Photography Pricing

We went with a local photog, and are only paying for her travel (so she can build her portofolio). She has tons of experience with different types of photography, but none with destination weddings... so it is a bit of a risk. BUT she is photographing the whole week, not just the wedding...and we're doing a TTD, for free. So I think its' worth the risk...based on all of her other photographs, which I've seen and which are AMAZNIG!! I'll give you her contact info if you're interested (but I understand that not everyone is willing to take that kind of chance, she is amazing though!)

If you are using a local photographer, you should be able to find one that suits any budget, from 500$+

 

If you are flying in a photographer, the starting price would be travel fees only. I would say on average photographers will charge travel fees + a few thousand dollars, but it depends, the ones less experienced with DWs will often do it for travel only, or travel + a small fee (500-1000$), but the most experienced ones might want 5000$ - 10000$

There is a photographer available for everyone's budget and photographers are happy to try and work something out for your budget.

You have gotten some great advice! Alot of the photographers on this forum are experienced with destination weddings, but still offer great deals. I would suggest sending a private message to those you are interested in and asking for a quote. That will at least give you a variety of options and a better idea on prices. Good luck and best wishes! Not all good photographers are expensive!

 

Katie

Everybody has a different budget, and different priorities as far as what is most important to them. With some brides, the dress is the most important thing, so they will go all out and spend 4k or more on their dress. With other brides, it's all about the food and the drinks, or hiring a 7 piece band, etc. However, if your wedding photography is at the top of your list, you should plan on spending enough to make sure that you have a photographer who is personable, professional, and has a lot of experience photographing weddings.

 

How much is enough? Well, ultimately only you can determine that based on your desires and budget requirements, etc. But, remember that the old saying you get what you pay for is usually true.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Happy planning!

 

Best wishes,

Tod

That's the thing, Nic is right. What's good to one bride isn't good to another. What I did was find photographers who have the shooting style that I love, then from that list weeded it down to those I felt I could afford. Two completely different things:) You need to know what you like first of all. Then work down from there. Thats the best advice I can give.

I think you got some really good advise so far. First set your budget, and then just contact the photographers that you are interested in. You'll find one that works for all your needs. I know it gets over whelming at times, but in the end it will be worth. Good luck and have fun. :-)

I know this may be repeating a lot of what other people have said, but I JUST finished this process so I know exactly what you're dealing with.

 

When you first start looking at photographers, everything kind of looks the same and you begin with a list of ones that you think you may be interested in. once you contact them and the prices start rolling in, you will really get an idea of who is reasonable and who isn't, based on your budget of course and then (at least for me it did) the photographers start really distinguishing themselves.

 

To us, having someone who was enthusiastic and really seemed like they were thrilled to be a part of our celebration was very important. It was also helpful to have someone who would mix and match services based on our budget. We ended up really only paying for a normal package plus travel fees. Keep in mind that you are paying for a vacation for them, so hopefully this is enough to get you some wiggle room on prices!

 

Hiring a photographer is definitely a personal choice, but since they are capturing one of the most important days in your, make sure you are as picky as you can afford to be! Definitely one of those things I would try not to just "settle" with if pictures are important to you!

 

Good luck and can't wait to hear what you end up doing!

Um.. I have a bit of a problem with this statement.

at no point do I consider going to photograph a destination wedding a "vacation". Im a professional, with the responsibility of traveling, shooting, archiving, traveling home, and editing to deliver what I hope to be amazing photos to a bride and groom.

Although I love to travel and photograph weddings, Im not really going to go into why its not a vacation. If anyone wants to know why, id be happy to respond to a PM. But trust me, if you hire a professional, there's no "vacation" involved.



nic

i'm trying to figure out what to do myself too. do i hire a professional, pay the travel expenses, plus everything else. or do i ask a friend to come and get less photos and do my own photo books. i can never seem to get a straight answer from anyone about exact costs! that's what is so frustrating. how do you budget for it then!?!