Camera and Video for wedding reception

psd99

psd99

psd99

Soldato
Joined
7 Sep 2008
Posts
5,707
Hey all,

I am looking for someone in the greater london area (west london) to video and take good pictures of a wedding reception next year. (prob 3-4 hours max)

Any recommendations? Got any general advice?

How much can one expect to pay?
 
Hmm don't think this can be discussed here dude as it would mean people are discussing business ventures on the forum!
 
mrk said:
Hmm don't think this can be discussed here dude as it would mean people are discussing business ventures on the forum!
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it can be disused but you can't promote your own business or that of others on this forum.

If anyone knows of someone from outside OCUK to which they have no official affiliates then they can be recommended.
 
Why just the reception?

It's worth bearing in mind that whilst you think that might reduce costs, the date is the most valuable thing and by filming your reception that means someone is crossing off that day to film another full-day wedding. For that reason our minimum charge is our base package, so it's no cheaper to have just the evening.

You might be ok if it's a Sunday or out of season but if it's slap bang in the middle of June/July then it's worth bearing in mind.

Oh and your OP isn't very clear: are you looking for someone to take photos AND a video, or a wedding photographer and videographer separately?
 
The title of the thread infers you are just looking for someone with a good camera &/or video camera to document your wedding reception. From the last sentence in your OP, I'm assuming you want said person with the camera and video camera to be cheap as possible?

If that's the case, your possibly opening your self up to regret for the rest of your married life.
If you genuinely are on a tight budget, rather than assuming it's the camera that takes great pictures, instead of the skill and talent of a photographer making the difference, then you will need to shop around allot.

Your best bang for buck would be look for someone less experienced but more talented, rather than more experienced and less talented.
Of course both of the above is less than ideal.
 
Russinating said:
Why just the reception?

It's worth bearing in mind that whilst you think that might reduce costs, the date is the most valuable thing and by filming your reception that means someone is crossing off that day to film another full-day wedding. For that reason our minimum charge is our base package, so it's no cheaper to have just the evening.

You might be ok if it's a Sunday or out of season but if it's slap bang in the middle of June/July then it's worth bearing in mind.

Oh and your OP isn't very clear: are you looking for someone to take photos AND a video, or a wedding photographer and videographer separately?
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Hello,

The wedding itself is already covered on the day before with video and camera. But not using the same company next day to availability.

We decided to separate the wedding reception on a totally different day.
Also the time is Actually May - so outside of June/July if it helps.

Both photos and videos will be ideal but just wondering what kind of price I can expect to pay for 3-4 hours of work required.

Thanks.
 
An Exception said:
The title of the thread infers you are just looking for someone with a good camera &/or video camera to document your wedding reception. From the last sentence in your OP, I'm assuming you want said person with the camera and video camera to be cheap as possible?

If that's the case, your possibly opening your self up to regret for the rest of your married life.
If you genuinely are on a tight budget, rather than assuming it's the camera that takes great pictures, instead of the skill and talent of a photographer making the difference, then you will need to shop around allot.

Your best bang for buck would be look for someone less experienced but more talented, rather than more experienced and less talented.
Of course both of the above is less than ideal.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input.

I'd rather have better pictures than video
pictures are important :)

the search continues
 
Why didn't you book someone who was available on both days? Would have made a lot more sense surely? Or do you want a separate album and DVD for both the ceremony and reception?

Price? How long is a piece of string? From free for a startup/student to whatever you want to spend...
 
Russinating said:
Why didn't you book someone who was available on both days? Would have made a lot more sense surely? Or do you want a separate album and DVD for both the ceremony and reception?

Price? How long is a piece of string? From free for a startup/student to whatever you want to spend...
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Yes separate DVD and Album for both events.

Reason for the first question isn't just availability it is also location
wedding is in a different location to the party.

what would I be looking at £500 for a photographer, is that a reasonable price?

I understand most places are quoting close to 1-2k for photography

The work I need is obviously someone with good equipment, good camera ability and be able to edit the pictures.
From there I believe I can take over, meaning I can print them myself and make a fancy album, as long as I have the actual pictures themselves.

Do places work like that or not?
 
psd99 said:
Yes separate DVD and Album for both events.

Reason for the first question isn't just availability it is also location
wedding is in a different location to the party.

what would I be looking at £500 for a photographer, is that a reasonable price?

I understand most places are quoting close to 1-2k for photography

The work I need is obviously someone with good equipment, good camera ability and be able to edit the pictures.
From there I believe I can take over, meaning I can print them myself and make a fancy album, as long as I have the actual pictures themselves.

Do places work like that or not?
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What you described is the bulk of the photography process, the printing and albums is not where the main costs come from, so don't expect much of a saving. In fact you pay have to pay more to get the digital photos at high resolution to print, photographers don't always give these away for free.

You can sometimes save some cash by getting unedited photos because editing is time consuming process. My Sister received exposure and white balance corrected full resolution HQ jpegs, which they then spent several months editing in the evenings.


Overall you tend to get what you pay bu don't always assume that a high price means high quality. There is a horrible practice in wedding photography of price fixing and some individuals blackmail other to raise prices inline with other pros so that prices across the industry remain artificially high. not only is this illegal it is also highly immoral. The upshot is that some bad photographers or those with less experience charge the same as a pro. Always try to view complete albums of an entire wedding, not a collection of the best 1-2 photos from 50 different weddings. Even amateurs get lucky sometimes, the pros reduce the uncertainty and increase the frequency of high quality captures.

I would also be weary of their weekend wedding warrior types, those with a full time salaried job who do weddings on the weekend as a side business or hobby. If something crops up at work then they may be forced to drop out of the wedding photography contract at the last minute or risk loosing their full time job.
 
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Don't forget that depending on where you're located, or where the venue is, they may also want expenses covered too (petrol) if it's a trek and a half.

Still, 500 is good for that kind of timing.

Always try to view complete albums of an entire wedding, not a collection of the best 1-2 photos from 50 different weddings. Even amateurs get lucky sometimes, the pros reduce the uncertainty and increase the frequency of high quality captures.
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I've never thought about it like that before, it makes sense on one hand but on the other hand lots of photographers shoot many hundreds, if not thousands of images so having them all on display isn't efficient so often display the highlights from each shoot.
 
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mrk said:
Don't forget that depending on where you're located, or where the venue is, they may also want expenses covered too (petrol) if it's a trek and a half.

Still, 500 is good for that kind of timing.



I've never thought about it like that before, it makes sense on one hand but on the other hand lots of photographers shoot many hundreds, if not thousands of images so having them all on display isn't efficient so often display the highlights from each shoot.
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You don't need to see all 1000 unedited versions, but an album as delivered to the clients, or the DVD with the 200-300 or so photos that a client received. You don't have to watch through all of the photos, but it is important to get an idea of what to expect from the complete package, not only what the best photos the photographer has ever captured in 10-20 years of shooting 30-50 weddings a year .
 
Thanks all

just wondering what is the general practice when paying these professionals?

How much money up front? Also, do most people expect to be paid on completion or what?

obviously don't want to give too much up front
 
There is no accepted standard, it's down to the contract you have with your photographer.

Some want half up front as deposit, some want all of it etc.
 
thanks - yer we could give him half, that is feasible but give him the rest upon completion

went to the guys house, had a look through his albums
work looks very good, he's been doing this on the side business for 20 years (he's a fireman)
looks like a likely deal and he's asking for £500 in total - one of the best quotes I got so far, the rest of them are at least double that money.
 
If the work he has is good and the price fits your bill then you're all set :D
 
If you want to do it really cheap, try contacting your local college or university. I'm sure that there are eager photography/art students willing to take the challenge. However, do be flexible with them, as they may be inexperienced or from a different artistic viewpoint.
 
well I got a quote last night
seen his work on fb

for 4 hours work he said £450 and at an additional rate of £100 for 1 hour
but 4 hours is enough
he also said 250 jpb images on a dvd, edited and all that

what u all reckon 250 is enough? good price?
 
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