Wedding photographer

Check out Jakabiphotgraphy, they have a deal on the gold package at the moment (think it's a free engagement shoot) aswell as full morning, day and evening coverage (til first dance) with two togs...£1200. That's who I used and they were faultless in every department!

Where are you based? What do you get for £1500?

For someone who does it professionally, full time £1500 is pretty much the average now. I've just put mine up to £1400 for all day, supply only.

But prices can range between £500 and £4000

I held a stall at a wedding fayre yesterday where the two photographers for all day were at the £1800 mark.

One of my friends charges £2300 and one of his friends is around £4000, (with no real difference between us as far as the images go).

My photographer is charging us £1275 (plus travel) and I think she is fantastic!

http://www.hannahmillardphotography.com/

Also found many others for less than £1500 (although all my favourites were over!) so can pass on those details depending on where you are

We're using Prestige Photography. Our package is costing us £749 (sale had £100 off, plus a further £100 off as I didn't want photos of me getting ready). But that is from half an hour before the service, up til cake cutting/8pm (whichever comes first). She puts all the photos on a disc and they are copyright free so you can get your own photo albums done, and put as many asyou like on facebook or whatever. She was really helpful and had a wide range of packages.

We paid £1200 nearly a year ago. This was from 11am until 8pm (1st Dance). The prices above sound reasonable.

I do see many low-end TOGs on facebook offering all day service for £300. I cannot see how they can provide a quality service for that price (including fully edited images).

We felt we have more choice of good TOG's at our pricepoint, and the decision was made on personal style not price.

Hi Lisa

Have a look at our Photo Packages they are very reasonably priced and our combined Video and Photo packages start at £1000 so you get a lot for your money

Happy planning

Laura Berry

It's because they can't. There are takers at any price point though. Some care more about a chocolate fountain than their photos.

I always used to think those who charged 2k for wedding photography as being crazy expensive....but after a year of shooting 50 weddings at around £1000 and realizing that in reality I have no life at all anymore I can fully understand that I should only be doing 35 a year max in order to have a reasonable work life balance.

But I still need to earn the same amount to cover my equipment cost, insurance, advertising, pay my taxes and to take home an average wage (hence the price increase).

The ball finally dropped when we decided to start a family and realised that when kids do come along they will take priority over our time and that my workload as it stands is unsustainable....at least if I expect to deliver the same high standard of work and raise a family.

I think every tog is different in how they price and how they can choose to operate, I operate from the £500 mark to £1500 and I shoot around 40 weddings a year, it may not seem alot if they are all at the £500 mark but i do a large amount of commercial photography contracts to counteract that, and in my 5 year plan (on year 2) im exactly on track to what i wish to acheive but do plan to be shooting 25 weddings at year 5 at the higher mark. Only a substandard photographer with a poor business plan will instantly jump in at the £1500 mark in year 1.

At the end of the day i think it depends on what outgoings a photographer has that influences his prices.

Shop floors add a lot of cost to a wedding package so look for a tog who works from home.

Outgoings at home, staff, All contribute to the price of a package.

What part of the country are you in?

(i would just like to add that i have been shooting weddings for 8 years even though my 5 year plan started 2 years ago)

If you do enough research you will find cheaper photographers, sometimes in the least likely places - this package for example is £595 and is only available via eBay!

• Two professional fully insured photographers
• From Bride (& Groom) preparations through to 1st dance
• (2 hrs prior to ceremony until 30 mins after 1st dance)
• All edited images available online within 7 days
• 12 month web gallery - password & ordering facility
• All edited images on copyright free disc (full-res)
• 2x black freestanding triple wing folios (inc 3x 7x5 prints in each)
• Your choice of 100 6x4 (or 5x5) prints to frame or give as gifts

Hi Lisa

Where are you based, I am in Hertfordshire, I might be able to help?

I think I am reasonable priced.

If you want more info you can email me: ****@**************.**.**

www.epwphotography.co.uk

Good luck

Evelyne x

This is all so true, always makes me chuckle when people are put off because a photographer doesn't have a high street studio.... it's happened a few times with us. If we had a studio our prices would be much higher, as Greenleaf said, to cover the overheads.

If you shop around you'll definitely be able to find someone under the £1500 mark, obviously depending upon what you're after - you'll get a disc only package for this, but not a Queensberry album package ?

Which part of the UK are you in? Am sure we'll all be able to make some suggestions for you.

Ali x

If you look at the top of forum and find Suppliers, then you can find a list of photographers in your area ?

Hello Lisa,

The only way to choose an appropriate photographer for a wedding and that is to see their work and meet the person who will be attending / photographing the wedding. There are many very good photographers and many not so. It all depends on your priorities and what you're looking for which is why meeting and seeing previous work is pretty much essential.

One finer point I would like to pickup on is the copyright free deals that many photographers offer - In my opinion this is through ignorance as once you have a DVD of suitable images you will want to print or share those images with family and friends. The copyright protects your images from someone who gets an image/s and decides to sell them or use them for their marketing.

Not sure how you'd feel walking down the high street and finding your photograph on a billboard with you not being able to get a penny for it?

Whoa horsey.

There's some inaccuracies here.

Copyright is always assigned to someone, there's no such thing as copyright free. Someone has to hold it. Legally it's the creator of the images.

There are togs out there who offer 'Copyright free' options however what this usually means is that you can do what you like with the images and is a gross twisting of the term.

There isn't such a thing as copyright free. I think copyright expires after many many years but what most photographers say is that they retain the copyright over the images but give you free reign to use the images how you choose. Be that in making albums, prints or copying the disc for family and friends. Many togs hold onto the copyright as they are the rightful creator of the images and to protect themselves should the images fall into the hands of commercial entities (magazines, stock agencies and the like).

Unfortunately, if a client is given a contract stating that the images supplied will be copyright free, anyone can, having got hold of the images, supply, sell or modify without permission and for any purpose they see fit.

I think you'll find this incorrect and unenforceable? (if any other HIB's want to chime in feel free).

By the photographer relinquishing copyright the default owners become the ones who have paid for the photos to be taken and thus all rights go to them.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110406163214AAtMKUr

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120115032002AAygLAN

Oh deario. If copyright is transferred then there is a new owner. If no one is assigned, there is no automatic assignment of said copyright. Rather than stating thoughts, please research this.

Thanks

Lisa where are you based? I am in Kent and our photographer has very reasonable prices. We are getting married on a Sunday so we have a cheaper package too, but its £750 and that includes all day coverage, a storybook album (he also does traditional for same price) and a CD of all the images afterwards for our own use & printing. He also includes a photo projection service where he projects the morning photos at the evening reception. If it helps, the link is http://theweddingfair.co.uk/ and he only shows his Saturday price on the website, if you email him you're wedding date he will quote you accordingly xxx

Within the UK, any person that is the creator of any work automatically has the copyright of that work. In the case that they do not want to take advantage of the copyright they may declare the work is 'copyright free' and therefor not protected by the copyright design and patent act. This can be done at any time during the life of the author and may also be done the the heir(s) to the copyright for a further 70 years after the demise of the author.

Secondly 'copyright free' are those works for which the copyright has expired, or for those works for which copyright was not granted prior the the law being amended. This includes ALL photographs that were not commissioned. Which includes any and all photographs taken by anyone for their own use.

This means that any person may reproduce any number of copies of the work and profit from the work. They may also use it for any purpose and alter it in any way, irrespective of the consequences to the professional standing of the author.

But, the photographer is only offering the images as copyright free in the contract to the couple not to all and sundry. How the public would get their hands on the photos is something else.

Even in the absolute worse case scenario a rogue photographer threw a load of images out there UK privacy laws mean that the couple can have the images taken down.

Where copyright fails, privacy laws prevail.

Sorry to moan but maybe you two should save your little argument for another thread... she wants help choosing a photographer, I'm sure seeing you bicker isn't going to convince her to choose either one of you! ?

I wasn't canvassing ?

No one is moaning but, it seems a lot of us need educating - brides-to-be, photographers and wanna-be photographers too. Whilst some might find this a 'little' technicality, in essence it is the basis of law in the UK for all photographers, whether they know it or not.

There are many professions but I am only knowledgeable in mine, photography and some people might find that comforting. Especially if they are going to spend money hiring.

I am in East Mids and am paying £595 for coverage up until the wedding breakfast. He will be arriving when I am ready and leaving when we sit down to eat. I am not fussed about him getting pictures of me getting ready or the first dance/evening as there will be plenty of people with cameras there, my dad has a good camera and is good with stuff like that so I can put him in charge of certain things during the evening.

Im in Glasgow and im paying £800 for full day coverage (2pm-8.30pm) 300 high res photos on a disc and 26 8x10 prints, seemed about the cheapest we could find

After reading this, I think I should be putting my prices up!

There's been some good points made on this thread, the but not the place to have a professional debate...

We paid £500 for full day coverage with two discs one colour and one black and white. We get all the images taken during the day on these discs and I suppose have joint copyrite ownership with the tog. We originally had booked for a full package with the best album our tog offered and this took us to £1000. We are now buying the album after the wedding, h2b was made redundant earlier this year so we couldn't guarantee we would have the £1000. I found £1500 was about the going rate for top packages.

Thank you all for your comments and advice, i am in Sheffield, the package i was quoted for didnt come with much if im honest and it was another £500 for an album.

I will be contacting all the recommendations for a quote and hopefully i will find the perfect photographer.

Who knew planning a wedding would be so.... tentative

This is so true. I was speaking to a past president of the BIPP back in 1990 who mentioned that he and many others were abandoning the High Street as the costs outweighed the advantages. These days High Street presence has been replaced by internet presence.

Regarding copyright, I don't ever give it away although I do give clients reproduction/printing release rights.

Peter

Hi Lisa That seems a little steep have a look on my site submit an enquiry form and I'll see if i can quote you happy

Hi Lisa,

I'm based in Glasgow but I work UK wide. Have a look at my website and let me know if you're interested.

www.pm-photography.co.uk