Photographer - student?? Hampshire

You might find someone cheap but you are taking a chance with a none professional, just make sure you do a lot of research in to them. I had a enquiry the other day and the couple asked if I could match another photographer, I asked who it was and this other photographer had 22 really nice photos on her site and was claiming to have been photographing weddings for 25 years, more like less than a year by the looks of the rest of her site, so just be careful who you choose and make sure you see hundreds of photos from each wedding not just the best 20 from loads of weddings.

Hi Sarah,

I used to work with students alot, they were a free way to get the shots I needed in my portfolio (ex dancer/model). If you are interested in this route check out modelmayhem.com there are hundreds of students on the site hoping to pick up work.

I have found some real talent this way (one girl I worked with got published in UK Vogue last month, I can't believe I got to shoot with her for free). But I have also had entirely wasted days with students who were unfocused or just lacked a clear understanding of what is needed for a shoot. I imagine that on your wedding day this could be a total disaster. You need someone who has experience directing people and that magic talent of capturing people at ease.

I do think you get what you pay for, but equally there are a lot of terrible wedding photographers charging the earth, so it is a tough one.

I would suggest the following things when booking a photographer, regardless of it they are a student:

1. Look through their work and be critical- if you like a picture work out why, is it well taken or do you just like the brides makeup? Check for 'burnt out' images that have been overexposed (faces might look really pale and smooth) or clearly edited or an entirely black and white portfolio- you can hide errors with these techniques.

2. Meet with the photographer and have some test images taken, check you like the style, everyone's preferences are different- be prepared to pay for any test shoots, ours were £100 but the cost was deductible from the final booking if we went with the photographer.

3. Get references. It is good to talk to people who have used the photographer. Find out how well they managed guests and organised group photographs, did they get what they asked for? was the photographer good at being discreet during the speeches etc.

I really hope that helps, good luck with the search xxx

The risk when you go below £500 for full coverage is significant. A bride in another area on facebook asked me to check a photographer's site for her a few days ago. She's got a great offer on for £499. When I checked the portfolio it only contained 24 photos and half of them were stolen or from stock photo sites.

If you have a smaller budget then look at getting a wedding photographer for 4 hours - you can usually get someone reliable for around £500+ half day. The quality will be much better (hopefully!) than someone who charges £500 for full day.

Always ask to see full weddings delivered to previous brides. Wedding photography is specialist work that is not covered in photography courses, eg BTEC. So having any kind of photography qualification does not mean that someone has the equipment, experience or knowledge to shoot a wedding.

Hi. I'm also on a tight budget and am having the same problem.

I'm not far from you (Portsmouth) so we are thinking we might try and find a photographer that will be able to click away for just a few hours (2-4.)

We are hoping this means we can stick to our budget but still get some beautiful pictures.

You could go down this route but do you really want someone to use your wedding as practice.

There is nothing that compares to a wedding yes there are fashion elements to a wedding but unlike a fashion shoot you cannot do it again or wait for better weather.

And then there's the handling of 150 people on a drizzly day and all in a time limit when because of the makeup over run and half the family getting lost you now only have half the amount of time to shoot it all.

A time served pro will take it all in their stride because they have seen it all before and they are not just a photographer but from the very start they will be a time keeper and wedding coordinator ensuring that the day is running smooth.

In the scheme of things a pro wedding photographer is not expensive when you compare how much you can spend on single small items like £20 for a lipstick

If you're looking for a student try contacting local universities.

I work at a university in Surrey but we are probably a bit far, but you could try Bournemouth. You can ask the course leader to recommend a student, you might then be able to see what kind of marks they have and also see the work they have produced.

We have a had a couple of students do weddings.

Hi OP

We live in Hampshire, and have booked our photography with a lovely lady called Kathryn Dawson - I'm not sure how far age'll travel, but take a look because her work is amazing, and her prices are good!