Good deal for wedding Photographer?

lioness131

Hi All

Having just recently got engaged I am now starting the interesting bit of trying to plan a wedding. Ive been having a wee look around the forum for tips etc both in the general threads and also the NI ones but havent been brave enough to post yet!
I have found the following deal for wedding photos on gumtree and was wondering if anyone could tell me if it is a good deal or not?
The deal is

PRICE - £395

Pre-wedding Consultation
Full day’s Photography from the Bride’s house right through to the ‘mock’ cutting of the cake
Expert Post Production
DVD slide show set to music
A Printable DVD-ROM containing high-resolution versions of all your photographs (usually 200+ photos).
+
A beautiful 40 page Story Book Wedding Album!!!

It seems good to me and within our budget but any advice from others would be greatly appreciated!

bratz81

we're getting married next year and were looking at photographers recently (booked Erskine Crystal who isn't the cheapest but is really good!)

From what we were quoted and saw online, that is very very cheap - almost too cheap. Cheapest I saw over that is about £500-600 and up. Who is it with, are they maybe only starting out?
The cheapness of that would near put me off.

steveymp

I would like to see samples of this photographers work first and a few recommendations from others that have used his services.

£395 for all the above including 40 page album (inquire about the size of this) and handing over the copyright of their images on Disc just sounds a wee bit too good to be true:o

The advertised photographer may be just starting out and trying to get a client and recommendation base for this price, but please remember it is very difficult to redo a wedding if the photos turn out rubbish:o

Professional wedding photographers tend to make a good bit of profit from reprints, therefore don't tend to release the copyright of their images for such a small fee.

kaya

friends recently paid £1500 for wedding piccys, cheap doesn't always mean bad though, i would be asking for some names and contact details of recent victims i could contact before booking with them

joefizz

'£395 for all the above including 40 page album' This morning Ive bought a 30 page album for my next wedding clients. By the time I put photos in it thats 395 gone. Thats just for the album and the prints without actually taking the photos and everything else.

I sometimes get asked to provide testimony in legal disputes and overwhelmingly it is a case of providing an assessment of supplied images versus price. This may not be what the people want to hear as you have to balance what your expectations are compared to the price point in the market and what they can supply.
As others have said, go and see them, see what you are getting for the money, see examples of previous completed albums as a main photographer (not 2nd shooter or guest) and get a couple of references if they dont have a range of photos on the website.

For me that price is unrealistic for what they are supplying and the ASA might have an issue with some of the wording. 'expert post production' starts at £60 an image and thats a bulk rate to me. If it is someone just starting out (and thats what it appears to me) then thats your choice to decide.

I generally dont answer requests for price, if people like my stuff and it suits them and more importantly they get on with me then budgets can be negotiated. If price is your only measure then you have to perhaps accept that you might be in for a long wait for the photos or they may not be of a professional quality but thats the choices we all make in all our purchases. Just make sure you know all this in advance.
I saw a couple the other day and they complained about a recent relatives wedding where the photographer took over an hour and a half for the photos, it struck them he was someone just starting out due to the amount of *ing about - so again you have to bear other things in mind other than price. If you have a lot of time between ceremony and reception then its not going to be an issue.

Just to stress the point, go and see them (just as you do with all other wedding suppliers), see examples and get references.

liz-paul

It looks to me like the album is just that:an album. Without any photos in. It could well be that you are not getting any prints, just the disc to print from. I don't know if this is good or bad but you need to be sure of what you're getting so double check as even printing from somewhere like photobox or boots will cost a bit and they won't be the same quality of prnt that you would get from a professional.
Good luck!

lioness131

Thank you lots for your relies, you have made some good points!!
I will maybe do a wee bit more looking around!

sandraann

Be sure to check that they're insured and remember the photo album can't be any more than a photobox type album so it's maybe worth around £20-£30.It's really important to compare like with like.I do some wedding photography and get asked all the time for a price for an album with no thought to the quality or content. Meet with photographers and go through complete albums.

Lisa1978

I'd be worried about the quality. We used photographers who have their own shop, website and are very well known. For disc only, the cost was £750 which we bartered down to £500. That was for him coming to my parents on the morning, meeting the men before the cermony, taking us to our outdoor venue for snaps, back to hotel and right up to cutting the cake. I'd look around if i were you :) Good luck.. lucky you, wish i cld have our wedding day back again :):)

master_blaster_2

Hi
I work as a photographer , but I dont do wedding photography so I feel my advice is completly unbiased.

here it is.

Find a photographer whose work you really like and pay them WHATEVER they want
(yes see their albums see their work ... get references of their last half dozen weddings and ring the couples up etc) but at the end of the day if you like their work just go for it.

i feel that when its all over and the dress doesnt fit ... the suits have gone back to the hire company the food is eaten (and by a few people you dont even really like) what you have as a memory of the day is the wedding album (and a husband or wife).

i feel its not "just" an album its a record of your family and friends at this moment in time and also of your special day.
Best of luck whatever you decide.

PS why do I not do wedding photography??
Too much work for too little money .. all that post production and hassle ... no thanks