Weddings are filled with scenes of precious memories and photography is the tool with which these scenes can be captured. Traditional professional photography costs, however, can be too much for some wedding budgets. Couples can still have beautiful photographs of the wedding day by getting creative and relying on various resources for capturing the memories.
A professional photographer is often the first place to turn when planning a wedding. Couples need to remember though that the price of the photographs should always include the negatives. Many times the quoted price only includes prints of various sizes, sometimes with varieties of special effects such as softened edges. Without the negatives, the couple has to forever order reprints through the photographer, often at much higher rates. As years go by it might be more difficult to remain in contact with the photographer, but it still doesn’t mean the couple is free to have the pictures copied. The photographer has copyright ownership of the photographs unless there is proof of another agreement. Most commercial photo studios will not duplicate professional pictures without a written release, and this can be very difficult to obtain.
Professional photography studios are often willing to negotiate on prices so it is a good idea to request a discount package. It also sometimes helps to let the studio know that other studios have been contacted about this project and are working on adjusting some numbers. The friendly competition created can work to lower the cost of the wedding photography contract.
There are other ways to save money on wedding photography without compromising quality. The wedding day can be divided into smaller blocks of time, such as preparations, family photos, the wedding party, the couple, during the ceremony, cutting the cake, and the dance. There might be certain times during the day when a professional photographer is needed more than others. Some couples might want to capture the cutting of the cake but do not need to have photos of every guest at dinner. The costs of the photographer should be reduced when less time is required of him to be a part of the day.
Couples should also look to family and friends who might be amateur photographers and are more than willing to take pictures of certain aspects of the day. Maybe an uncle would be the perfect one for getting pictures of the groom getting ready for the ceremony or the couple’s first dance. Digital photography advances make it possible for even amateurs to make sure that good pictures are taken. Cameras are also of higher qualities and can produce great pictures without formal lighting and other extras.
Another way to have inexpensive pictures of the wedding day is to place disposable cameras at each reception table as part of the decorations and encourage guests to take pictures with them throughout the evening. The only costs involved are prices to purchase the cameras and the costs of developing the film. Some great pictures can be taken this way of small moments that the wedding party might not otherwise see.
Wedding photography can also involve creating social media and web pages where guests are encouraged to take their own pictures from the wedding day and upload them to share. Guests could even be made aware of this in the printed wedding program or at place-cards at each reception table. Creating a virtual wedding album can reduce photography costs and produce a collaborative project with fun results.
Couples can also look to local talented amateurs for photography services. They usually charge less and are often willing to provide the negatives or digital files as well. Art students from local colleges or photography hobbyists are good options and the wedding couple can work with them as if they were a professional agency. Many amateurs have portfolios as demonstrations of typical work.
Hiring a wedding photographer does not have to break the wedding budget. Money can be saved without sacrificing the wedding photo album by thinking creatively and pooling resources with family and friends.