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For budget brides, finding a reasonably priced photographer who does good work can be a major challenge. One trick I recommend is searching for talented people who are just starting out in the business. But where to find them?
I recently had that discussion with a Weddingbee reader from the West Coast. Curious what her part of the country has to offer, I headed to Craigslist-LA and checked out the first event photography ad on the list. And I just happened to stumble across a promising photographer at a great price, so wanted to share him with anyone near Orange County who’s working within a budget.
Sebastian Ho is new to wedding photography, but his artistic eye and experimental use of light already elevate his photos a notch above the ordinary. And, for a limited time, he is offering introductory pricing at half off his normal fees.
His middle package of 8 hours wedding shooting, an engagement session, proofs, and a high-resolution DVD is just $1,000.
You can find Sebastian at Triple Eight Imaging.
Anyone else have a great budget photography resource to share?
You need to be REALLY careful when doing this. I found a videographer on craigslist who was just starting out (so he had below market rates), and his gallery of work on his website was amazing. But if it is too good to be true, it probably is. I realized that I’d seen one of his videos somewhere before - and I had. All of the videos in his gallery were stolen from YouTube. More on this later - but you need to be careful who you send a deposit to - maybe he wasn’t a videographer at all and it was just a scam - or maybe he was but his work must not be any where near as good as the work he stole - or else he would have posted his own. I emailed the people he stole it from - apparently this is very, very common and they’ve found their videos misclaimed by other artists over a dozen times!
craigslist is how we found our videographer and cupcakes for our wedding in the SF Bay Area, both of which ended up great prices and did excellent work.
Video:
http://www.creativecontrolimaging.com (Aaron Farnsworth)
Cupcakes:
http://www.thepastryprincess.com (Julia)
Another tactic we found helpful was taking ads out on craigslist stating our budget - but I agree with enmoore completely - you need to be very careful and do a lot of due diligence if using craigslist.
Another photography up-and-comer, I wish had hired her as a second shooter!
http://www.dorothyhatchel.com (Dorothy Hatchel)
Hey, you’re awesome! 
I think I’m going to take the bargain bin one step further - frendors! I have a friend from college who’s a freelance photojournalist, and does weddings on the side - http://www.susanica.com
If anyone wants to see her wedding stuff, check this out:
http://www.susanica.com/etc/CynWedding/
Yes! We ended up with not one, but two amazing photographers at no cost to us. One was a friend of ours and the other was a friend of his who is just getting into the biz. Friendors all the way!
My photographer is really passionate about his work and a total steal at half the cost of others. We love our wedding pics!! Highly recommended if you’re looking for one in Sacramento / Nor Cal. http://www.huyphan.com
My husband and I are just getting into wedding photography. We live in the Bay Area and can offer very lost cost photography to California couples. Message me for details!
OMG! I know Sebastian! He was a fellow MBA student of mine at Pepperdine and I happen to go on the same overseas “study abroad” trip to France as he did. After much begging from me and my other classmates, he sent us his pics that he shot in France and other parts of Europe and they were amazing. I’ve never worked with him or seen any of his work for weddings and such, however, I can vouch for him as a person and tell you he is completely legit.
I don’t know, but I wish I had some advice for Upstate NY! I want a better photographer… I’m so worried about the one we booked.
I was the lucky recipient of one of Dan Chen’s amazing RENTwedding packages - but I’m still seeking an affordable videographer in SoCal…. anyone know one?
xoxo
We have a great photographer shooting our wedding at the end of the month…her name is Kirsten Ellis and her company is Beaux Arts Photograhie. She just finished up at the Brooks Institute. She is Elizabeth Messina’s assistant and we found her because my fiance is in the wedding biz and has worked with them a many weddings. She is great and was really flexible with custom designing a package with us and is at least half the cost of other photographers we called. http://www.beauxartsphotographie.com
Thank you for the Bay Area contacts! A photographer is next on my to-do list.
When I got married, Husband and I were warned not to skimp on the photography budget because you’ll want the photos forever. We didn’t skimp and joke that if the house is on fire we’re grabbing our wedding book first, then the kids and getting out.
My photos were fabulous and worth it, BUT if you can take the time to find a great up and coming photographer that can perform at a lower price go for it! I would’ve loved to save a $1,000 or more!
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Mrs. Tulip, DC Age and Occupation: 36, Retired Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Counsel/DOO for Small Gov't Contractor Engagement Date: August 8, 2007 Wedding Date: March, 2008 Venue: Still Looking! About Me: In all my dreams of the man I'd someday marry, I never pictured anyone as perfect for me as Mr. Tulip. So now we just have to make it through the craziness of the wedding and the moving in together! I love crafts, sewing, jewelry making, and photography, so am looking forward to this chance for DIY fun. When not wedding planning, I'm playing with our dog and 4 cats, Ebay shopping, or watching too much TV (often simultaneously!).
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