questions for phtographers

what are your view points on negotiating prices?
Do you negotiate?

Interesting question. Some photographers negotiate and some don't. If you're ready to sign a contract upon your first meeting with a photographer, he or she may be more willing to include some extra prints or an album upgrade of some sort. If you're getting married during a month other than April to November, or if you're having a wedding with less than 75 guests and a small bridal party there may be more flexibility.

You may also be able to obtain a lower price if you don't need certain items in a package such as parent albums or proofs.

Speaking for myself, I've set my prices as low as possible while still making it possible to give couples the better made albums and provide the higher quality proofs and related services. It's often better to spend 10 percent more to get photos you'll be 100 percent happier with. My point is if you find a photographer you're comfortable having at your wedding, with great photos, and reasonable prices then you should hire him/her.

It takes me one day to edit, burn, and upload the photos from a wedding. And it takes one and one half days to put together the albums. The amount of time spent on the wedding day can be less than 20 percent of the total time spent on providing the service. I know the same is true for videographers. So while prices may seem high for one days work, there's much more that goes into it.

Sorry for the long-winded reply. I guess the bottom line is if you really want to hire the photographer but the cost is more than you're comfortable with then, yes by all means let the photographer know and negotiate. It's a free country

Hi Kristina,

We are negotiable on what we will include but not on price. Some photographers are willing to throw in just about anything you want, but you usually end up giving up quality. My advice is to meet with people whose work you really like and ask them to explain how they price their packages. Hopefully you will be able to find one whose work and price you like. Hopefully it will be us!

I will send you forum mail.

Good luck with all of your planning!

Kathleen
Candid Like Life Photography
www.candidlikelife.com