10K Wedding for $200 Part 3 - Photography

PHOTOGRAPHY is another big part of the wedding.  Good pictures are sooooooo memorable and valuable but also quite pricey.  Most photographers run at the very least $1000 for the cheapest wedding packages.  However, since there are A LOT of amateur photographers you usually can work with them to get a cheaper price.  However, I have never met anyone that has paid less then $500 for even amateur work, unless of course the photographer "gifts" it to you or needs you build a portfolio. So, what to do?!?!   Because photography is such an important element, you don't want to have regrets.

When I got married, my sister had a friend who had only shot about 3 weddings and they were all for family.  So, we offered a low amount and she did it (more as a favor) for us. I n Erica's case, I knew of a friend who had a wedding photography business in the past. She offered to do Erica's pictures for free as a gift to her. That was a HUGE blessing and it took the expense off the budget.

Then what Erica and I did was to get on the computer, particularly Pinterest, and print out poses that we liked. This frame picture was one that we found and is one of Erica's favorites.

So what to do? How do we save money in this area? How do we get a wide range of pictures?

1.  ASK :-) Many of your friends or friends of your friends, have nice camera's and one of them may be willing to shoot your wedding. You have to be organized and have a list of all the poses you want, especially with a amateur photographer.  I have learned, however, that most of the "newbies" will work with you better then the long-time- professional types. So you can try a lot more different poses with newbies. :-)
2. Even if you can't find a amateur professional photographer who will shoot your whole wedding, many of them are willing to stand around and shoot journalistic pictures of the wedding. Some of my favorite wedding pictures are the ones that were given to me on a CD that were extras.  I edited them and they are fabulous!
3. Do you have a family member that takes good pictures?  Pull them aside and ask for them to shoot pictures as well as your photographer.  They may catch something that the professional doesn't.  I had 3 photographers at my wedding.  One Amateur-Professional Photographer and two other great friends who took journalistic pictures. This didn't even include family that took pictures as well.
4. RESEARCH: I went online and got lists of everything for which I wanted pictures.  I printed out poses that I liked.  I talked to my photographer and she even did a pre-wedding photoshoot (bridal portraits) and that made me even more comfortable.
5. Be flexible and take pictures in all different locations.  At my wedding, I had pictures taken downtown (old-style brick look), the Knoxville Gardens, in a beautiful field after the wedding, and, of course, inside our church (the sanctuary and reception).  All those location really gave us some great pictures.

Erica had a beautiful outdoor wedding and so most of her country-style pictures were outdoor. The pictures turned out beautifully and the memories will be with her forever! And it was free. :-) Thanks to McCarley Photography! - Rejoicing in the Present