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Wedding photography is growing to be one of the more costly and daunting expenses of a wedding, but you can hire a wedding photographer on a budget, and there are several options available. Some of them require thinking outside the box.

When you pay for a wedding photographer what you're paying for is experience, reputation of the photographer, and time. In order to hire a wedding photographer on a budget you need to adjust one or more of these variables.

1. Less experienced wedding photographers don't necessarily mean less talented or less able. Everybody has to start somewhere and giving someone a chance who is just starting out, might be your ticket to getting photographs from someone who knows how to wield a camera while saving money.

Or, you can go back even further and find an art or photography school. You can often find talented student photographers looking to build a portfolio who will charge you much less than a more experienced photographer.

Another option in this category is a friend or family member. In our high-tech world the line between a talented amateur and a professional can be blurred. Just because someone isn't charging others to do it, doesn't mean they couldn't turn their talent into a business. If you have a talented friend or family member who understands lighting and great photograph composition, you may only have to pay for the film.

2. Reputation. Reputation isn't the same as experience. Photographers with different levels of experience have different reputations within the wedding industry. And sometimes what you're paying for is the name they built, not necessarily their talent or experience. Remember the local famous wedding photographer may or may not be the most talented. Often the reputation is well-deserved, but sometimes the most famous wedding photographer is simply the one who is the most talented marketer.

You will of course not want to hire a photographer with a bad reputation, but some good reputations are somewhat overblown and can serve to unnecessarily inflate your wedding budget.

3. Time. When hiring a wedding photographer think about how much time they'll have to spend with you. If you're well-organized enough you can cut down the time necessary to get all the vital pictures at the wedding. Then, by getting all the important reception pictures done at the very start of the reception, you can send your wedding photographer home and let friends and family snap pictures for the rest of the evening. Remember the more

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