There has been so much buzz and response to the now infamous criagslist add about why wedding photography prices are so “wack”. All the responses have been amazing. So many professionals are taking the time to break down all of the cost aspects. Read all of this in a nice, soft voice. Tone can be hard to get from writing. This is supposed to be informative and helpful, not brash and accusatory.
Once upon a time I also thought wedding photography was over priced. Although I have had a SLR camera in my hand on and off for the last 15 years, I never truly understood the cost and time related to wedding pictures or running your own small business.
I have a full time “regular” job. I am fortunate that my hours and employer rock. It allows me SO MUCH flexibility to run LFP how I want to. That also means that there are certain things I don’t need to build into my pricing structure: health insurance, paid sick and holiday time, home office costs, ect. I feel that my “regular” job pays for my mortgage (home office) transportation, health insurance, paid time off, ect.
I am not knocking full time photographers for their pricing. I understand their structure, and support it. I have so much admiration and respect for them. I am just explaining that my situation is different then some of theirs. That is the beauty of this field of work, we can all offer something different. Due to time restraints I only take 8 – 10 weddings a year. They are able to take on many more, resulting in a different product.
Moving on…
To be able to have a skill set to open your business, there are (usually) years of time spent reading, practicing, taking courses, being an assistant, and second shooting.
Photographers have to make it so people can find us. We need a logo to start a company, website designs, price lists, product information, contracts, unlimited storage emails at our domain name, and costs associated with buying your domain name and monthly website hosting. Then there is the time and design that goes into things like contests and blogging. There are social media sites we need to run, photos to upload, people to tag, and watermarks to go on those photos. For most photographers, having all this isn’t going above and beyond. It’s the necessities.
Before we book, we have meetings, emails, questions and answers. We need to spend time talking with you, gas to get to you and time researching and pricing things out based on your needs and locations before we even decide to work together.
Let me talk a little about equipment. People have said things like “Well, now that you have all the equipment, it’s all profit, right?” No. Anyone who is seriously dedicated to this craft is always getting the best equipment they can, to offer the best final product. The more jobs you get, the more income, the better the equipment. The better the equipment and more skill you have developed – the better the final product. I started with what I could afford, and am building on that every month. Each time I make a major purchase (a lens I am looking at now is $2,000 alone) my final delivered product is better, and my prices need to reflect all aspects of that. As I continue to build my portfolio, take courses, and get more experience, my work gets better and better. This takes time and dedication.
After being at your job for years, taking courses and getting really good at it, you have earned a raise, right? When you are asked to stay late and work an additional 10 hours a week, you want to be paid for it, right? Same thing for all photographers. We have dreams to own bigger homes, go on vacations, and do things like extra dance classes for our children too.
I won’t go into exact details, but I would like to give a general, laymen’s term overview of what is needed to shoot a wedding. I hate when people talk about things in a language I don’t understand, so I want to make it easy for you.
Camera body & a back up body (anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 each) . Battery grip for cameras (not necessary, but in my word they are). Several batteries to go into the camera ($90 each) Lots of top quality large memory cards. Tripods (or something similar - you need more then one for adequate reception lighting). Speed lights/flashes what ever you know it as – it’s an additional lighting source (minimum of two $400 - $500 each) and special equipment to make them work off your camera. Other random equipment to test light and bounce it back to create better lighting that makes you look extra beautiful! Lenses: a wide angle, portrait lens, macro lens (for all those cool ring shots) and a good what I will call a “distance lens” to keep things simple. Do you want your photographer on the dance floor with you during your first dance? Or hidden off to the side using their fancy lens and getting beautiful images? If they are hidden off to the side with a crummy lens, let’s just say your photos will be less than stellar at best.
Chances are you also need a second shooter. And guess what? They need to get paid and they have most of this fancy equipment too. You also need a sturdy bag to carry al this in, and they are pretty expensive. Remember- this is just a general, basic guideline. If you are that interested, start googling what all of that costs. You will be VERY surprised.
Then comes the work after your big day. Photographers need a good computer to edit and store you images on. Then we need back up systems to make sure it never gets lost. Monitors also need to get calibrated, and that isn’t cheap. There is the editing software. I won’t even get into pricing on the better options. Do you know how many hours of research and courses it took to learn how to use that software? We need to learn even the most basic things like DPI and how to properly size an image. I couldn’t even count the hours if I wanted to. In theory, every size picture needs something different. Potentially, if you want a 4*6 and 8*10 of an image, they may require something different on our end.
After all that there are hours and hours of editing. All that soft beautiful sunshine-y light usually didn’t just magically appear on it’s own, we make it happen. We need to know about different ways to make black and white work.. it’s not just a one size fits all option. And if you hired that second shooter we talked about, there are double the photos for your photographer to go through. With that, add more hours on.
Finally come the things like the pretty little package your disc comes in and postage to get it to you. The cost/time/software of burning that disc, the label for it, and the actual physical cost of said disc. There is the time/fees associated with uploading all of your images to an online viewing/ordering/sharing gallery and the customer support we offer to your friends and family ordering/viewing.
And on the other side of the spectrum, are business costs. Insurance, organization memberships, planners, paper, pens, attorneys to draw up contracts, web site designers, business cards, cell phones, gas and tolls to and from sessions, depreciation on vehicles, marketing and advertising materials, education costs, props, state registration costs, and taxes. Wouldn’t it be nice if your pay check didn’t have taxes taken out? We feel the same way about having to pay up to Uncle Sam. We not only have to pay the physical costs of running a business, but be reimbursed for the time we spend doing all that.
Creativity and vision are also factors in all this. There is no dollar amount in the world that can be placed on a persons thought, creativity, and ideas. It is priceless. Cliché I know, but it’s true.
There is a wedding/portrait photographer for everyone. People will shop based on their budget restraints. A $7,000 photographer will be able to offer you more than a $700 photographer can. The same way a Lexus can offer more than a Kia. Yes, they both can get the job done, but in a different way.
My average price point for a wedding with a second shooter is now $2,300 for full coverage and engagement photos. Do I work weddings for less than that? Yes. I sure do. Each couple’s needs are different. I can create pricing to reflect that. I am always willing to work something out. I promise. If your budget is $1,500 that is fine! I would be more than happy to design a package for you based on that. Everyone deserves something custom and beautiful on their big day.
I hope this was helpful to you. I always want my clients to feel informed and comfortable with their choices. What ever photographer you choose, make sure you feel like they are someone who could be your friend. You need to be comfortable talking with them, and have faith that they will deliver you a beautiful product.
I am happy to say, that I have developed a friendship with many of my clients.
Thank all of you for going on this journey with me.
You all inspire me to strive for bigger and better every day.
2/16/12 Edit: I have gotten such a great email response to this! I wanted to add a few other links I thought were amazing! This photographers site breaks it down even better than I do!
Here is just one simple quote from the article:
I even saw an article online that listed ‘wedding photographer’ as #10 on a list of the top-10 ‘most overpaid jobs in America’. Really?? The median 50% of photographer incomes in the U.S. (2008) was ~ $29,440, so let’s not kid ourselves into thinking wedding photographers are getting rich quick. Another photographer’s perspective is here, and quotes the PPA research that shows how wedding photographers running their own business full-time must earn a minimum of $2,200 per wedding just to break even!
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