Photographer prices in midwest

[eks6426]

I am coming down to the wire on my July 3 2005 wedding in Champaign, IL. I am now hunting for a photographer and started getting prices of around $2000-$3000 which is more than the entire rest of my wedding budget. My wedding will be short & simple. Outdoor wedding followed by picnic reception. From the first step down the aisle to leaving for our honeymoon will be a total of 2.5 hours so I''m having a really hard time dealing with $2000-$3000. So, I guess question #1..are these prices normal? #2. Any negotiating tips or ways to reduce costs? One thing I do have going for me is that my wedding is a Sunday so I am generally not competing with other brides.

 

[Missed Out]

Have you called Dickens photography in Mt Zion or

Uphoffs photography in Shelbyville?

sometimes things cost less ''in the country''

 

[abradabra]

Since you are getting married in Champaign, why not contact the U of I studio art department. I'm sure there are some starving college student artists who could give you a great deal. It's a bit riskier than going with an established photographer, but you can negotiate a deal that works for you (getting negatives, etc.). In a situation like this, you could buy film and time from the student and then process the pics yourself instead of paying them to do it.

That being said--camera equipment, film, etc. is very expensive. You're not going to get someone to shoot your wedding for $50 (unless it's a wedding gift to you).

ETA: To answer your first question, in New England, I ran into some photographers who (including negatives and processing) were around $300/hour. So you definitely should be able to do this for $1,000 or less. $2k to $3k seems high for 2.5 hours.

 

[bar01]

North of Chicago - two hours, less than $400. One proposal was $275. These are independents and don''t have fancy shops. This price includes 4x6''s (not marked) of all pictures taken and a CD-ROM with the photos for us to print. Additional costs of course for each larger size photo we want.

However, in order not to be bothered on the actual day - we are having the photographer shoot us - and few close family members - the weekend before at the wedding site. Other photos on the actual day will be taken by friends and family most using good (4-5MP) digital cameras. We will burn CR-ROMs on our home computer to send photos to people.

 

[eks6426]

I realize I''m not going to find someone to do it for $50...I was pretty much expecting around $750-$1000 for 2.5 hours. I just thought $2k-$3k seemed really high for such a short event.

Thanks for the ideas on the art department. I had put a call him to them. So far the answer I have gotten is that it is summer and a holiday weekend (July 3) so not too many people are around but they are looking...