How much?
If you came to my page looking for natural documentary wedding photography, it’s possible that you already have a sense of how much it costs. It’s also very possible, however, that you are surprised and have found yourself wondering what exactly you are getting when it comes to paying for a reportage wedding photographer?
Images like the one below, taken at Goldney Hall in Bristol, aren’t simply the result of being in the right place at the right time, they are the result of many years experience at documenting the interaction of people and being able to work seamlessly around them.
.jpg)
I’ve found that this is one of the most hotly debated things when it comes to professional photography. (The other is the use, over-use and under-use of Photoshop). Perhaps I’ll tackle the Photoshop debate another time, but for now I’m going to focus on pricing and why it is, what it is.
So why does wedding photography cost so much? Mostly because you’re paying for a self-employed photographer with years of experience and lots of costs to cover.
- Equipment (this is a biggy, without a decent camera and lenses and backup equipment it’s game over, plus hard drives and computers).
- Advertising costs
- Marketing activities – such as writing blog posts & updating my website
- Photography kit preparation e.g. checking, cleaning, charging batteries etc
- Hours and hours spent processing the photos (roughly 8hrs per wedding)
- Travel
- Tax
- Professional liability & indemnity insurance
- Phones calls and emails
- Face to face meetings
I hope this helps to explain a little about where my fee actually goes. Being at a wedding is actually a very small part of the day to day activities of a wedding photographer. I always aim to fit my pricing structure around your requirements and will never sell you a ‘package’ or make you pay for more hours than you need. If you would like a bespoke quotation then just drop me a line.
Ian
