Wedding Photography.. On A Budget?

sheryldoc

Im in the West of Scotland..

I have found that photographers will end up being the most expensive part of my wedding!!

anyone kno any gd deals or even any tips?

skintchick

All I would say is don;t scrimp on it - the photos can only be taken once and they are the only thing you will treasure forever.

Wonder_Girl

How close are you to Gretna? There is a lot of competition in that area so we found some really good deals before deciding to have the weeding closer to home, if your not to far they might be able to travel to you?

sheryldoc

Wonder_Girl wrote: »

How close are you to Gretna? There is a lot of competition in that area so we found some really good deals before deciding to have the weeding closer to home, if your not to far they might be able to travel to you?

Im jst outside Glasgow

Contains_Mild_Peril

If you're near a camera club you could try asking their members if any do professional wedding photography. Most clubs have at least one or two experienced wedding photographers, who will often be part-timers with weekday jobs as well, so they can offer extremely competitive prices.
I wouldn't suggest that more expensive photographers are necessarily better: no matter what the price, always ask to see previous work before booking your photographer. If a cheap part-time photogrpaher who's only done a few weddings has a really great portfolio, don't let their limited experience put you off. On the other hand, it's best they have at least some experience with weddings: a photographer may have a beautiful non-specialist portfolio but no clue how to organise large groups and boss people around diplomatically! Ask about equipment too, especially their backup camera; as skintchick points out, there's only one chance to get it right.
It's helpful if you have a clear idea of what you want before you talk to your prospective photographer, e.g. do you want pictures at the bridal home before the wedding? How long do you need your photographer to hang around (e.g. if the cutting of the cake and first dances at the recption will be some time after the ceremony, you could be looking at a full day's work for which the photographer will charge accordingly). Are you happy with all digital or would you like some film photos too? Are there restrictions on photography at the wedding venue itself? (e.g. many churches forbid or frown on photography during the ceremony itself, and some registry offices hava a surcharge). Do you want to be able to buy a disc containing full-size digtital photos so you have the option to get your own reprints in the future? Not all offer this: if available it's likely to be costly, but possibly worth it in the long run.

photosforyou4545

If you are really on a budget it's worth phoning around with your budget and requirements and asking what they can do for you. my packages are £400 - £1000 but I'm doing a wedding for £250 as I didn't have a booking for that day and am only giving 2 hrs coverage.

I am also doing a wedding at cost next month and did one at cost in December just to expand my portfolio as I specialised in portraits for years and had only completed 3 weddings in the past 2 years so needed a more updated portfolio - there may be some photographers looking to do this. (this is also why my prices are low, I wont really make any profit from weddings this year but am looking to heighten my profile in the wedding market - prices will have to increase next year)

If you are on a VERY tight budget try students etc, or as someone suggested camera clubs. The issue here is not so much their technical ability but their ability to deal with problems, I always carry 2 cameras in case one fails, I havedealt with drunken grooms, cakes getting knocked over etc, these are the things that can threaten your wedding pics, sorryto go on!!! its obviously a subject close to my heart!!!

To be honest I would rather spend the money on 20-30 great pics than a cd of 300, it's personal choice though so hope my comments have helped!

avidcameraman

Hi Im also a photographer down in Cheshire, and the only advice I can give make sure the person you use is a member of an official body like the MPA, BIPP or SWIPP ( all have websites with there members on and advice) because we are all have to qualify and proof our skills to be able to say we are members. My basic package is £360 and that is not a lot for top quality work and I give all the pictures I take on a disc, for the client to pick out the ones they treasure the most. So I agree and disagree with photosforyou4545 you don't want hundreds of photos but its nice to have the choice and it saves the photographer time and therefore you money.

I also have more expensive packages with albums where I do a lot more post wedding work to produce albums. But there are plenty of good websites where you can up load your pictures and get very good quality finished albums back cheaply and fairly quickly. One that's been recommend to me is www.bobbooks.co.uk so have some fun and make your own and save hundreds of ££ or you can get some very good quality books to stick your own prints just make sure you use photo glue or acid free corner mounts to protect your treasured pics.

Hope you have fantastic Wedding Day!!!

sheryldoc

Thanx some great tips..x

Im getting married on a Friday so hopefully can use that to my advantage lol

Will keep you all updated x

mark1974uk

have a look on gumtree i got mine there for real cheap, nice guy too