Low Photography Budget? Here's what to look for:

I’m going to be honest here: not everyone can afford thousands of dollars for photography. This doesn’t mean that your dreams of gorgeous wedding photographs will be trashed because of a low photography budget. You’re not doomed to ugly photos or a bad business owner either. While people will throw in your face “you get what you pay for”, you CAN take the time and effort to find someone within your budget who will do a stunning job.

Finding a photographer who still provides stunning work when you have a low photography budget, will take some time on your part and you may need to invest a little money to find the perfect one. This article will cover things to look for in three areas: Their portfolio, their mannerisms and their wedding packages.

Check their portfolio for diversity

You’ll want a photographer with a very diverse portfolio in three areas: skin colors, lighting situations and subjects. These three areas will tell you how your photographer handles different situations that arise at many weddings.

Skin color is always a hard one because business owners tend to attract people like them. For example: white heterosexual photographer tends to attract white heterosexual couples, while an African American photographer will attract more dark skinned clients. There’s probably some weird psychology for this, but it wasn’t covered in my highschool Psych 101 class. In my experience, it’s rare to find a photographer who can photograph all skin tones equally beautifully. Usually a photographer will really nail one skin tone while others have strange tints to them. Most often I see photographers nailing the lighter skin tones, while giving an orange or blue cast to darker skin tones. You want to make sure that all their skin tones accurately represent the skin tone of their model.

Lighting situations can be just as tricky as skin tones. Photos in the same portfolio will look different based on where the sun was during the session/wedding. Do they show bright overhead sun? What about photos after dark? If every photo you see looks like it was taken between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, that’s a red flag. Golden hour (which many photographers prefer) is such a short time during your wedding day and you want to know what the full day will look like. Also, since we live in the PNW, check for rainy, drizzly, overcast looking photos as well. There’s a high chance if you get married between September and May that your day won’t even have sunshine. One last question: do they know how to control additional light? Do their photos look like they’ve lit the subject without blowing everything out? Check those skin tones and details for reference.

Last on the diversity list is subjects. Wedding days require a bit of knowing all trades of photography. Photographers with a strong diverse portfolio here will show a bit of commercial product photography, family/couples/individual portraits, and candid event shots. Below is a list of photos you should be able to find in a great portfolio. Be sure to screenshot this for reference!

The outside of the venue (or a full landscape shot)
“Detail shots” of shoes/jewelry/invitations
A bouquet/boutonniere shot
Portrait of the bride alone
Portrait of the groom alone
Portrait of the couple together
Wedding party portrait
Family portrait
Ceremony photo
The first kiss during the ceremony
The Ceremony Exit
Candids of guests at the reception
The First Dance
Wedding Exit Photo

This list is the BARE MINIMUM you should be able to find in a professional (or amatur-pro) portfolio. Many great photographers will have more than one of each shot shown on both their website and social media. If you cannot find these photos it can mean one of two things: 1) they’re so busy they have neglected their portfolio (likely if they’ve been in business for 5-10 years) or 2) they’ve done most of their wedding work at “styled shoots” (aka: fake weddings where there are no guests and no time limits).

Question: Is hiring a low budget photographer a bad thing?

If your photographer has never shot a wedding before, it DOES NOT mean they’ll do a terrible job. I’ve seen new photographers walk onto a wedding job and do a better job than some pros I know. Unfortunately though, many new photographers jump into weddings thinking they’re easy money, and they don’t have the skills to provide the service they’re hired for. Ask these questions to help you navigate the hiring process:

How many weddings have you photographed?
Were you the lead shooter or second shooter?
What sort of education have you invested in? *Listen for names like Katelyn James, Andre Brown, Sal Cincotta, Sue Bryce, Davey + Krista or Amy + Jordan. These are the big ones in our industry. Other things they might mention: WPPI, the Reset Conference, and Thrive Photo Conference.
What equipment do you use? *They should have a minimum of 2 lenses, a dual card camera body, and a backup camera body. Remember though this is the very minimum. I have 4 camera bodys, 2 backups, and about 8 lenses plus batteries, memory cards, lighting equipment, etc.

These things won’t necessarily save you from getting a bad photographer, but they will show you how your potential hire will navigate your wedding day. If they can’t answer any of the questions or they choose not to, that’s a red flag. (To the new photographer who might be reading this, please second shoot for a few weddings before trying to book your own. Trust me, it’s much easier to gain experience that way than to do it backwards like I did.)

The Mannerism Question

Once you’ve determined their portfolio is suitable for your wedding day, ask to have a zoom call with them. This is going to be the best way to decide if you’re a good fit for each other. Nothing is worse than having someone who is the polar opposite of you show up on the best day of your life and make you antsy with their dumb jokes or attitude. Personality plays a big part in quality experiences. Ask yourself the following after your video chat or meeting:

How did the photographer make me feel? If you felt intimidated or uncomfortable in any way, this is a red flag. You should feel a little anxious at the beginning of the meeting, but leave feeling like you just met your new best friend. Anything less isn’t worth the stress. Don’t let a low photography budget force you to choose someone who makes you cringe.

Did the photographer make jokes I never want to hear again? This is another thing. As photographers, our goal is to make people feel less awkward or uncomfortable. One of my favorite jokes is to tell the groomsmen “stick just your thumb in OR leave your thumb out of your pockets. Otherwise it looks like you’re playing with something.” Usually this makes the groomsmen laugh uncontrollably because it’s weird coming from a woman. If anything like this is said and you don’t like it, that’s a red flag.

Lastly, do I want to spend a full day with this person? You will spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day, than you will with your new spouse. Make sure you can enjoy the time with them! You don’t want to be annoyed all day or bored out of your mind. It’s a bonus when they’ll take care of you. If they’re a mom, you can basically guarantee they’ll make sure you’re eating and drinking during the day.

One idea to consider is hiring your potential photographers for just an engagement session. This will give you the chance to meet them in person, AND get a feel for how they work. Keep in mind it will cost a bit of money as many engagement sessions begin at the $150 range.

Choosing the Wedding Package

I never recommend basing anything on price alone, and generally would encourage you to choose a higher priced photographer. But we all know that isn’t a guarantee that they’ll do a good job either. So here are the things to look for in their wedding packages.

Do they list a number of hours? I generally recommend no less than 8 hours for a full wedding, and no less than 4 for an elopement. If your wedding photographer has a price range of $500 for 14 hours, it’s likely they may slow your timeline down. Some photographers don’t list a timeframe at all, and this can play in your favor. But remember: the longer they’re at your wedding working, the more exhausted they will be. This means you might be waiting for sneak peeks or your final gallery longer than if you’d hired a professional.

How many photos are included? My packages don’t list a number of photos, but when you hire me you can expect to receive about 75-100 photos per hour. Smaller guest lists will have fewer photos than large guest lists (because no one wants 45 photos of them hugging Aunt June for the 200th time that day), but the general number of photos is about the same. If a photographer lists less than 500 photos, ask if everything is completely retouched or simply color corrected. While you don’t need more than 500, you want to make sure you get photos from throughout the day and aren’t missing out on moments due to a low photography budget.

How are the photos delivered? Do you just get prints? A USB? Is an online gallery included or do you have to pay for that? The best (and fastest) way to get your images is through an online gallery where you can download, order prints and share your photos with friends. I highly recommend choosing someone who gives you something tangible, and not just a USB. Otherwise you’ll likely leave your photos on the internet and never print them… I was guilty of this myself until about a year ago.

Do they work with a second photographer on a regular basis? Solo shooters tend to be less expensive than those who have a team. However, when choosing a photography team, you want to make sure they shoot with their teammate on a regular basis, or at least have a similar photography style. Most seasoned photographers know this and have a few go tos when they don’t have a set teammate.

Last words

I never recommend you skimp on your wedding photography, but I know sometimes we have a low photography budget. Following the recommendations above, I hope that you will find a suitable photographer for your budget, even if it’s not me! Of course, I have several other ways to save money and hope those will help you stretch your photography budget a bit further.