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The biggest challenge I see you having is finding a photographer who's willing to only work a few hours mid-day, on a Saturday, in prime wedding season. They can really pick and choose their work in June-July-Aug. and if I were them, I'd certainly take a full-day/package contract over a few hours.
Perhaps look to fashion photographers (or those who don't normally shoot weddings) to see if they want to pick up extra work, or search Craigslist (etc.) for up-and-coming photographers who are looking to build a portfolio.
Good Luck!
Sure they could show up with a point and shoot camera and still get great shots if they are good, but you probably want something a little more than that.
So one way to think of a photographer's rate is that you're also (somewhat) renting their gear too. I'm sure some will disagree with me but I know photographers that factor those items into their rate.
I know that doesn't make the cost any more palatable, but it's one of the realities people sometimes overlook....that and dealing with bridezillas.
However, I do know 3 different people that were recently married and the pros they hired only provided a royalty free CD; nothing else in the package. I'll ask around to find out who they used and what they paid.
@John I agree, I am renting the gear ... I'm just not interested in having that rental fee be mandated into markups on prints I can do myself. I will pay a solid hourly rate
@Jen I was hoping the timing of our wedding would let them sneak out and get to double dip by doing an evening one as well since we're only noon-three type thing.
@Gregg that would be great if you could pass along the info
We'll see .. thanks for your thoughts.
You may try a photo studio where they have lots of shooters available, rather than independent photographers. Multi-photographer studios are where I've seen more flexibility toward hourly work.
I agree with Gregg though, that most of the photographers I interviewed were charging for their time and expertise only. No extras. The royalty-free disc is an extra charge, and as for prints, we got a credit toward specialty products that are above and beyond basic prints.
Also, check out the West Coast forums at www.weddingbells.ca - I remember lots of the ladies on there looking to put on weddings on a budget, they probably have some good leads.
http://luxephotography.blogspot.com/
She is a local photographer in Langley, though I have never met her personally, I have seen some of her work through mutual friends.... I think she is extememly talented. No idea what her rates are. It might be worth checking out her & others in the area who are not "professionals" as they may have cheaper rates & do just an amazing of a job.
1) preparing all my gear the night before for a few hours (charging, cleaning lenses, etc).
2) getting to the location at noon and shooting photos until around 11pm
3) touching up about 50 photos
4) upload and final review
5) mailed a CD full of final images
I spent about 30 minutes per photo during the touch up phase, and spent considerably more time in post production than I did shooting photos. By comparison, I spend about 2 minutes per Flickr photo I upload for casual shots. I would estimate that shooting that wedding took about 30 hours for me, and that didn't include any books or fancy deliverables.
So yes, you need to factor in renting expensive gear (I have close to $10k worth of gear now), and the photographers time, both shooting photos and touching them up, which is why many photographers are so expensive. But I don't think it should be hard (I would like to think at least) to find a photographer willing to give you the final CD.
http://www.melissagilbertphotography.com/pricin...
She has all kinds of pricing for different packages and will do custom packages.
I haven't used her as a photographer, but I used to *ahem* babysit her when I was younger ;)
That said, it seems that you have a price in mind, though you don't state it. $1000? $1500? $750? Look at Duane's efforts above, figure a reasonable hourly rate ($100? Just guessing, but if the photographer brings an assistant probably more), and then figure out what that might get you. Maybe you can only afford a couple of hours of photo time for formal pictures of the wedding party etc. and some post-processing time -- perhaps the rest of the event should be covered by all your photo-happy friends and relatives. Maybe you can find another compromise.
You can have friends or students do the shots, but while you might get some good stuff, a skilled wedding shooter will probably capture more, will be able to help you through the process, should be faster, and may be better and staying out of the way.
You might want to listen to this episode of This Week in Photography for a discussion of the topic so you can make your bids even better informed:
http://www.pixelcorps.tv/twip039
My issue with the rates had more to do with a lot of the extras that seem to be tossed in to fluff up the packages, and the fact future prints usually have to be bought back through the photog.
I'm willing to properly pay for the time it takes to do a job, I just dont want to be roped in to photo and book packages - I can do that on my own.
we spent a lot on our photography, we found the best photographer we could afford. He happens to be a member of PPOC (Professional Photographers of Canada). He teaches Wedding Photography courses to Photographer's.
Our Wedding Day was 12 years ago... and a lot of the other details, flowers, food, etc have long been forgotten...but we still have the most beautiful framed photographs and wedding album to enjoy!
I would suggest ypu shift some of your budget from other items and spend more on photography!
Wishing you and your bride to be .. all the best in 2009!
Rob
I think Duane is right on the money there. It's not simply the time shooting the wedding, but all the preparation work as well as the post-processing work. You're looking at maybe 10 hours on the day, and certainly 20-30 hours after. If you have a good one, then there's some initial consultation time, location scouting beforehand, spending the night before cleaning, charging gear. Factor in having to cover other expenses of a studio, gear, marketing, courses, vehicle, gas, etc., the actual hourly wage of a photographer might actually be lower than you think.
As you noted, the new reality is certainly moving towards providing just images to clients. Pre-digital, photographers used to be able to charge little or nothing for showing up to the wedding, and making their money in mandatory album and print sales. Today, the business model is one where they are charging a rate for their services as album and print sales aren't the priority for some clients who simply want the files to share or turn into photobooks themselves. Therefore, the prices for wedding photography have probably actually stayed the same over time despite shifting priorities -- one still needs to eat!
The barriers to becoming a paid photographer are much lower these days, and that's a good and bad thing. There are a lot of great photographers, and there are a lot of not-so-great ones on the market. So the trick would be finding a good one (that isn't going to be booked with paying gigs already during wedding season) that is willing to work this way in exchange for the publicity and reference. You may find an up-and-comer with talent that is looking to break into the wedding photography market and offer you a discount.
Let me suggest a few things in your search. You need to choose a photographer based upon his or her work and whether it resonates with you. There are lots of approaches and stylistic variations -- is the photographer one that purely observes and documents your day, or does he direct the B&G around to pose? Do you like over-the-top, cheesy, kitschy, or realistic? Also find one you can get along with and have fun on the day, as relaxed pictures are the best pictures.
I will put in a personal plug -- I'd be interested in doing your wedding as I think it would be a lot of fun. I have no issues providing the image files as my deliverable to you, but I would not want, from an artistic reputation point of view, to give you the files directly off the memory card without personally processing each one of them. A painter wouldn't give you a half-finished picture with a box of watercolours for you to fill in. Half the work is done when the shutter is fired; the other half is processing.
All the best to you and Jen in your search!
Martin
Over 5 hours I'll shoot 750 - 1000 images or so - many are variations of the same shot so that melts down to 300 or so. Post production as a regular process doesn't need to take 30 minutes per shot - some take 5 many take 1 or 2.
If I'm not working I don't get paid - every time I'm working and getting paid at the same time is more money that I have in my pocket than I did yesterday - so I totally love the model described by Duane as noted above.
$750 - $1000 for shooting the wedding - delivering a CD with a CC license is a good sweet spot.
ps. I don't need to clean my lenses the night before because they are always clean :)
I hear where you're coming from, however, since starting wedding photography as a Semi-Pro (for now) I have come to realise there is so much more to it than the photographers time on the day.
A days wedding shoot works out to be around a weeks actual work. This starts with marketing so you can find us, then consultations, preparing equipment before wedding, wedding day, cleaning equipment, uploading images, back up copies, processing, putting on line, and then of course all the work associated with making an album.
Photographers are reluctant to give CD because we have no control over the quality of images/prints you will make from the CD. When I do sell a CD I ask a lot of money for it - I have to as that will result in loss of print sales.
There is also the adage that you get what you pay for. I respect that you're on a budget and I am sure you will be able to find a keen amateur or even Semi-Pro for under a grand. This is fine as long as you accept that the images will not be anywhere near the quality of the Pro charging $2.5K upwards.
Good luck in your quest to find a cheap photographer - it looks like you have a few offers from Semi-Pros that fit your profile. I just wanted to put things a little in perspective as I thought exactly the same way two years ago :-)
How is your search for a photographer going? I was married a few years ago and my photographer charged me for the hours I wanted and gave me a CD with all the images. It took us a long time to find a photographer that would do this for us! I was not interested in paying $4000 for photos. I paid $1500 for my coverage and I was really glad. You can check out her site at: www.charlenephoenixphotography.com
I hope you found someone for your big day. It will go by so fast!
Did you find a photographer? If not please email me as I might be able to help you out but would need to know the specifics of your wedding.
Good luck and happy wedding day!
http://mikaphotography.blogspot.com/
That being said, when you contact a professional studio that you really like, even if they're outside your budget, ask them if they have a second shooter or someone on their team who can shoot your wedding for less. You won't get the principal photographer, but getting someone who has trained under one may be one way to get someone who will act professionally and be able to give you some half decent photos. Just a thought.
Hope your search goes well.
Daniel
Studio d'Soleil
Vancouver wedding photographer
We also were surprised by the prices for photography and wanted to keep to a budget. We want the proofs and a disc to make our own photos. We're going with Lisa Petkau and she's really good.
http://www.lisapetkau.com