The average cost can range from $1,200 to $1,600 and up for a photographer, and $800 to $1,200 and up for a videographer. Remember: You always get what you pay for.
There are many factors involved, including how many hours you're willing to pay for them to cover your event (i.e. wanting pictures taken from the time you get ready until you leave after the reception). Some charge a flat rate fee, which cost can include X number of prints and or albums. If you want to OWN your negatives so you can have future prints or a book designed later, your photographer may choose not to charge you for the negatives, where others may charge $300 to $600 just to release the negatives.
To save money on your photos, ask your photographer if you can have your studio shots or formal pics taken during the weekday, and just retain them for only the must have shots on Saturday. Weekends are prime time for photographers. Regardless of price, be sure to look at examples of their work and speak to previous clients to get their opinion, whether or not they were happy etc.
If you're on a limited budget and can't afford the number of hours of coverage that you would like, consider having disposal cameras available for your guests' use, and collect them all at the end of the event. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how many nice candid pictures you can accumulate courtesy of friends. Copen Cabana DJ Audio Visual Production providing Custom Wedding Coffee Table Photo Book with DVD Services http://www.knowareland.com
(This post was
edited by The Video Pros on Mar 8, 2005, 12:20 PM)
As for the photographer, it very much depends on what state you are getting married in. There are average rates for different states. Here in California, you can find photographers who charge anywhere from 1,200 up to 5,000 for a package. Different photographers include different amounts of their time in with each package. You can shop around for a photographer that will spend the whole day with you, but if they are going to spend the whole day with you, be sure to allow a meal for them at the reception. Photographers get hungry too. Good luck in your search for a great photographer.
(This post was
edited by TWQadmin on May 13, 2005, 4:55 PM)
As the other contributer's have said, it's very hard to give you an exact range on the market averages for photography without knowing which part of the country you reside in. So I'll speak regarding the Dallas-Ft.Worth market.
Here is some information from the data collected by Perfect Wedding Guide in DFW.
Dallas, Texas Wedding Photographers Averages
# 55,000+ - Number of weddings in the DFW metroplex a year # 3,000 to 4,500 - Numbers of Weddings in the DFW Metroplex per month # 20% - 30% - Percentage of Wedding Budget DFW couples spend on Wedding Photography # $2,500 - $3,500 - Average cost of Dallas Wedding Photographer's Packages
The biggest question for you is what are you looking for in a wedding photographer. Someone to capture the ceremony and then take a few formal shots and be done. Or "the Wedding Storyteller" approach that follows you from start to finish shooting everything along the way? Keep in mind that even if you only need a photographer for 2 or 3 hours, with only 52 weeks in a year, accepting your wedding for a premium quality photographer may mean them having to turn down many others for the same wedding day. The way around that for a photographer? Each one has a base amount that they don't go under. No matter how few hours you may need them. Most wedding markets have more weddings occurring each weekend than all the top and middle tier photographers in that area can handle. So it's easy for them to be firm about this.
Once you have an idea of what your needs are, look into the personality of the photographers along with the quality of their work. Photography is not quite like buying a car. While you certainly can negotiate, what you are investing in is the talents of the person behind the camera. Anyone with modern digital cameras these days can take a properly exposed picture. You are paying for someone's artistic creativity in addition to the "proper exposure." Having the right fit between personalities is very important in making you feel at ease and helps your photographer in capturing you magical moments.
One piece of advice is to say that your photography is not the place to try and save money. Long after the cake has been cut and the wedding is over, photographs get passed down from generation to generation in a way that even videos do not. You will never regret spending $500 or $1000 more that you budgeted 40 years from now if you absolutely love your images. But you will regret trying to save money and then hating them.
Our packages for reference start at $2400 and go up to $25,000+. Best of luck in your search.
photographers
Hi BetsyBoo, 
. Good luck in your search for a great photographer.
