How much does a wedding photographer cost?

Most times "you get what you pay for" With wedding photography, just like anything else.

I charge $1000 to $6000 . $3000 sounds like a reasonable budget for most brides and if the photographer is (a) reliable (b) someone nice who you want to spend your whole wedding day with (c) has top-of-the-line equipment (d) takes beautiful photographs (e) offers not just quantity but also quality albums and prints.

I’m a wedding photographer in Pittsburgh PA and my $3000 wedding photography package includes 6 to 8 hours of coverae by two photographers. It also includes an Engagement Session, a beautiful leather-bound album, High Resolution CD and other little "extras".

Do shop around and make sure you are selecting the best photographer. Believe it or not, what matters MOST is that the photographer be NICE. Someone you, your wedding party, your family, and guests will all get along with, even in the most stressful moments that occur during a wedding day. Before you sign an agreement make sure you meet the actual photographer who will show up on your wedding day. Beware – some studios show the most beautiful sample albums from their Master Photographer, but they send a less qualified and experienced photographer to your wedding.

Next most important is the artistic and technical quality of his her wedding photography. Are they beautiful and emotional images, or ordinary. Don’t get caught up in the "numbers game". An 8 inch album with 50 really beautiful wedding photographs is better than a 10 inch album with 100 bad ones, don’t you agree?

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9 Responses

  1. C

    2009 Nov 14 1

    they can vary wildly. i got a friend to do mine, they were fabulous!
    References :

  2. Soon to be Mrs. Moulthrop

    2009 Nov 14 2

    Most times "you get what you pay for" With wedding photography, just like anything else.

    I charge $1000 to $6000 . $3000 sounds like a reasonable budget for most brides and if the photographer is (a) reliable (b) someone nice who you want to spend your whole wedding day with (c) has top-of-the-line equipment (d) takes beautiful photographs (e) offers not just quantity but also quality albums and prints.

    I’m a wedding photographer in Pittsburgh PA and my $3000 wedding photography package includes 6 to 8 hours of coverae by two photographers. It also includes an Engagement Session, a beautiful leather-bound album, High Resolution CD and other little "extras".

    Do shop around and make sure you are selecting the best photographer. Believe it or not, what matters MOST is that the photographer be NICE. Someone you, your wedding party, your family, and guests will all get along with, even in the most stressful moments that occur during a wedding day. Before you sign an agreement make sure you meet the actual photographer who will show up on your wedding day. Beware – some studios show the most beautiful sample albums from their Master Photographer, but they send a less qualified and experienced photographer to your wedding.

    Next most important is the artistic and technical quality of his her wedding photography. Are they beautiful and emotional images, or ordinary. Don’t get caught up in the "numbers game". An 8 inch album with 50 really beautiful wedding photographs is better than a 10 inch album with 100 bad ones, don’t you agree?
    References :
    http://www.pittsburghweddingphotographer.com/

  3. Bride to be

    2009 Nov 14 3

    It depends on the package you get. the cheapest I have found was about 1500. I decided to have a family friend take the pictures.

    Good luck!
    References :

  4. Pucca and Garu

    2009 Nov 14 4

    i have no idea!
    but i can be your photographer! lol
    Love photography! hehe
    References :

  5. Terri

    2009 Nov 14 5

    Depends on various things. Location of the wedding, if you want pre ceremony pictures, setting up pictures, etc as well as how long you want the photographer to stick around.

    I wouldn’t skimp on the photographer. I barely remember what happened at our wedding. I was so glad for the photos as well as the videographer (try to get one!).

    You could always do a minimal package on the photographer and then get disposables (do NOT get the "wedding cameras" as they are horrible quality. just get the fuji or kodak ones with flash) and also see if anyone who has a camera can send you their copies.

    My husband and I got sooo many photos from friends and family that we liked THEIRS more than our photographer we hired! (heck she even missed the "you may now kiss the bride" kiss!)
    References :

  6. jaime

    2009 Nov 14 6

    we are paying $3,500 for a photographer and that includes our engagement session. It all depends and I would definitely shop around. make sure to ask them to see their work and get word of mouth about them from your town or other brides. I would definatley budget about $3,000.
    References :

  7. Sydney

    2009 Nov 14 7

    It depends…! We were so lucky….! We knew a guy in Miami who had been a high end professional real estate photographer. He wanted to branch out to weddings or something. He did it for us for free!!! His pics were much better than my friends who had hired somebody half a year before!!! She paid a LOT! 🙂
    I am not sure he still uses this link: http://www.haringphotography.com
    References :

  8. weirdiscomplimentary

    2009 Nov 14 8

    Ours cost $1400 and he had an assistant. The assistant was nice but our photographer was sulky and irritable the whole day. I didn’t want him there at all and in retrospect I wish we had either sprung for a more "elite" photographer or that we had just skipped photography altogether and just had our friends take photos.

    PS — It included our engagement photo shoot. Also, he said that he would be with us all day, but in actuality, he came later than I had wanted and left a lot. He went out to smoke on the balcony, etc. He didn’t seem interested in actually taking any of the photos that we asked for. I wanted to murder him by the end of the evening.
    References :

  9. LJRobbie

    2009 Nov 14 9

    I paid 6300.00 for my wedding photos

    That included the Photographer and his Assistant for the morning of the wedding, the ceremony and the reception.We also took some "location" photos in-between the ceremony and reception.

    We purchased 3 albums, One for the Bride/Groom, and one for the parents of the Bride and Groom
    References :


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