Photography advice? (bit rambling, sorry)

I haven't used a student photographer but I dont think its true you couldn't get someone for under £500. When I was looking for prices I found one that was just digital images for around £300. The photograher we are using is a well established photographer and his packages start from £450 and that includes an album.
My friend is trying to get into wedding photography and to get a portfolio together she is photgraphing a few weddings free on the understanding she can use the photo's for a portfolio. I think this is pretty common for photographers trying to break into the wedding market.

HTH

I'm a videographer not a photographer so feel free to ignore me, but I think for £500 I'd rather have a professional (albeit one at the budget end of the scale). If the student doesn't have their own equipment surely they could borrow from friends - but also I can't see how it would cost £500 to hire the basics for one day.

If she's managing to do one wedding for £200 including prints, I would be negotiating for perhaps £200 with just a disc of images for you to make your own album. It sounds like your student is trying to run before she can walk - and charge accordingly ?

Http://www.photogra-free.com/
is a directory of free and under £500 photographers

Thanks guys ?
I really wanted to make sure that I wasn't being unrealistic.
Caz79 - I'm sure I've heard of people doing them for free before to build up their portfolio too! Do you remember who you got the quote for £300 for digital only from?
Ebee thanks for confirming what I thought about the hire thing, I don't recall there being any big lighting rig type thing like she was talking about when I got married before, so I'm wondering if it's best to steer clear of her altogether - think she may be trying it on!
Any more thoughts/advice/recommendations from anyone would be massively appreciated ?

Milch that's fab, thank you!!
?

Our photography is being done for free by a friends neighbour. We have seen some of the pics he has taken and he seems quite good. He is an ameteur looking to build up a portfolio so he can eventually do it to make extra cash in his spare time so I think a student charging £200 is a bit steep!

If there is an art college near by you could contact them and see what they come up with!

Ah, good idea loobyg!
I live in Nottingham which has 2 universities so no shortage of students! I'll do some more digging! ?

I think it is possible to get somebody to do it for less than £500, if you really, really look around I imagine you could probably find somebody who would do it for free.

I wouldn't recommend it, but I'm sure it's possible.

The important thing is to be realistic in your expectations of what to expect from them.

Thanks Brian
I'll look into it all very carefully and probably wouldn't go for a free one, but if I can find someone who will do digital only I think that's my best bet.
Ages yet anyway but if I don't keep in budget then I won't be able to afford the AMAZING dress I've seen ?

Just one thing to think about.. Most of the established photographers will not provide a cheaper service if you just want digital copies. In fact many will charge you more, for a couple of reasons: 1) they lose the ability to make additional sales to friends and family and 2) they are worried that people do not have the post production computer and printing skills to get the best fromt their images and their reputation is at risk. If you are looking for a budget deal from a really good photographer then try another tactic such as asking them to cover only a couple of hours eg ceremony and quick portrait shoot rathe than everything and reception and ask for a simpler album rather than the top of the range Italian ones that we all tend to use.

If they are free, they may do you a deal, no-one likes having a free weekend when you could be working!

Clwyd Probert, Wedding Photographer for Pixcellence Wedding Photography

quote:Originally posted by London Photographer
Just one thing to think about.. Most of the established photographers will not provide a cheaper service if you just want digital copies. In fact many will charge you more, for a couple of reasons: 1) they lose the ability to make additional sales to friends and family and 2) they are worried that people do not have the post production computer and printing skills to get the best fromt their images and their reputation is at risk. If you are looking for a budget deal from a really good photographer then try another tactic such as asking them to cover only a couple of hours eg ceremony and quick portrait shoot rathe than everything and reception and ask for a simpler album rather than the top of the range Italian ones that we all tend to use.

If they are free, they may do you a deal, no-one likes having a free weekend when you could be working!

Clwyd Probert, Wedding Photographer for Pixcellence Wedding Photography
www.pixcellence.co.uk

id="quote">

Please remove your details - the OP was not asking for photographer recommendations and therefore your are contravening hitched rules.

Acidalia - I too think you should avoid this offer. I am considering starting up in wedding photography and am planning to offer my services, including 2 friends' weddings, for a max £50 cost paying for the prints & CD. Presuming this person has an SLR, all they really need is a tripod and extra flsh unit to take pretty good shots.

Thanks Champagne, that's pretty much what I thought too.
I've just had a thought, any ideas on whether photographers might offer a decent discount for low season and non-weekend? We're getting married on Monday 2nd November 09. ?

Hi,
Just to let you know we're getting married on a Thursday at the end of October this year and as it's mid week we were offered some really good deals from our suppliers including the photographer.

K

quote:Originally posted by Champagne Presuming this person has an SLR, all they really need is a tripod and extra flash unit to take pretty good shots.

id="quote">
With due respect, this comment is really offensive to honest professionals. Its a bit like saying that because you own a football, you are as good as Beckham, Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard or Ronaldo.

Good photography is about a lot more that owning the right equipment. Its about knowing how to use it effectively and also how to work with clients to deliver the best result that meets their requirement....

Good wedding photographers offer a great service based on many things including extensive experience, training, mentoring, lateral development, pro forum activity, seminars and a shedload more.

Good wedding photography does not come easy and does not come as simply as owning a DSLR.....

btw, I agree about not posting urls randomly.

Should add...if you want to talk about weddings...drop me a message...I am more than happy to give some pointers.....(ps...I don't bite)

Hello

We had photographer who was starting a Wedding porfolio and needed Weddings to 'practice' on. We asked him to do ours as we originally had my Dad doing it, as he's a keen photographer, but we wanted my Dad to also enjoy the day without worrying about taking photos all day.

He was fantastic. We only had to pay his petrol money which was about £158 because he had to come quite far and then when we came back off our honeymoon the disk of photos was waiting for us.

I would suggest looking on Wedding forums. That's where we found ours. If you need any more advice just PM me and i'd be happy to help.

Agree with all of this, and this is why as professional wedding photographers we charge anywhere between £1000 and £4000 to cover a wedding. We have overheads, studios, five permanents staff and continually invest in the latest training, camera equipment, software and computers. We always try to keep up to date with the latest album suppliers and what they are producing. In addition we work with the universities and schools to bring on and train assistants - helping them with real world business experience and in many ways helping them set up their own photographic business. It really is a full time profession.

My point was that even with all of this, we sometimes have empty days and not everyone can affort £1000 for a wedding photographer - so it never does any harm to ask - even if they seem out of your reach, there might be a reason why they would take the job eg a quite period (mid week), a cancellation or maybe just because they like you!

Clwyd - Pixcellence wedding photography

quote:Originally posted by Peter

quote:Originally posted by Champagne Presuming this person has an SLR, all they really need is a tripod and extra flash unit to take pretty good shots.

id="quote">
With due respect, this comment is really offensive to honest professionals. Its a bit like saying that because you own a football, you are as good as Beckham, Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard or Ronaldo.

Good photography is about a lot more that owning the right equipment. Its about knowing how to use it effectively and also how to work with clients to deliver the best result that meets their requirement....

Good wedding photographers offer a great service based on many things including extensive experience, training, mentoring, lateral development, pro forum activity, seminars and a shedload more.

Good wedding photography does not come easy and does not come as simply as owning a DSLR.....

btw, I agree about not posting urls randomly.

id="quote">

This is sooo helpful, thanks everyone ?

I think I have a plan of attack - try professionals first (it didn't occur to me that the prices they advertise may not be absolutely fixed) and see what deals I can get then explore other options if I really can't afford it otherwise ?

We were looking for ways to save money on our photography too and are getting a friend to take more formal shots (he#%92s really good but not pro). We looked into student photographer but lucky had someone who offered to help us out. We also planning to make most of our guest digi photos – I like the idea of photobooks from www.albumania.com by getting them to upload their photos to somewhere like www.weddingoftheyear.com. Think this will help us to save money but still get loads of great pics. HTH. ?

quote:Originally posted by milch
http://www.photogra-free.com/
is a directory of free and under £500 photographers

id="quote">

Milch this is a really interesting site. I have already booked my photographer but would also like someone to video the ceremony. Unfortunately not sure if that is going to happen as money is tight and videographers seem to charge so much more than photographers. Do you know if there is a similar sight for videographers. ?

quote:Originally posted by Champagne

quote:Originally posted by London Photographer
Just one thing to think about.. Most of the established photographers will not provide a cheaper service if you just want digital copies. In fact many will charge you more, for a couple of reasons: 1) they lose the ability to make additional sales to friends and family and 2) they are worried that people do not have the post production computer and printing skills to get the best fromt their images and their reputation is at risk. If you are looking for a budget deal from a really good photographer then try another tactic such as asking them to cover only a couple of hours eg ceremony and quick portrait shoot rathe than everything and reception and ask for a simpler album rather than the top of the range Italian ones that we all tend to use.

If they are free, they may do you a deal, no-one likes having a free weekend when you could be working!

Clwyd Probert, Wedding Photographer for Pixcellence Wedding Photography
www.pixcellence.co.uk

id="quote">

Please remove your details - the OP was not asking for photographer recommendations and therefore your are contravening hitched rules.

Acidalia - I too think you should avoid this offer. I am considering starting up in wedding photography and am planning to offer my services, including 2 friends' weddings, for a max £50 cost paying for the prints & CD. Presuming this person has an SLR, all they really need is a tripod and extra flsh unit to take pretty good shots.

id="quote">

Hi Champagne,

That's not strictly true, it may be all they need to take a certain type of shot under ideal conditons, i.e outside, dry, reasonable amount of light but they will need far more gear if things are not so ideal.

When I'm covering a wedding I have 2 to 3 camera bodies. three zooms covering 12-150mm and a couple of primes lenses, sometimes you really need the extra speed. 3 flashguns, quite often I use all three if I need to light an interior, I usually have studio flash units plus batteries to run them.

Then there is a whole bag of acessories, umbrellas, stands, softboxes, radio triggers, coloured gels. And I use them all, not everything at every wedding, but you have to be prepared for whatever the day throws at you. Yesterday a camera and a lens went down, without the spares it would have been a nightmare.

Agree with that, you need backups for everything. All of our photographers carry two cameras with them and have a spare in the car. We have duplicates of everything including lenses, flashguns etc. The lenses are high quality and 'fast' which means they are able to shoot in low light without flash - the cameras are very high spec. again allowing us to work in low light without being intrusive on the day. All of this costs a lot of money - much more than 'an SLR and a tripod' would suggest. I would never shoot a wedding with a single camera and lens - that is scary - this is the most important day of someones life and you are responsible for capturing it.

Also you have to be very careful with the images - it can be so easy to drop or lose a memory card and that could mean the loss of hundreds of pictures. We use assistants to backup images on the day to portable hard disks and backup to multiple DVD's at the end of the evening before we go to bed!

This is why many traditional photographers stay away from weddings - it is really high pressure and a big responsibility.

quote:Originally posted by Brian Parkes LSWPP (HIB)

quote:Originally posted by Champagne

quote:Originally posted by London Photographer
Just one thing to think about.. Most of the established photographers will not provide a cheaper service if you just want digital copies. In fact many will charge you more, for a couple of reasons: 1) they lose the ability to make additional sales to friends and family and 2) they are worried that people do not have the post production computer and printing skills to get the best fromt their images and their reputation is at risk. If you are looking for a budget deal from a really good photographer then try another tactic such as asking them to cover only a couple of hours eg ceremony and quick portrait shoot rathe than everything and reception and ask for a simpler album rather than the top of the range Italian ones that we all tend to use.

If they are free, they may do you a deal, no-one likes having a free weekend when you could be working!

Clwyd Probert, Wedding Photographer for Pixcellence Wedding Photography
www.pixcellence.co.uk

id="quote">

Please remove your details - the OP was not asking for photographer recommendations and therefore your are contravening hitched rules.

Acidalia - I too think you should avoid this offer. I am considering starting up in wedding photography and am planning to offer my services, including 2 friends' weddings, for a max £50 cost paying for the prints & CD. Presuming this person has an SLR, all they really need is a tripod and extra flsh unit to take pretty good shots.

id="quote">

Hi Champagne,

That's not strictly true, it may be all they need to take a certain type of shot under ideal conditons, i.e outside, dry, reasonable amount of light but they will need far more gear if things are not so ideal.

When I'm covering a wedding I have 2 to 3 camera bodies. three zooms covering 12-150mm and a couple of primes lenses, sometimes you really need the extra speed. 3 flashguns, quite often I use all three if I need to light an interior, I usually have studio flash units plus batteries to run them.

Then there is a whole bag of acessories, umbrellas, stands, softboxes, radio triggers, coloured gels. And I use them all, not everything at every wedding, but you have to be prepared for whatever the day throws at you. Yesterday a camera and a lens went down, without the spares it would have been a nightmare.

id="quote">

With all that said about students, cheap and even free (heaven forbid!) photographers, the first couple of weddings I ever did where freebies in order to build a portfolio. Both couples were happy with the images and I still use the those images occaisionally when when couples are interested in more traditional albums.

However while the pictures were certainly acceptable, it has to be said with experience I'm a lot better and knowing what I know now, I did have quite a few gaps in my knowledge then and the sort of technical difficulties I just take in my stride now I probably would have struggled with back then.

So yes, you can do it, just don't expect too much from them, they make think they are ready, but chances are there will be a big learning curve there for them.

quote:Originally posted by manicb2b

quote:Originally posted by milch
http://www.photogra-free.com/
is a directory of free and under £500 photographers

id="quote">

Milch this is a really interesting site. I have already booked my photographer but would also like someone to video the ceremony. Unfortunately not sure if that is going to happen as money is tight and videographers seem to charge so much more than photographers. Do you know if there is a similar sight for videographers. ?

id="quote">

manicb2b if you are anywhere near Glasgow I might be able to help ? I have filmed a few hitchers' weddings for very little while I've been setting up... feel free to PM me if you're interested and I'll send a demo DVD ?

EBEE, Thanks for that but the wedding is in Surrey

quote:Originally posted by manicb2b
EBEE, Thanks for that but the wedding is in Surrey

id="quote">

No problem .. have you used the gumtree website? I know on the Glasgow site sometimes there are adds for videographers and photographers who are setting up ? (you can choose your area from the right hand side of the homepage ?)

Never heard of gumtree but I will give it a go, thanks ?