I'm going to start marketing myself to do more solo weddings. I have a few questions:

How much did you pay?
Where did you find your photographer?
Why did you choose them?
What was included in the price?
Were you happy with your photos?

[Oriyan]

How much did you pay? $4000 for video, photography and an album
Where did you find your photographer? They were recommended by our hall.
Why did you choose them? They were recommended and their work was wonderful.
What was included in the price? video, photography, album, proof books, CD with all our photos, online access to photos.
Were you happy with your photos? Yes

[♥Ashley♥]

Im gonna be the odd one out here, so I will be of no help! A friend of a friend had JUST opened her own photography business and wanted to get a nice portfolio going so we are getting AMAZING pricing. She did our engagement pictures, too so I know she is wonderful. (Its her and her husband, we'll have them both for the whole entire day and night)

How much did you pay? $500!
Where did you find your photographer? A friend of a friend...word of mouth really. But she advertised on craigslist too I believe when she just started up. Just to get the word around.
Why did you choose them? Price, that is the one and only reason. But we did e-pics with her too to make sure we liked her style I wouldnt have gone with her if we werent happy with the pics, even at that price.
What was included in the price? All day and night shooting (unlimited hours) unlimited locations (were taking a bunch of pics and a few different locations between the wedding and reception) 2 photographers, a CD with all images, and online viewing
Were you happy with your photos? Dont have wedding pics yet obviously but I am VERY happy with the engagement pics she did for us!


ETA I also forgot copyright release and editing is included too.

[Kerysma]

How much did you pay?$1200 (but during the wedding we paid for an extra half an hour so it ended up being $1250)
Where did you find your photographer?Craigslist
Why did you choose them?I liked her site and photo style, her price was right (I had been set on a guy who cost 3 grand but that really wasn't in the budget)
What was included in the price?4 hour shoot (she was actually there about 6 hours though) plus the cd of all the edited images(about 350)
Were you happy with your photos? yes but I wish I had given her a list of the shots I wanted and that she had taken charge more during the family photos. People who were just guests got into the shots (as in all of my i n laws' friends I didnt even know) and kept stepping on my dress, not really the photogs job though I guess.

[**jessie**]

How much did you pay? $250
Where did you find your photographer? Word of mouth.
Why did you choose them? He was just starting out doing weddings from being an amateur. He had done 5-6 beforehand and I really liked his work. I couldn't afford to pay tons and he wanted more experience so it was a perfect fit.
What was included in the price? He came and took pics at our rehearsal (ceremony bit, not the dinner) for an hour. Took pics at the actual wedding for 3 hrs. Included all of our pics in digital format, including editing. We took the disks and printed off which ones we wanted.
Were you happy with your photos? Very.

[**Jenn**]

How much did you pay?$1800

Where did you find your photographer? I think it was just an internet search
Why did you choose them? I liked her site, she was MUCH less expensive than everyone else I was looking at, and she shot with film and not digital which was huge for us; photojournalistic style; lots of interesting angles and black and whites.
What was included in the price? She and her assistant (her fiance, now husband) were there all day--I wanna say 10 hours total; A proof album with over 200 shots along with another 500 pictures (all 4x6); Discount on future pictures/albums, any size; And I can't remember what else.
Were you happy with your photos? I am extremely happy with my photos. They were exactly what we wanted and both she and her husband got a ton of great shots and they were totally unobtrusive--I didn't even notice them during the entire reception. They were completely professional but had great personalities and we hit it off well. She is broadening her portfolio so she took family pics and first birthday pics of Liam for us for free. She also wants to do maternity pics for me for free as well.

I wanted to add that I think this is a great idea for you Breanna! You have such a talent for photography. Every pic I've seen of yours has just been amazing! Can I ask what kind of camera you have?

[midnight_starr]

How much did you pay?2500ish
Where did you find your photographer? He was a popular one in the area and had done my cousin's wedding so it was kind of word of mouth!
Why did you choose them? I loved his photos, He had a good reputation and he fit my budget!
What was included in the price? engagement session, bridal session, like 4 hours of photography coverage, a beautiful flush mount album, a proof album, cd with all the pictures and copyrights! ( I think thats it)
Were you happy with your photos? Yes!

[~*Bethy*~]

I had a friend and my uncle do mine, I just paid for the film and develop. Most were digital.

~Beth

[*krista*]

How much did you pay?

I looked around a LOT... it seems there was a division of skill over and under $2k. I looked at some from as low as $1k to as high as $4k


Where did you find your photographer?

google and theknot.com


Why did you choose them?

They had the best bang for the buck. They have the creative edge I'm looking for with a good price.


What was included in the price?

8+ hours of photography, photo editing, all photos on a high res disc (very important to me), and some photos... I can't remember if an album was included or not. Oh and an engagement OR bridal session. I think you can add one for $250.


Were you happy with your photos?

Don't know yet, hasn't happened!

[Miracle]

How much did you pay? 1000
Where did you find your photographer? Friend of the family
Why did you choose them? Thought it was a good deal
What was included in the price? Engagement pictures, and then also a complete copy of all the pictures she took
Were you happy with your photos? No. I didn't feel she was a good wedding photographer (at least at the time we had her take our pictures). Neither of us really like the pictures.

Here's her link:
Jody Gomez Photography

If you click on people, one of our engagement pictures is on the right.

[Lash]

Honestly dont fully remember

How much did you pay? I know it was under $700. That was one reason I chose him, he was cheap-er but still great pictures
Where did you find your photographer? Internet search
Why did you choose them? fantastic album on his website. I had to have him
What was included in the price? Dont remember this part. I know I LOVED that I had a flat fee for the session/wedding but then could buy the actual pictures in a separate package. I really really really loved that he had that option because to me it was cheaper and we ordered pics later splitting the cost

Here were a few things on his site that stood out, that were what attracted me to him. This picture was so worth it. The sky shots REALLY made a difference for me


here is another sky example of his. JimRichardPhotography

Were you happy with your photos?

[freesiangel]

How much did you pay? I *think* around $1000-1500? It was a long time ago...
Where did you find your photographer? We visited ALL of the photographers in the area our wedding/reception would be and went through their books.
Why did you choose them? Because I loved his work! However, he ended up not being the only photographer there and never told us that, so little did we know that while we were looking at HIS awesome pictures, we weren't getting him for our wedding. Nice, eh?
What was included in the price? I forget how many hours, but it went through most of our reception. They didn't include driving time from the ceremony to the reception, which I thought was nice of them since it was 45 minutes away. We also got an album and each set of parents got a mini album that they got to customize.
Were you happy with your photos? Yes and no. We had some pretty nice photos, this guy didn't suck by any means, but we WANTED the guy whose pictures we looked at! He was VERY artistic and that's what I wanted!! Instead we just got your basic, generic wedding photos. Nothing of any real interest that you'd look at and be like "WOW!" That makes me pretty sad. You obviously won't have that problem, but if down the line you end up hiring other people to work with you, please make sure that the people who hire you know WHO they're getting and get a chance to look at their pictures and only their pictures, not yours and theirs - that can create a lot of confusion.

Thanks for all of the info/feedback...keep it coming! Lauren (Freesieangle) - WOW! I would be peeved if he just "forgot" to mention that he wouldn't be the actual one doing that. It's fine and dandy to have an assistant, but to book someone and then not even show up yourself? That's totally out of line. Did you say anything?

[ScottishBrit]

How much did you pay? $2000.00

Where did you find your photographer? I search forever online. This was what I was gonna spend my money on so I just went for the best looking photo's and the cheapiest price.

Why did you choose them? See above...haha

What was included in the price? ALOT...Over $4,000 pic's, a huge framed photo
( dont remember the size ), engagment session, 2 Photographer's, all day at multiple locations, turn around on pic's was a week!!

Were you happy with your photos? Yes and No. She was great and very nice but the reception pic's had a horriable hue to them and I REALLY wanted more Artsy pic's ( I REALLY wanted a group pic with the fish eye len's ) and fun stuff and I didn't get them. I still get sad aboit it to this day
Here's the website
Amy Squires Photography

[A*LOT*OF*HOPE]

How much did you pay? We payed about $1000
Where did you find your photographer? He was provided when we booked our wedding at The Mandalay bay hotel in Las Vegas
What was included in the price? We only got him for and hour and a half and he did what ever we wanted hi to do. We also got a bunch of 4x6, 5x7, 2 8x10 in frames a video montage, a photo book,a canvas with our choice of picture and some more stuff I just don't remember, If we wanted the CD with all our pics it was going to cost an extra $1000, we said no thank you, but a month later in the mail came our CD. Im not sure if they sent it to us for free or if someone payed for it anonymously sent it to us, either way I was super excited.
Were you happy with your photos? I was so happy, I could have been happier, he was very unique and had tons of great ideas. It was Cashman photography if you want to look it up!!

[Mod-LadyCoconut]

How much did you pay? Enough that I shouldn't STILL be wondering where my friggin' album is! And the re-shoot we did with them on May 28th... haven't seen those pics either.


We paid $2500 and that was for their package #3 which normally costs $2750 but we talked them down. They wound up coming like two hours early to shoot more pics of us getting ready at separate locations so we asked them to bill us for their time. They said $100 but my step-dad sent them $200 cause he's that kind of guy... so we paid $2700 total

Where did you find your photographer? Ben found them on flickr, I think.

Why did you choose them? $2500 was our approx. budget for photography. I was looking for something with that that included a high res disc. Then I was looking for a photographer that got fun COLORFUL shots. They shoot with all available light which is the exact opposite of what Ben does so that was kind of weird that we chose someone with such a different style. Their website and portfolio was really impressive and we liked them -- it was a young married couple.


What was included in the price? engagement shoot with high res disc - 6 hours (which turned into 8) - 8x8 leather album which we've yet to see - two photographers ... and while this wasn't included in the price they did rent some fun gear because they knew Ben would want to play with it. haha


Were you happy with your photos? Yes & No. We hated our engagement photos. Like hated them so much that we were going to eat like 1500 and hire new photographers entirely. It wasn't even cause I thought I looked bad, which was surprising They just weren't good. They gave us like 1/3 of the amount they took... they were largely OOF where like my boobs were in focus and not my face, etc. and we didn't get any frame worthy pics or anything good for putting in the newspaper, which to me is half the point of an e-sess ion -- for announcements! The wedding pics came back and took forever despite the fact that the contract said within 2-4 weeks AND we were hiring them again (the venue paid) for our re-shoot so you think they'd want to be good to us. Anyway... long story short, the wedding photos came out better than we both expected b/c we had low expectations. As a couple, they're really nice. Would we hire them again? No way. Especially because Ben has so many people he second shoots for, etc. that would do it for next to nothing and are better qualified.

(you should send this to Ben and see what his answers are in comparison to mine )

Amy- your photographer looks amazing on her site....I remember your pics being beautiful! I didn't know that you didn't like them.

Originally Posted by LadyCoconut

How much did you pay? Enough that I shouldn't STILL be wondering where my friggin' album is! And the re-shoot we did with them on May 28th... haven't seen those pics either.


We paid $2500 and that was for their package #3 which normally costs $2750 but we talked them down. They wound up coming like two hours early to shoot more pics of us getting ready at separate locations so we asked them to bill us for their time. They said $100 but my step-dad sent them $200 cause he's that kind of guy... so we paid $2700 total

Where did you find your photographer? Ben found them on flickr, I think.

Why did you choose them? $2500 was our approx. budget for photography. I was looking for something with that that included a high res disc. Then I was looking for a photographer that got fun COLORFUL shots. They shoot with all available light which is the exact opposite of what Ben does so that was kind of weird that we chose someone with such a different style. Their website and portfolio was really impressive and we liked them -- it was a young married couple.


What was included in the price? engagement shoot with high res disc - 6 hours (which turned into 8) - 8x8 leather album which we've yet to see - two photographers ... and while this wasn't included in the price they did rent some fun gear because they knew Ben would want to play with it. haha


Were you happy with your photos? Yes & No. We hated our engagement photos. Like hated them so much that we were going to eat like 1500 and hire new photographers entirely. It wasn't even cause I thought I looked bad, which was surprising They just weren't good. They gave us like 1/3 of the amount they took... they were largely OOF where like my boobs were in focus and not my face, etc. and we didn't get any frame worthy pics or anything good for putting in the newspaper, which to me is half the point of an e-sess ion -- for announcements! The wedding pics came back and took forever despite the fact that the contract said within 2-4 weeks AND we were hiring them again (the venue paid) for our re-shoot so you think they'd want to be good to us. Anyway... long story short, the wedding photos came out better than we both expected b/c we had low expectations. As a couple, they're really nice. Would we hire them again? No way. Especially because Ben has so many people he second shoots for, etc. that would do it for next to nothing and are better qualified.

(you should send this to Ben and see what his answers are in comparison to mine )

Ben already shared his feelings with me about your wedding photos I can't believe that they are slacking so much, knowing that Ben is a friggin WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER! And a better one, at that! haha

[KellyJ009]

How much did you pay? All in all, about $2500. I was okay with a large portion of the budget going towards photos, since they are really the only thing that lasts from the day.

Where did you find your photographer? Searching the internet

Why did you choose them? Her style was just what I wanted, loved her portfolio, and had her do the engagement session first, which we loved so we went with her for the wedding too

What was included in the price?
Her and an assistant for the whole day, photo editing, a copy of every single picture they took plus all the photos on CDs that can print up to 8x10

Were you happy with your photos? Yes, we loved working with her and love the way our photos turned out!


Just wanted to add good luck, Bre! You are so talented and I think brides would be lucky to have you shoot their weddings!

[soImarriedAnerd]

How much did you pay? $400
Where did you find your photographer? one of those bridal expos
Why did you choose them? cheap and what we thought looked like good shots
What was included in the price? 4 hrs shooting, proofs (both on CD and print outs).
Were you happy with your photos? NO. They were crap. We dont have ONE picture of us both looking at the camera! My eyes are closed in most shots, many people are in just weird positions. The "proofs" were not the originals they were all "artistically" edited--and it was just blurred around the side...but not nicely done--troy and I have bags under our eyes, not one zit was removed...tons of SIMPLE edits were not done.
WASTE OF MONEY. We never even printed ONE picture. The ones we kind of like were family and friends pictures. I think my 14 yr old cousin could have took more professional photos then this idiot! He had no assistances helping him, the poses weren't really even poses, such crap I can't even tell you. Turns out the photos he showed at the wedding expo wasn't HIS work, it was the work of the photographer he used to work with and was his assistant.

[Kristen_at_the_lake]

How much did you pay? $500
Where did you find your photographer? Local community college
Why did you choose them? We were trying to go w/ the cheapest route, but also help a college student in the photography program beef up their portfolio...she had a pretty good one already
What was included in the price? She came an hour and a half before the wedding and stayed until the reception was almost over and we were getting ready to leave...we told her she could go. She also had our pictures ready by the next weekend, had 7 CD's w/ all of our pics on them as well as one copy of each in an album
Were you happy with your photos? Very. She did an awesome job.