Photographer for a couple of hours

rgmmg

My better half and I are having a civil ceremony in Dublin on a Friday in March. Only 20 people are attending and we just want some traditional photos - us, us with my family, us with her family and a couple of others. We are looking for a professional photographer who can take a few shots at the registration office and maybe a couple at the reception. It should only take 2 hours max. Does anyone know any professional photographers who might take on this project? As is, we have been quoted €900 by traditional firms which is a bit out of budget Thanks for reading.

clint_silver

rgmmg wrote: »

My better half and I are having a civil ceremony in Dublin on a Friday in March. Only 20 people are attending and we just want some traditional photos - us, us with my family, us with her family and a couple of others. We are looking for a professional photographer who can take a few shots at the registration office and maybe a couple at the reception. It should only take 2 hours max. Does anyone know any professional photographers who might take on this project? As is, we have been quoted €900 by traditional firms which is a bit out of budget Thanks for reading.

As suggested a few times when these requests come up you could head over to the camera and photo section of boards and throw it up there to see will someone bite who are looking to expand their portfolio and will do it on the cheap.
whether its 1 or 6 hours, 20 or 200 people, you have to have some expectation of quality for what you're paying for.

Whilst you may hope to get lucky by getting a superstar who isnt charging full prices yet, you may end up getting quality no better than a guests random snaps. and you have to be prepared for that.

rgmmg

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not sure getting a professional to charge less than €900 for two hours work is "doing it on the cheap". I'm no expert, but would expect time to be a determinant in cost. For €450 per hour, I would expect Spielberg to edit it.

clint_silver

rgmmg wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not sure getting a professional to charge less than €900 for two hours work is "doing it on the cheap". I'm no expert, but would expect time to be a determinant in cost. For €450 per hour, I would expect Spielberg to edit it.

I do see your point but you cant think of it like that, what you have to factor in is that if he's doing your wedding,
1. he cant do another one that day for full price. (same for most providors)
2. Its not just the 2 hours on the day, its the post production work.

For the 2 hours, he'll have to work harder and faster to get an amount of shots in that he can present to you afterwards.

lets say a normal shoot is 6 hours and youll want 50 well edited and produced shots from that what will require 2-3 days of post production proper editing. For your 2 hours of work, how many shots are you expecting? the same amount as a full days shoot?

just questions youll need to answer yourself.

rgmmg

Thanks again for the insights.

That's a good point about post production. In terms of number of shots, 10-15 "keepers" probably. But you have given me enough to work with - thanks.

Cienciano

A wedding photographer posted up before what's involved, it's definitely a lot more than 2 hours! I was in the same boat as you op, I was getting married and thought the photographers were expensive then I read that post about what's actually involved and ended up thinking that it's totally worth it!
Just getting to the venue early, hanging around and getting home will probably take 2 hours, never mind the actual work.

Sleepy

TBH, at the level of stuff you're looking for (10/15 good pictures) why not see if a mate with an interest in photography would do the pics for you?

I'm into photography myself but not a big fan of being the other side of the lens and myself and the other half only wanted a handful of nice pictures so we're getting my brother's girlfriend who's a good photographer (though not a pro) to do our pics as her wedding gift to us.

rgmmg

Ideally, I don't want a "have a go hero" knocking round taking snaps I'll put it out to tender and see what pros come back with. But €900 isn't a goer.

Fionn

keep looking around, lots of photographers have lowered their prices in light of the way the economy is. For a job such as this you should be able to come to some agreement with a photographer that will do it within budget.

Gatica

I agree that 900 is far too much. We were quoted 1000 for a full day by a good photographer, she had to travel etc... You may have been talking to someone who's higher in demand. Try other photographers, maybe someone more local and they won't have to budget time and money for travel.
Someone advertising a certain price may do you a deal if you talk to them. They're after all human and some will give you a little discount due to your circumstance....

rgmmg

Thanks all. You’ve all helped. I will let you know how I/we get on

Splinters

If you want to take a look at my facebook page (link in my signature) and see what you think. Im not a wedding shooter, Ill just say that straight out. But I have shot everything else from fashion/glamour to events to live music. If you like the work on my facebook page drop me a message on here or on facebook and we can take it from there. I wouldnt be looking to charge anything like 900 by the way.

rgmmg

Splinters wrote: »

If you want to take a look at my facebook page (link in my signature) and see what you think. Im not a wedding shooter, Ill just say that straight out. But I have shot everything else from fashion/glamour to events to live music. If you like the work on my facebook page drop me a message on here or on facebook and we can take it from there. I wouldnt be looking to charge anything like 900 by the way.

Thanks - will do when I get the chance (can't access fb from work alas)

Splinters

No problem at all. Have a look when you get a chance and let me know what you think anyway.

sebphoto

Still looking for someone?

rgmmg

sebphoto wrote: »

Still looking for someone?

I am indeed. I got your link so will check it (and the others I have kindly received) over the course of the weekend and let you know. Thanks all!