Photographer question!!!

[sklingem]

Hi Ladies (and Gents) -
we are planning on having our wedding split up into an afternoon reception/ceremony and an evening dinner/reception.
We are not too keen on booking a photographer for the whole day ($$$ - unless anyone knows a great and affordable - i.e. <1K one near Harpswell, ME)but rather have one for 3 hours for the afternoon reception for formal pictures as well as pictures of the ceremony. We are also not too really excited by the idea of having a photographer "running around" in the evening - I somehow think that it may disrupt the atmosphere and flow. At the same time we do want some pictures to be taken in the evening and were planning on providing each table with a disposable camera.
What experiences have you had at your wedding??? Did you book a photographer for the whole time? Did you ask friends or family? Any recommendations??
Thank you!!!
Rob

 

[Lanie]

Can you have the photographer leave for a few hours and then come back?

Will you be having the traditional photo opps at the afternoon reception or the evening reception? I.e. cake cutting, first dance, etc. If you have those for the first reception, I wouldn''t hire a photographer for the evening.

 

[Morgie44]

How long is it between yuur reception and dinner? Our photographer includes unlimited hours in her package, which works out really well for us. We our having a Catholic ceremony so we have the famous ''Catholic Gap" Our ceremony starts at two reception at 6, so there will be about 3 hours between. We plan on taking family/ bridal party pics and then going off with the photgrapher on our own for a bit. Maybe you can find a photographer that offers this with your budget?

I did a quick look on wpja (where we found our photog.) and this photographer''s fee is 250/hour. Maybe they would let you break it up between your afternoon, and then have an hour or so at the evening dinner? As for the flow interruption, a professional photographer should/will know how to get the shot they want without creating any attention on them at all.

 

[House Cat]

I think you would miss a lot of special moments by eliminating the photographer during the reception. People with disposable cameras will not give you the quality of photos you want and there is no guarantee they will photograph any precious moments. Photographers know how to stay out of the way. You don't have to worry about them disrupting the flow of your evening. IMHO the reception photos are my favorites.

If you are set on doing the disposable cameras, I would provide a scavenger hunt check list. Make it fun for the guests and ensure that you get the shots you want. On the list include: (of course, make the list sound like fun)
Capture:
The bride and groom kissing
The first Dance
Father daughter dance
Cutting the cake
etc..

Make sure everyone gets a different list, or give two tables the same lists, depending on how many guests you're having.

Guests sometimes get into these lists. The lists keep the cameras from going to waste.

 

[katamari]

Hey, Rob!

I think it depends on your style. If you and your FI are more into snapshots, it could be fine. But, if you like more artistic or styled photos, you are not going to get this from your friends and family. A good photographer will know how to go unnoticed to guests while still capturing all the moments you want, so you don''t have to worry about that. Plus, you can tell them what you don''t want. I cannot imagine a good photographer having guests pose for pictures unless you ask, but you can always tell them ahead of time if you specifically don''t want this and they will respect it. I also generally think most wedding photographers assume they are hired for the day, and will charge you accordingly. You may be able to negotiate something, but seeing as how they wouldn''t be able to go shoot something else during that break, they would likely not give you a price break by not having them there.

Just one horror story about disposable cameras--one high school friend of mine put these on tables at her reception instead of hiring a photographer. But, the guests apparently thought they were favors and not a single camera was left! So, she had to go around asking just to get any photos from her wedding. If you do go this route, be really open with your guests about why they are there.

 

[jstarfireb]

If you haven't booked your DJ yet (that is if you're using one!), some DJs have an assistant running around and taking pictures at the reception. Mine did and she took nearly professional-quality photos...in fact, they're now marketing themselves as "entertainment and photography." Unfortunately I'm nowhere near Maine, but if you look around, you may be able to find one like mine. Combined with pictures your guests take, that may be enough reception photography for you.

I would caution against relying on disposable cameras. I had a disposable on each table...for the most part, people took decent pictures, but some were goofy pictures, one camera didn't make it back to us at all, and every single photo came out grainy due to poor quality film (one camera ended up giving all its pictures reddish streaks). If you're going to go without a professional photographer, don't make disposable cameras your backup. Do the DJ thing I mentioned and/or assign a trusted family member or friend (ETA: with a decent digital camera) to be the photographer.