Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
Quote: Does anyone ever sit down with them & explain exactly what that $3000 is for?
I don't understand wedding photography at all. Don't like it. Don't like weddings. To be honest no-one has explained to me what $3000 or £1500 is for.
Can someone? I'm not trying to provoke the wedding photographers I just don't know what goes into shooting a wedding that makes it cost $3000.
A recent post by wedding photographer Jacki Bruniquel might enlighten. Makes for interesting and honest reading........
http://jackibruniquel.com/blog/2011/11/28/what-it’s-really-like-being-a-wedding-photographer-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/?mid=53
Regards
Andrew
I'd like to earn $3000 for a start doing a wedding, i charge far less than that and still people moan and groan about price, they just don't get why we all charge what we do, the time it takes, the stress, the time editing takes, the planning before hand the £20,000.00 camera gear, wear and tear on that gear i could go on.
If the wonderful bride does not want to pay then maybe she could get her friend to do the wedding on an i phone 
.
Or better still she pays for a pro top of the line camera and lens which quite frankly will cost her a hell of a lot more money than $3000.
There's way too many brides think photographers charge too much they just don't realise what it actually costs to get the end result of a stunning wedding album or photos in frames.
Quote: the time it takes, the stress, the time editing takes, the planning before hand the £20,000.00 camera gear, wear and tear on that gear i could go on.
But isn't that the same for any photographer no matter what they shoot. Except maybe the £20,000 of gear? Again, #justasking
These are approx figures based on my own experience and I may or may not have missed stuff out - every photographer will be different too , these are based on doing 50 weddings in a year
Wedding meetings pre post and album editing approx 3 hours
Wedding itself including travelling time approx 12 hours
Editing and Producing the photos and disks approx 30 hours
producing and proofing the album approx 10 hours
Cost of insurance and camera cover 500 a year / 50 weddings = £10 per wedding
Cost of new camera and computer equipments approx 3000 a year / 50 weddings = £60 per wedding
Cost of paying an assistant for a day £150
Fuel costs average £40
Stationary / Disks / Postage £15
Running and maintaing a website and seo and advertising minimum £500 a year / 50 weddings = £50 per wedding
Cost of a pro wedidng album £400
Cost of canvas prints and signature frames £100
Cost of bills elec etc 500 a year / 50 weddings = £50 per wedding
Say a customer paid 1500 for the above package with album etc :
this costs on this would work out at £865
the profit left on the wedding therefore would be £635
the amount of hours worked =55 ( and I am not including the countless hours spent on training research and seo every week )
therefore that works out at an hourly rate of = £11.54 and this is before the tax man gets hold of it
Does that really seem unreasonable now ???
I haven't said it seems unreasonable. I just wonder if other photographers are selling themselves short as much of what is being said to be special about wedding photography is also true of any other forms of paid photography. Anyhow, thanks for enlightening me a little. All good food for thought.
Quote: I haven't said it seems unreasonable. I just wonder if other photographers are selling themselves short as much of what is being said to be special about wedding photography is also true of any other forms of paid photography. Anyhow, thanks for enlightening me a little. All good food for thought.
Having practised portrait landscape and commercial photography i know through personal experience that the involvement in wedding photography is far greater in terms of time spent and interaction with clients than any other form for me anyways , i charge an hourly rate of 100.00 per hour for commercial work most jobs are an hour and the editing is minimal so the actual hourly rate for commercial work is MUCH higher than weddings , much the same with landscape photography which as you sell more prints of the same peice of work becomes again much more profitable than weddings. So I beleive not only is the amount justified for weddings it is actually one of the lowest pound for pound rates in any photography !
All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them
It used to take me about 3 weeks to work through images from a wedding and finish them off properly. Yeah, we wedding photographer just hang about and take tons of phots and edit them, thank god I got out when I did!
Good luck to the poor soul who photographs her wedding!
Oh, and does she complain about the cake maker who charges about £500 for cake, or the florist who charges extortionate pounds for a few blooms! I doubt it!
I suspect any aspiring brides reading the posts will wonder as I do how 500/50= 50?
It isn't a bad idea to break down and justify the costs of wedding photography but potential clients have to take us seriously.
Peter.
When this lady buys her designer clothing, does she tot up the $2 in materials and $1 of sweatshop labour and ask why they charge $200 for the garment? If folks are willing to pay, then a supplier is willing to charge!
Add to the costs the fact that albums/enlargements should be on archive quality paper, printed by a professional....
You could have them printed at Boots for 50p a picture, but I would never consider cheaping out on materials that should last the couple a lifetime (or the length of the marriage 
).
Plus, with most other types of photography, you can generally shoot again if it all goes wrong, but the cost and logistics of getting the guests back together to reshoot would be prohibitive - and it would be down to the photographer to sort it out. There is no safety net, though digital has instant review - something film never had.
Wedding photography is a real skill. No second chances, a wide variety of shots to capture, special moments that could missed in the blink of an eye but will be remembered forever when the tog captures it for their client. A LOT of pressure is placed upon the tog who could either make the day perfect by having those amazing photographs or be the one to ruin it by having photos the bride and groom don't like.
Rounding up guests for formals, doing their job without getting in the way, and the ability to deliver many different styles depending on what their clients want not to mention the outlay for gear!
I paid £1500 for my wedding photos and in my mind it was worth the money. Afterall I will remember those photo's for the rest of my life as will my family and friends - the amount of work and effort put into preparation, shooting and editing the photos takes a lot of time.
This woman is clearly ill informed or not informed at all. I bet she didn't say anything about why her wedding dress probably cost £1k plus for a "bit of material".
Matt
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
Join Our Free Newsletter
Awards
Current Competitions
Olympus 'Portraiture' Competition - Win £1000 Worth Of Gear!
30th April 2013 - 31st May 2013
This month, to celebrate the launch of Olympus' new micro site Olympus Image Space, Olympus are giving you the chance to win £1000 worth of Olympus gear!...
Featured e2 Photo
May's Photo Month
Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.
