Wedding photographs without the bells and whistles
October 5, 2015 9:16 AM Subscribe
We do not want a "wedding photographer." The setting is photogenic and we don't expect perfection. How can we go about finding a photographer to capture our event without the demands usually placed on wedding photographers?
Our wedding party is relatively modest at about 60 folks, mostly friends, with very few family members. There are nearly zero family politics, young children, or other complications. Most importantly, there are no must-have shots and we won't be terribly disappointed if a photo of one of us striking an awkward pose taking precedence over the other's first steps down the aisle. All we want are images of people speaking, smiling, eating, and dancing that survive the night.
Past discussions have focused on reducing costs, but we're also looking to take the whole planning process down a notch. How can we find a skilled photographer willing to take a chance on capturing a wedding for chill clients more interested in art and spontaneity than completeness? We'd like to put more money into the photographer's time at the event than on post-processing or chachkas,
We're located in the Bay Area. Specific referrals are very welcome.
Our wedding party is relatively modest at about 60 folks, mostly friends, with very few family members. There are nearly zero family politics, young children, or other complications. Most importantly, there are no must-have shots and we won't be terribly disappointed if a photo of one of us striking an awkward pose taking precedence over the other's first steps down the aisle. All we want are images of people speaking, smiling, eating, and dancing that survive the night.
Past discussions have focused on reducing costs, but we're also looking to take the whole planning process down a notch. How can we find a skilled photographer willing to take a chance on capturing a wedding for chill clients more interested in art and spontaneity than completeness? We'd like to put more money into the photographer's time at the event than on post-processing or chachkas,
We're located in the Bay Area. Specific referrals are very welcome.
How can we find a skilled photographer willing to take a chance on capturing a wedding for chill clients more interested in art and spontaneity than completeness? We'd like to put more money into the photographer's time at the event than on post-processing or chachkas.
You're not unique in wanting mostly spontaneous photos rather than group shots. This is usually called "documentary" style in wedding-speak on places like The Knot. So, good news is that a lot of photographers are very happy and are used to doing this sort of wedding. Bad news is that you're likely not going to get (or it's going to be hard to find someone who will give you) as discount for that fact.
And the things is most of the price you see for wedding photographers is already paying for their time at the wedding. If you have a lower cost for the actual day-off work, this means you'll see a higher cost for prints, and vice versa. If you get a package without any prints or albums, expect to pay a premium for that (especially if you're looking to get copyright for the photos).
What we ended up doing for our wedding was going with a fairly young photographer-- that'll probably be your best bet for lower prices because, again, most of the cost is paying for the photographer's experience and time it took them to get to the point where they can get you good shots (whatever they are).
posted by damayanti at 9:25 AM on October 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
You're not unique in wanting mostly spontaneous photos rather than group shots. This is usually called "documentary" style in wedding-speak on places like The Knot. So, good news is that a lot of photographers are very happy and are used to doing this sort of wedding. Bad news is that you're likely not going to get (or it's going to be hard to find someone who will give you) as discount for that fact.
And the things is most of the price you see for wedding photographers is already paying for their time at the wedding. If you have a lower cost for the actual day-off work, this means you'll see a higher cost for prints, and vice versa. If you get a package without any prints or albums, expect to pay a premium for that (especially if you're looking to get copyright for the photos).
What we ended up doing for our wedding was going with a fairly young photographer-- that'll probably be your best bet for lower prices because, again, most of the cost is paying for the photographer's experience and time it took them to get to the point where they can get you good shots (whatever they are).
posted by damayanti at 9:25 AM on October 5, 2015 [10 favorites]
Find a local camera club and ask them if someone is interested in documenting your event for a modest fee. There's always someone considering getting in the business who would love the experience in a "low expectations" environment.
I'd still ask to see a few samples - most people in camera clubs are enthusiasts and know how to frame shots, get things in focus, etc. but you don't want to pay money to a total goob.
As for the post-processing, couple of possibilities:
- maybe ask around among friends and see if anyone is good with photoshop and/or Lightroom and would be willing to take the RAW (that's the native image format of a DSLR) images and work on them a bit.
- a photography enthusiast and/or beginning pro is generally going to have these tools. At least discuss the cost of having them work on them.
I wouldn't emphasize the "no need for post processing" so much - I think one way or another it needs to be done, even for "candids." The colors coming out of a DSLR are often a bit drab, and it adds a lot.
posted by randomkeystrike at 9:32 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd still ask to see a few samples - most people in camera clubs are enthusiasts and know how to frame shots, get things in focus, etc. but you don't want to pay money to a total goob.
As for the post-processing, couple of possibilities:
- maybe ask around among friends and see if anyone is good with photoshop and/or Lightroom and would be willing to take the RAW (that's the native image format of a DSLR) images and work on them a bit.
- a photography enthusiast and/or beginning pro is generally going to have these tools. At least discuss the cost of having them work on them.
I wouldn't emphasize the "no need for post processing" so much - I think one way or another it needs to be done, even for "candids." The colors coming out of a DSLR are often a bit drab, and it adds a lot.
posted by randomkeystrike at 9:32 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Agreed that "documentary" style is what you're looking for. Our wedding photographer was definitely of this variety, and she was super low stress to deal with. She was also great about following our lead/not pressuring us into photos we didn't want to take, but also making suggestions that turned out really well. Her pricing was on par with other wedding photographers in our area, though.
posted by rainbowbrite at 9:55 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rainbowbrite at 9:55 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
And the things is most of the price you see for wedding photographers is already paying for their time at the wedding. If you have a lower cost for the actual day-off work, this means you'll see a higher cost for prints, and vice versa. If you get a package without any prints or albums, expect to pay a premium for that (especially if you're looking to get copyright for the photos).
More on this - keep in mind that while you're trying to keep the price down, a professional photographer is trying to make a living. All the extra charges are ways for the photographer to keep going until the next shoot.
Of all the things I think you should "splurge" on in a wedding, I'd rank photography pretty high. After the event is over, this is the documentation of the day, for yourself and anyone else. My sister-in-law had a friend shoot her wedding as a gift, but the friend was on the low end of the "amateur" scale, and the photos were washed out, with groups in half shade and half sun, things of that sort. This stuff isn't terribly tricky, so seeing a photographer's shots from a variety of events in different settings will help you gauge the quality of their work.
We actually had a photographer who had two assistants to shoot "b-roll," capturing shots of our guests and us from other angles while the main photographer focused on us, the wedding couple. We also bought disposable cameras and put them on the tables for the reception, so guests had a chance to take their own fun photos. Then we also go digital photos from friends and family.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:16 AM on October 5, 2015 [8 favorites]
More on this - keep in mind that while you're trying to keep the price down, a professional photographer is trying to make a living. All the extra charges are ways for the photographer to keep going until the next shoot.
Of all the things I think you should "splurge" on in a wedding, I'd rank photography pretty high. After the event is over, this is the documentation of the day, for yourself and anyone else. My sister-in-law had a friend shoot her wedding as a gift, but the friend was on the low end of the "amateur" scale, and the photos were washed out, with groups in half shade and half sun, things of that sort. This stuff isn't terribly tricky, so seeing a photographer's shots from a variety of events in different settings will help you gauge the quality of their work.
We actually had a photographer who had two assistants to shoot "b-roll," capturing shots of our guests and us from other angles while the main photographer focused on us, the wedding couple. We also bought disposable cameras and put them on the tables for the reception, so guests had a chance to take their own fun photos. Then we also go digital photos from friends and family.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:16 AM on October 5, 2015 [8 favorites]
Put some flyers up at local colleges with art departments, and/or try to find contact info for any MFA /visual art programs and send a polite email asking if they have an email list for these kind of freelance gigs.
This is how we got our fantastic musician for our wedding.
posted by nakedmolerats at 10:19 AM on October 5, 2015
This is how we got our fantastic musician for our wedding.
posted by nakedmolerats at 10:19 AM on October 5, 2015
Agreed that "documentary" or "photojournalism" style wedding photography is what you want. Also agreed that this is not necessarily less expensive than "regular" wedding photography, but there are photographers who specialize in this style at all price points. I honestly think that this type of photography is harder than the very posed/formal type, because you are relying on someone to have the savvy and speed to grab things in the moment, and also the artistic sense to separate the wheat from the chaff (most photographers will take many more photos than they end up presenting to you, because some of them will be duplicates, some will have the person turning away at the wrong moment, or chewing, etc.)
I also think that if you want something low-key, the personality of the photographer is going to matter much more than the style of photography. Find a shortlist of people whose websites/portfolios you like and who are in your budget and then meet with them and see who you click with. One of the two photographers at our wedding (they were a team) had an incredibly mellow and relaxing personality--she mostly does photos of kids and I can see why she is so successful at that.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:32 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
I also think that if you want something low-key, the personality of the photographer is going to matter much more than the style of photography. Find a shortlist of people whose websites/portfolios you like and who are in your budget and then meet with them and see who you click with. One of the two photographers at our wedding (they were a team) had an incredibly mellow and relaxing personality--she mostly does photos of kids and I can see why she is so successful at that.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:32 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
Even if you don't hire a professional wedding photographer, I strongly suggest you hire someone who has photographed a wedding or similar event before. The demands of photographing a multi-hour event in (almost always) challenging lighting are very different from the things that most of us think of as making a "good photographer." And my experience is that most photographers, even really skilled ones, don't completely comprehend that until they've gone through it.
posted by primethyme at 10:50 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by primethyme at 10:50 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
You want "skilled" = you gotta pay for "skilled". Sorry. Your thought that the money is in the post-processing is not correct. The money is in the skill of the photographer to take photojournalistic photos. You can verify this by interviewing some photographers and asking them the fee for just photos with no post-processing. I don't think it will be much discounted/much less money. Also, most professionals won't allow unedited/unfinalized shots to be distributed into the wild--their name is on the line, they want the best out there representing them; that's how they get business. You pay an hourly rate for a skilled professional. If you want cheap and don't care a ton about skill, well I'd just tell your guests to go crazy on their iPhones, then set up a site after your wedding for everyone to upload their shots. (Kind of the modern-day version of passing out those disposable cameras on tables.) Or, go to high schools / community colleges / etc. and find a photography student who wants some practice?
posted by rio at 10:52 AM on October 5, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by rio at 10:52 AM on October 5, 2015 [11 favorites]
"Documentary" and "Photojournalistic" are actually pretty cool trends in wedding photography right now! I think people are starting to get a little burnt out on the overly perfect and precious.
My dude and I are also getting married, and I think we're heading toward this style too! And while we've learned that while we don't care as much about "walking down the aisle" or many posed pics, we do care about quality and artistic-ish value. We want the wrinkles and tears on peoples' faces, we just want them to look thought-through.
So yeah, a skilled photographer = $$$ because they do this for a living. And while we don't WANT to spend a ton of money, this isn't the aspect we're going to skimp on. However, if you just want a person with a camera and don't so much care about style (which is totally okay! Everyone is different!) then definitely, you could head down to an art school and see if anyone needs some practice. Just... level your expectations that your pictures might end up a bit wonky.
Also, with many pro photographers, you can pick and choose which elements you want captured. Like, you don't have to do the "getting ready" parts if you don't want. Or you can have them skip the cocktail hour. Or whatever is less important to you. That can cut down on cost.
Anyway, if you're interested in seeing a reference, I think we're going with this studio.
posted by functionequalsform at 11:14 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
My dude and I are also getting married, and I think we're heading toward this style too! And while we've learned that while we don't care as much about "walking down the aisle" or many posed pics, we do care about quality and artistic-ish value. We want the wrinkles and tears on peoples' faces, we just want them to look thought-through.
So yeah, a skilled photographer = $$$ because they do this for a living. And while we don't WANT to spend a ton of money, this isn't the aspect we're going to skimp on. However, if you just want a person with a camera and don't so much care about style (which is totally okay! Everyone is different!) then definitely, you could head down to an art school and see if anyone needs some practice. Just... level your expectations that your pictures might end up a bit wonky.
Also, with many pro photographers, you can pick and choose which elements you want captured. Like, you don't have to do the "getting ready" parts if you don't want. Or you can have them skip the cocktail hour. Or whatever is less important to you. That can cut down on cost.
Anyway, if you're interested in seeing a reference, I think we're going with this studio.
posted by functionequalsform at 11:14 AM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
We have a couple of friends who are experienced amateur photographers who brought their cameras and took additional photos at our wedding. When you compare the photos they took to the ones the photographer we hired took, the difference in quality is stark. On the professional ones the framing is better, the composition is better, the lighting is better, and the expressions captured are more natural and individual. What we were paying for was his experience and his eye, as well as his ability to move through a crowd of guests so smoothly it was like he wasn't even there.
I remember looking through our album with a college friend who'd been at the wedding. At one point she started to turn the page, then flipped back and stared incredulously at the photo. "That's that scummy weed-covered pond beside the music building!" she said. "How did he make it look like something out of a Maxfield Parrish painting?"
Good photography is worth paying for, if you can.
posted by Lexica at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2015 [4 favorites]
I remember looking through our album with a college friend who'd been at the wedding. At one point she started to turn the page, then flipped back and stared incredulously at the photo. "That's that scummy weed-covered pond beside the music building!" she said. "How did he make it look like something out of a Maxfield Parrish painting?"
Good photography is worth paying for, if you can.
posted by Lexica at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2015 [4 favorites]
Agreed that the best way to get low to no cost candid photos of your wedding is to encourage guests to take photos with their own phones and cameras and upload them to a page you have set up for them during or after the wedding. There are services just for this purpose and you can have a sign or table cards with the link to your page at the wedding, or give them business cards with the link on it with your wedding favors/on the way out the door.
I went to a wedding this summer that had a pro photographer but the bride and groom did the remarkably simple thing of creating a hashtag for their wedding (like duh, most people are doing this) and encouraging guests to post their favorite photos on their own social media with that hashtag. I wish I had thought of this when I got married a few years ago because I really had to search for and ask about photos other people took of themselves at our wedding.
Just don't be disappointed if your favorite part of the day is missing from your guests' candids. Or if their photos are all unflattering or backlit or something. After all, they're guests, and their job is to enjoy themselves. :)
posted by Pearl928 at 11:23 AM on October 5, 2015
I went to a wedding this summer that had a pro photographer but the bride and groom did the remarkably simple thing of creating a hashtag for their wedding (like duh, most people are doing this) and encouraging guests to post their favorite photos on their own social media with that hashtag. I wish I had thought of this when I got married a few years ago because I really had to search for and ask about photos other people took of themselves at our wedding.
Just don't be disappointed if your favorite part of the day is missing from your guests' candids. Or if their photos are all unflattering or backlit or something. After all, they're guests, and their job is to enjoy themselves. :)
posted by Pearl928 at 11:23 AM on October 5, 2015
Some friends of mine ended up with basically what you want by having a photographer friend "shoot" the wedding and making it clear that it was a fun friendly request to bring their DSLR and not a command performance of Wedding Photography. At one point during the reception said DSLR ended up being passed around among the guests quite a bit, so beyond just the perspective of one guest, they ended up with all sorts of fun shots. It was also fun to watch how the photos changed as the photographer became progressively more drunk as the reception progressed.
In terms of planned shots, there was some coverage of classic moments in the ceremony (bride walking up the aisle, exchange of rings, etc), and a few posed family photos, but otherwise it was really free-form and lovely.
posted by Sara C. at 11:28 AM on October 5, 2015
In terms of planned shots, there was some coverage of classic moments in the ceremony (bride walking up the aisle, exchange of rings, etc), and a few posed family photos, but otherwise it was really free-form and lovely.
posted by Sara C. at 11:28 AM on October 5, 2015
Cat Thrasher did our wedding pictures. She travels to SF regularly, I think, but we got married near her home base. Our wedding was not typical by any means, and she did an awesome job capturing that. She was worth every penny my in-laws paid (that was their wedding gift to us).
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:38 AM on October 5, 2015
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:38 AM on October 5, 2015
Also poll your network widely. We didn't think we knew anyone who could shoot our wedding cheaply. My attendant's wife was a wedding photographer (!!!) but we couldn't afford her, even at the friends rate.
My sister-in-law's , sister-in-law is a hobbyist ended up doing our wedding photos. We had only met her once at a wedding. She did a FANTASTIC job and if you had asked us at the beginning of wedding planning if we knew anyone, even tangentially, who could take such amazing photos we would have said no. Ask widely.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:40 AM on October 5, 2015
My sister-in-law's , sister-in-law is a hobbyist ended up doing our wedding photos. We had only met her once at a wedding. She did a FANTASTIC job and if you had asked us at the beginning of wedding planning if we knew anyone, even tangentially, who could take such amazing photos we would have said no. Ask widely.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:40 AM on October 5, 2015
I am really not into posed wedding photos, as I think they are boring and distract from the party. One of my husband's friends took photos of our wedding as a favor. The photos themselves are lovely-- I don't at all regret the lack of a professional-- but because this was my husband's friend rather than mine, I don't have many wedding photos of my extended family. Apparently my aversion to cameras is genetic?
posted by yarntheory at 12:44 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by yarntheory at 12:44 PM on October 5, 2015
We have a Bay Area "life style" photographer that we use and like, Olivia Richards. The issue that I think you are going to find is that a wedding usually lasts several hours and a decent Bay Area photographer is going to charge $300+ per hour. Additionally you are not likely to get a pro to not do post processing as they don't want to have images out there with their name associated that are not up to their standards.
I think your cheapest option would be to hire a lifestyle/family photographer for 3 hours and get as much coverage out of that possible.
posted by saradarlin at 1:08 PM on October 5, 2015
I think your cheapest option would be to hire a lifestyle/family photographer for 3 hours and get as much coverage out of that possible.
posted by saradarlin at 1:08 PM on October 5, 2015
I'm not totally clear on what you mean by not wanting a "'wedding photographer'" or by "the demands usually placed on wedding photographers", or "valuing art and spontaneity over completeness." Do you not want posed formal shots? Do you want a more documentary/photojournalistic visual style? Can you link to examples of the kinds of photos you do or don't want?
You say you want to pay for the photographer's time at the event, not for post-processing or "chachkas" (do you mean prints, albums, etc.?). What do you mean by "post-processing"? Post-processing does not necessarily mean heavy-duty retouching, hipster-Instagram filters, etc. Often it just means sorting through the thousands of frames that were shot, picking out the best ones, and throwing out the ones where someone blinked/accidentally made a weird face or the focus/exposure was wrong, etc. Source: I'm married to a photographer and I see him work on wedding photos (on which he has a very documentary style). Like 97% of his time is spent on sorting and ranking photos; he barely does any retouching at all.
And sorting photos to pick the best ones does make a huge difference. The thousands of photos right out of the camera are overwhelming. Also, the messed-up or boring shots tend to drag down the interesting, cool shots -- weird but true; the five really great shots of the couple dancing look so much better without having to scroll through 100 boring ones in between. So I think that kind of "post-processing" you probably want.
Now, you can absolutely negotiate to buy the rights to print the photos yourself rather than buying prints, albums, etc. from the photographer. Note that this is not the same as copyright. Copyright refers to actual ownership of the image in an intellectual-property sense, and very few photographers will give that up for any amount of money. It's their work, their art. But the right to print for personal use is a separate thing. My photographer spouse usually includes that in the cost from the beginning (and writes it into the contract). He explains that he doesn't care to be in the print sales and fulfillment business; he'd rather charge a little more up front and include the print rights and a DVD of high-res files suitable for printing, rather than undercharging up front and trying to make the money back by selling prints and albums.
posted by snowmentality at 1:28 PM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
You say you want to pay for the photographer's time at the event, not for post-processing or "chachkas" (do you mean prints, albums, etc.?). What do you mean by "post-processing"? Post-processing does not necessarily mean heavy-duty retouching, hipster-Instagram filters, etc. Often it just means sorting through the thousands of frames that were shot, picking out the best ones, and throwing out the ones where someone blinked/accidentally made a weird face or the focus/exposure was wrong, etc. Source: I'm married to a photographer and I see him work on wedding photos (on which he has a very documentary style). Like 97% of his time is spent on sorting and ranking photos; he barely does any retouching at all.
And sorting photos to pick the best ones does make a huge difference. The thousands of photos right out of the camera are overwhelming. Also, the messed-up or boring shots tend to drag down the interesting, cool shots -- weird but true; the five really great shots of the couple dancing look so much better without having to scroll through 100 boring ones in between. So I think that kind of "post-processing" you probably want.
Now, you can absolutely negotiate to buy the rights to print the photos yourself rather than buying prints, albums, etc. from the photographer. Note that this is not the same as copyright. Copyright refers to actual ownership of the image in an intellectual-property sense, and very few photographers will give that up for any amount of money. It's their work, their art. But the right to print for personal use is a separate thing. My photographer spouse usually includes that in the cost from the beginning (and writes it into the contract). He explains that he doesn't care to be in the print sales and fulfillment business; he'd rather charge a little more up front and include the print rights and a DVD of high-res files suitable for printing, rather than undercharging up front and trying to make the money back by selling prints and albums.
posted by snowmentality at 1:28 PM on October 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
At my wedding I asked people if I could use their memory cards when they were done taking pics. I brought my computer and uploaded them on the spot. It was terrific to have immediate pics and you can have a slide show going on your computer at the bar- instant wedding pics from many different perspectives.
posted by beccaj at 1:32 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by beccaj at 1:32 PM on October 5, 2015
My wedding photographers basically just hung out while we were getting dressed, at the ceremony, and at the reception, and did very few posed photographs (they asked us for a list beforehand so if you don't want ANY posed photographs, you can tell them that then). $2000 for 6 hours. Well worth it; the pictures are absolutely beautiful. I found mine by putting an ad on Craigslist for a wedding photographer. If you do something similar you could use the keywords above (natural, photojournalistic, candid) and you will probably get a bunch of responses. Checking out their websites will give you a good idea of what they usually do and how much processing they do or if they always include things like wedding albums, which it sounds like you do not want.
posted by chaiminda at 1:41 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by chaiminda at 1:41 PM on October 5, 2015
We hired a corporate event photographer (we very carefully explained the situation to him--that it was a cocktail party celebrating a marriage, but that there was no ceremony, no wedding party, no need for full day "getting ready" or close-ups of the cake). We did not want anyone to think we were trying to cheat the photographer out of their rates but we could not find a "wedding" photographer who would shoot for fewer than 8 hours (the entire party ran only 3.5 and we did not want pre/post photography) or who could give us a package that did not include an hour of posed group shots or several printed memory books. He gave us a disk with all the shots.
The shots are amazing and the photographer was very unobtrusive and very good at getting a shot of everyone who is there. He was accustomed to being sure he got at least a couple shots of the VIPs (in our case: Mom & Dad, Mom & Dad, the siblings). I wish I had additional business to send his way because he was a joy to work with.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:44 PM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
The shots are amazing and the photographer was very unobtrusive and very good at getting a shot of everyone who is there. He was accustomed to being sure he got at least a couple shots of the VIPs (in our case: Mom & Dad, Mom & Dad, the siblings). I wish I had additional business to send his way because he was a joy to work with.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:44 PM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh and too echo what snowmentality explained: our photographer kept copyright in all the shots and the right to use them in his portfolio, to promote his work, whathaveyou, but sorted through his 1000s of shots to give us the best and handed over a disk for us to print and share.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:46 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by crush-onastick at 2:46 PM on October 5, 2015
We had the best photographer for ours (but we are on the wrong coast!) we specifically searched for a photographer for our 20 person wedding and found a woman who does photos for small courthouse weddings and small family gatherings. We loved her blend of unconventional candids so much that we hired her back for our 300 person reception. Look for someone who mostly does candids rather than portraits. We used thumbtack.com to find her.
posted by floweredfish at 4:53 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by floweredfish at 4:53 PM on October 5, 2015
You want documentary or photojournalism style wedding photography. It's very much a thing, it's not unusual, and you should easily be able to find a photographer to do it. It's not a risky gig for a wedding photographer.
Just keep in mind that a lot of wedding photos you see of couples doing things like this, this, this, or even this are definitely posed. There are plenty of photographers who will give you only candid photographs, you just may want to adjust your expectations if these kind of photos are what you looking for.
Source: I have worked as a wedding photographer for years. (None of these are my photographs, I just googled).
Also, it's important to know what your family's expectations are too. A client can tell me that she only wants candid photographs, but when I show up to the event and the parents start insisting on formals, it puts me in a tough spot and can create tension on the big day. Make sure your family knows the game plan.
posted by inertia at 5:24 PM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just keep in mind that a lot of wedding photos you see of couples doing things like this, this, this, or even this are definitely posed. There are plenty of photographers who will give you only candid photographs, you just may want to adjust your expectations if these kind of photos are what you looking for.
Source: I have worked as a wedding photographer for years. (None of these are my photographs, I just googled).
Also, it's important to know what your family's expectations are too. A client can tell me that she only wants candid photographs, but when I show up to the event and the parents start insisting on formals, it puts me in a tough spot and can create tension on the big day. Make sure your family knows the game plan.
posted by inertia at 5:24 PM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Kelly Freedman. She is an amazing photographer as well as a friend of mine. Professional, calm, excellent taste, and she's a wealth of knowledge about weddings and also about different Bay Area vendors, if you are interested.
posted by bookworm4125 at 11:15 PM on October 5, 2015
posted by bookworm4125 at 11:15 PM on October 5, 2015
I would just say do get a professional and someone outside your circle. If you have a friend who is even a professional photographer and they are charging "mate's rates", things can go wrong and you won't have as much redress as you would with a professional with a proper contract and Ts and Cs, and you might end up with not so great photos and paying another professional to do an anniversary shoot. Just a bit of experience to share there.
posted by LyzzyBee at 12:04 AM on October 6, 2015
posted by LyzzyBee at 12:04 AM on October 6, 2015
We found our wedding photographer by going through the local photography school's recent graduates (the school's site has graduation portfolios posted, then we followed some of them to their websites, narrowed it down, met with a few and picked the one we liked best). The one we chose had graduated a couple years prior, had her own website with recent portfolio items, and was very affordably priced. Her style was what we liked, we went mostly with candids, with some arranged poses to satisfy family. We hired her a year out, booking her at her rate then, and by the time it was a year later, her prices had doubled and she chosen for a local best wedding photographer award. So we really lucked out in several areas, but if you want bargain more than you want a guarantee of professional and quality, see what photography schools in your area have.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:14 AM on October 6, 2015
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:14 AM on October 6, 2015
Hire an experienced wedding "second shooter". Pro wedding photographers often use one for candids and a backup on the non-posed shots where they must produce at least one decent image. A second shooter will have a wedding portfolio you can verify with the photog he worked for.
Besides all the ways mentioned above for finding one you could ask pros for a recommendation. Maybe make up a story about how the both of you got big breaks in life because someone thought you were ready for the next level.
posted by Homer42 at 7:48 PM on October 6, 2015
Besides all the ways mentioned above for finding one you could ask pros for a recommendation. Maybe make up a story about how the both of you got big breaks in life because someone thought you were ready for the next level.
posted by Homer42 at 7:48 PM on October 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Generally, you do get what you pay for but if what you want is a slew of candids you yourselves will enjoy and a handful of good photos "for posterity" or whatever, you can indeed get that at a lower cost than the traditional "wedding package" experience.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:24 AM on October 5, 2015