Her cost is lower because her overhead is little to none. I can’t believe some of the costs I am seeing out there. Brides, what did YOU pay for your wedding photographer????

That sounds about right. My photographer is $1000. It includes two photographers and $500 credit towards the pictures that I choose. I picked them mostly because they give me a cd of all my pictures. This way I have all the pictures even if I don’t buy the actual print.
A little tip: Look at there prices for the prints. For my bridal pictures I chose a lady that only cost $75 dollars. But I didn’t realize that for a 5X7 it would be $15.00. My wedding photographer only charges $10.00. It adds up. Just look around and check everything out before you decide.

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16 Responses

  1. CC

    2010 Mar 16 1

    Ours cost $1400 for photography, two assistants, a bridal shoot and a wedding album that’s actually a coffee table book. That’s a good price, especially since this guy is REALLY good. Don’t just think about cost…you need to make sure their pictures are going to be decent.

    Also, she doesn’t have overhead because she’s a digital photography. Make sure she gives you backups on a disk, she has a Web site where the guests of the wedding can go to and look at pictures, etc.
    References :

  2. mtb801

    2010 Mar 16 2

    Try advertising at universities. A lot of talented, qualified photography students will work for cheap ($500 or less) in order to get their work out there. Ask for a portfolio to make sure they know their stuff.
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  3. lovinglife

    2010 Mar 16 3

    That sounds about right. My photographer is $1000. It includes two photographers and $500 credit towards the pictures that I choose. I picked them mostly because they give me a cd of all my pictures. This way I have all the pictures even if I don’t buy the actual print.
    A little tip: Look at there prices for the prints. For my bridal pictures I chose a lady that only cost $75 dollars. But I didn’t realize that for a 5X7 it would be $15.00. My wedding photographer only charges $10.00. It adds up. Just look around and check everything out before you decide.
    References :
    Experience

  4. Steph

    2010 Mar 16 4

    Hey that actually sounds about average, the usual being $1500 but you do hear of people getting a great package for $800.
    If I could get exactly what I wanted for that price I would be very happy with it.
    References :
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Easywedding/

  5. ERK

    2010 Mar 16 5

    I have one in Chicago for $595… She’s a very good, independent, mostly corporate-events photographer.
    References :

  6. carebearsrsweet930

    2010 Mar 16 6

    We live in a big city, but sorry- not planning on spending a whole lot on photography. My fiance knows someone he went to an art school with- who majored in photography, who will do it for us for pretty cheap- 200. She’s great, we’ve seen her work. I’d rather do that than pay someone a crazy amount of $$. And I’ve heard any "wedding" photographer is going to charge you way more than what any other type of photographer would. Yes, you want great pics- which is what we’ll get, but not for 1,000 and up. And better, we will get all of our pics and CD- so they are ours, and not owned by anyone.
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  7. Linda S

    2010 Mar 16 7

    i paid for my sisters as a wedding gift and it was 2,500.00
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  8. Jasmine808

    2010 Mar 16 8

    I paid $1300 for my photographer. When people hear weddings, they see $$$$ or think freebies. There was a beautiful chapel in Hawaii that I wanted to rent but I quickly changed my mind when I found out the cost would be $4000. Thousands of dollars for 25 minutes? I don’t think so…
    References :

  9. pspoptart

    2010 Mar 16 9

    Does that package include ALL the negatives and/or the high resolution digital files or proofs?

    If the answer to the above it No I would never, ever hire them.

    Why? Because if you EVER want prints or enlargements you are forced to go through that person and usually pay astronomical prices for them. Not to mention a few years from now are they going to even have those pics available? Another issue my brides have is they go for a special technique that was really popular at the time (for instance the ghost profile of the kid in the corner of their school portraits). 5 years later that technique is really outdated and they want the orginal pic without it but they don’t have negatives. Giving you a "low cost" upfront fee so they can squeeze you for plenty of cash later is the oldest trick in the book! Think about it…..would you pay the bridal shop to make you a dress and sign a contract saying you had to give it back to them after the wedding was over? I think not.

    Make absoultely sure you really check her refrences and check for complaints! The people she gives you will only be the most glowing, satisfied customers so read between the lines. Make sure they are registered with at least one professional organization and ask to see a complete reel of wedding photos. Every single shot! Just like the refrences the portfolio is only going to be the best of the best. Even blind squirells can find nuts so you want to make sure you aren’t hiring one of those photographers that shoot 500 pics only to get 30 good ones.

    Our photographer is charging $500 for the whole day plus 3 cards for his digital camera for us to put our pics on. He’s a graduate student at the college looking to build his portfolio. I know his pics are great because I’ve seen his gallery work and as part of the package he did our engagement pictures so we could be sure we liked his work before settling on him.
    References :

  10. mysteryperson

    2010 Mar 16 10

    We paid $1900 for ours. It covered 8 hours with 2 photographers. An album with 300 proofs (4×6). A beautiful coffee table book with 70 pics and one main picture on the cover. 2 copies of the C.D. and several 8×10’s.
    Prices vary alot. Depending on photographer, time, and amount of pics you want.
    We actually came across one that charged $1500 for four hours. And that was only to take the pictures! To print them it would be $50 per each side of a page. LOL. I never called him back.
    References :

  11. Pure Genius

    2010 Mar 16 11

    I would say 1200 is a good priceI paid a little over 2000 or so for my photos but they where awesome… its all about the quality and experience of the photographer.. here is a great photographer and worth the money…
    http://www.markmontgomeryphotography.com
    References :

  12. Mrs C

    2010 Mar 16 12

    It is ridiculous how much some people charge.This one couple wanted like $2000 for only 60 pics.Most people won’t believe this but we payed around 300-400 for ours..There was about 120-140 pics plus an album for my mom.This lady was just starting to do weddings & get a name for herself.I must say,for her first wedding,she was great..Congrats!!
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  13. Conners

    2010 Mar 16 13

    That’s great-we paid the same. Our photographer is out of Milwaukee, she is working unlimited hours, unlimited locations, and unlimited shots for $1200. We also got a killer deal for our album-we chose our album in advance, and are getting an album package worth $1000 for $800….which is a good price for such a high quality album. So, getting out the door with such a good package and album for within $2000 isn’t really that bad.
    So, if you get along well with this person, and their package price looks right, and they let you see a ton of photos, then I say it sounds like a steal. Go for it, and check another thing off the list! 🙂
    References :

  14. Manda

    2010 Mar 16 14

    That’s amazing for Chicago! I live in Nebraska getting married in less than a year and our photographer is going to be $2500. This includes engagement session with pictures and proofs. Wedding day pictures from 10am(when we women are getting ready) till when the groom and I leave the reception. There are two photographers. We get 2 parents coffee table books and one for ourselves, 4-8 X 10’s, all of our proofs, and the copy write, other smaller photos, a website for family members to view or buy pictures for 90 days, and two slide show presentations, one to show at the reception of pictures from when we were younger to our engagement photos and the other for us to keep of our engagement and wedding day photos.
    It sounds like you have made a great choice!
    Good luck and congrats!
    References :

  15. staceyreyes01

    2010 Mar 16 15

    The pricing and packages are dependent on your area. Most professional photographers will charge depending on what you are wanting.

    We found a great deal for a similar price at Refined Touch Photography (www.refinedtouch.com). They are not limited to Chicago though, they do international. My wedding had 3 photographers but I didn’t buy an album.
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  16. Mrs. Person

    2010 Mar 16 16

    I got one for 1500. But the most I have ever seen was about 5,000
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