looking for a cheap but good photographer

Unfortunately with photography you very much get what you pay for.

You should try thumbtack.com

It lets you dictate what you want and photographers contact you to get you business. I found a photographer who is doing 8 hrs for 1200

Try a local art school. My sister did video production in college and she interned with a wedding videographer. You might find photography students that have a little bit of wedding experience.

Nope. First of all, you're in prime season. No one good is going to give away a day where they could make three times as much, especially this far ahead. A person starting out will take four times as long to shoot your wedding photos and you won't be happy with the quality; in that case, you really are better off letting everyone there take photos with the hopes that at least some of them will be good.

Generally? If every vendor in a category is out of your price range, it means your price range isn't realistic.

Ours was very reasonable as she was starting her portfolio and we agreed to be part of it. Try Craigslist.

You may be able to find someone who is just starting out. I will say that there are people out there, but for under $1,000 you won't get any extras. They will take the photos, edit them (maybe) and that's about it. Don't expect any copies of the photos or albums to be included in that price. We did find decent photographers in the $1,000 - $1,200 range, so there are some out there. Just make sure you check their work and see if they fit your style and the style of the wedding.

I just don't think 1,000 is possible for a good photographer unless you do only a few hours. I think we got an awesome deal at just about 3K for 10 hours and 2 photographers.

Ki, we got the photos and the release, two albums, a canvas and a bunch of prints as well as an engagement session (in lieu of parents' albums).

Some of this will also depend on where you're located. Here in Atlanta, I'd be terrified of someone that inexpensive. You might be able to find students who will do it but as PPs have said, you get what you pay for.

They say the only vendor you HAVE to have is the officiant. But remember, the ONLY thing you will have after it is all said and done is the pictures. You have time to save. Is there anyway you can cut somewhere else or save a bit more to get a better quality photographer?

I know you can find a cheap photographer but they wont necessarily be good. you can try thumbtack and weddingbug.com (you don't know who you get until soon before the wedding) I found a photographer in CT who was inexpensive for 5 hours. But I decided I wanted to spend a little more for better quality. My photographers are 1400.00 for 6 hours.

I think a lot of this depends on your location as well. But I do agree, cheap and good are not typically words that go together. Photography is pretty important so maybe you can put more of your budget towards a well-priced and reviewed photographer?

It's most likely going to be out of your budget since almost every 'cheap' photographer we found we could tell why they were cheap. With that said, it could be location related so tell us your location. We're in NY and the lowest good quality photos we found was $2,500 for 1 photographer. We decided we wanted more so ours was a splurge on photo.

There are some users on here that pay $50/pp for food due to their location (which is a third of the average in NY) so all these vendors really varies a lot geographically.

Cheap and good for photography is usually lie.

You get what you pay for. I would rather hire a top end photographer for 3 hrs than a shitty one for 8.

I'm going to be honest with you. People post pix here and on my face book that are flat out awful. The only thing you can say about them is that the recorded the day. There are weird shadows, heads and limbs cut off, awful expressions, and just awkward posing.

CL and TT will get you those photographers. They are cheap, and the only thing they can sell is their cheapness. TT is worse because it makes us pay to bid on your work. It's for people who can't get business any other way.

Could you get lucky? Sure. Do you want to chance it? I wouldn't. Read some of the horror stories here about terrible photographers. I can tell you my own; photographers who miss the kiss, who flash in our eyes during the ceremony, who are annoying and worse, slow. A wedding is a rapid fire adventure. They have to be good AND fast or it'll take forever and all your other pros will be nuts.

You're looking at 18 months away. I'd cut favors, programs and all kind of other stuff before I'd cheap out on this.

You didn't like my photos Celia?

Where are you located and getting married? What you want is an inexpensive (or at least more affordable) photographer, rather than "cheap" (cheap just brings up cringe worthy thoughts!). How many hours are you looking to have a photographer for? While in general I'd agree that you won't find a "great" photographer for 8 hours for $1,000, it's possible. I'm relatively new to wedding photography myself and starting out, I do offer lower rates similar to that. Everyone has to start somewhere, and clients who are looking for less expensive options are how most people have to start out.

I'd recommend submitting a request on Thumbtack.com (as a few others mentioned). Just be careful and research who you receive quotes from. If you choose to have a photographer from there, make sure to have an official contract with them.

Somewhat of a side note for those who use/recommend Thumbtack... Do you know that only 5 vendors can respond to a request? I learned this after starting as a Pro on Thumbtack (I did not know it as a customer using Thumbtack when I was searching for my own wedding vendors). I think it's crap and I submitted that feedback to Thumbtack - I think as many Pros that want to pay to send a quote to a customer (Pros do have to pay to respond to customers, and I think not everyone realizes that) should be allowed to, so that the customers can get as many options as are available to them.

I think because Pros have to pay to send quotes on Thumbtack, that website might be a little more reliable than Craigslist (but of course check Craigslist too, to see more inexpensive options you might have in your area).

Good luck!

Try the local college. Sometimes students are looking to add to their portfolios.

I think it also depends on where you located at. We found a great photographer who was running a sale. She normally charges and average around $100 per hour and an extra photographer is another $100. She included our engagement photos, editing of all photos, and a copy release. She will start at 2 and end at 7. When we did our engagement photos she also took a mini session of our 2 year old son.

Kisha no thumbtack is for people who can't get jobs without paying for the bid.