one for too much of the reception. We had ours show up 1 hr before the ceremony and leave after our first dance. Once the reception starts, the pictures the photographer gets will be comparable to a good amateur - any everyone at the wedding will be taking pics. Of course my parents used to shoot weddings before they had kids, so I knew that at least one set wouldn't be all thumbs.
Our photographer had his wife as an assistant to help with the lighting, posing, and taking shots from multiple angles (ie. getting the face of the bride walking down the aisle and the groom watching while at the same time allowing the guests and wedding party to see too). I highly recommend looking for a photographer with an assistant.

[donna jean]

In keeping our wedding within budget, we actually cut the photos out. This was extremely hard for me to do (photos were the only thing I cared about, or so I thought), but when our first photographer flaked, we didn't have many options.

At the last minute, the partner asked a amateur-photographer friend if he'd be willing to bring his camera gear to the wedding. He agreed on the terms that he'd only do candids.

The pictures turned out to be amazing and were more than we could have hoped for. And, we got them all for free, digitally, and were able to print what we wanted. We also relied on the many attendees bring cameras themselves and sharing the pictures afterwards (seems everyone has decent digital cameras these days).

This left a lot up to chance, but if you have any friends who take great pictures, it could be a great alternative or supplement. Hire the photographer for the ceremony and beginning of the reception and then let friend's photos fill in the rest. Be extremely social while the photographer is there if you want to be sure to get in pics with you and aunt betty and second cousin joe and then kick back more when he leaves.

[Amanda]

A good photographer is extremely important. After all, while the wedding is "just one day", it's something that you and your family and friends will want to look back on frequently throughout your life. Good pictures are key for that.
However, since I just got married last June, I will admit to you that Yes, photographers are incredibly expensive. Mostly because, well, they can be. One thing I would advise is asking if you can get the photo files on CD after you purchase your album - that way, you can print out extra pics for others much more cheaply.

[MSMomsmoney]

A personal friend of mine, and a pf blogger also is a wedding photographer. Check out her photography website: http://www.dreamlightphotography.com/

[Deborah]

Get the photographer to take the studio shot and ceremony and beginning of the reception.

Buy a bunch of disposible cameras and put them on the table and ask guests to take pictures for you. I've seen that done and the picture the guests have taken have been treasured for what was not seen.

[Charles]

I second the idea of not using the professional photographer during the reception. When my wife and I got married, the photographer showed up before the ceremony (about 1 hr.) and stayed until we sat down for dinner after our first dance. We scheduled it that way so that we could have professional photos of the first dance without spending extra money on shots we didn't want.

Very important: Get a package with exactly what you want, nothing more, nothing less. If the photographer doesn't want to work with you to make a custom package, move on.

[Fiscal Responsibility]

You should think of hiring a local college student who is majoring in photography. The chances are, there should be many students who have the skills and the knowledge to take good wedding photographs but will charge less in order to build their portfolios. If you interview one and like that person and the person's portfolio, you should ask that they take some preliminary photos (for your wedding site, perhaps?) for a nominal fee so that you can see in person how they work.

I am personally a fan of candid photos. I attended a wedding reception that had no professional photographer, and each table was given 5 disposable cameras. The idea was that the reception photos would be strictly candid. I am sure there were many photos that weren't top quality but the couple ended up with great photos because there were 100 people snapping different moments, instead of 1 person running around trying to capture all the important images.

[Tom]

Outside of the cost of the photographer you have to find one that meets you style. If you are looking for more informal shots to highlight the day, find a warm amiable person who flows well and has great samples of in the moment photo's.

If you are looking for a photographer that does great formal shots then you want to make sure the person is a strong personality and has the knack of getting folks organized.

Usually you will find one that has 1 or the other skills, not both.

[girl150]

I agree that you probably don't need the photographer to stay for the entire reception: once you've cut the cake, all the official stuff is basically over, so just try to lump all that in the first hour or so of the reception. And your friends and family will take lots of pics at the reception (unlike at the ceremony, where they won't likely get a good angle). So, you may be surprised how far you can stretch those 4 hours!
Also, in addition to a photographer's portfolio, I think it's important that you get along with the person. After all, if his corny jokes make you grimace, it's gonna be hard to ignore by the end of the day. You want someone you get along with, so your pictures will feel (and look) more natural.
My $0.02, as someon who just went through the wedding planning process last year.

[Bob]

You know what? Other than the framed picture each set of parents has, we've probably looked at the wedding pictures twice in the 15 years since the big day. The photos we took on our Honeymoon in Glacier National Park lots of times, but the wedding album, nah. Expensive photographer was a big waste of money.

[Aleks]

I'm a newlywed & a wedding photojournalist. A lot of the suggestions offered are great. But only YOU know what is right for you.

If you are looking for primarily posed photos then having the photographer for the reception is probably not necessary. If you prefer candid photos, then I highly recommend having the photog at the reception for at least a few hours. From our wedding we have photos of my 98-year-old grandma dancing - She died last year (99!!!) and if we had not had a pro photographer we would not have had good photos of those moments.

I personally do not recommend disposable camera photos & think it would be wiser to add the $200 you spend on cameras & developing to a pro package. HOWEVER, if you have seen photos from disposables that you like then go for it.

Since you like the photographer but his packages don't suit you, tell him that & see what he says. Maybe he can make a custom package for you.

If not, ask around on theknot.com local messageboards - there are often brides on there who know good photographers who are starting out and are reasonable. Do be careful though - make sure photog has pro equipment & back-up equipment. Also, make sure you sign a contract.

Good luck!!!

[financial freedumb]

My thoughts...it depends on how much you will value your photographs. They are very important to MOST, but not all.

Money aside...the most important things I think to consider are:
- How many photographers included in the package.
- Your rights to your photos. Some only give you limited rights or charge you more for your OWN pictures lol.
- The album. Do you just want photos or a well put together memory book you can be proud of.
- Style...I've seen some really bad photographers who are professional wedding photographers...and I've seen some amateurs that have the eye and talent to take amazing shots. Some are just creative too! Especially getting groups to do things: simple jaunts in a line...poses...etc. Huge difference imo.
- Equipment...More so, just that they have backup gear...

As far as the costs...that's a pretty tough area...talk to people in your area that had photographers...that's prob the best way to gauge the costs.

And yeah, get your friends to bring their cameras and act as backup photographers...A lot of those will be better than the "pros!" Esp if you have camera geek friends...hehe.

[Phil Walmsley]

I like these ideas of how to cheap out on wedding photography. I think it could be expanded to catering too. Why not have a pot luck? Surely someone most have decent pots to cook with. They must be better than charging what the caterers do. And why not have your wedding in the Costco parking lot? You can buy all the items and then return them afterwards. And who needs a fancy wedding dress? I mean it is only going to get worn once or twice so why not save hundreds maybe thousands of dollars and have a theme wedding - like hillbilly.

As for photographers like already mentioned just grab those disposables or have Uncle Harry and my favourite have your geek friends shoot beside the photographer. Heck it could be one big happy family. Maybe you could invite the pro photographer to your work space at a later date and he can show you how to do your job too. :) Be sure to invite the photographers geek friends too.

Cheers