Wedding Photography Prices
Wedding photography can be jaw-droppingly expensive. You found your dream photographer, but they come with a hefty price tag. You may be wondering how you can book them, but without emptying your bank account in the process.
WELL, HERE’S THE DEAL…
Knowing all the little details and information about wedding photography prices, will help you make an informed decision and allow you to stay within your budget.
Wedding Photography Prices
The average cost for a wedding photographer from all of these sources was around the between $1380 and $1630 mark. It is recommended to spend about 5-10% of their total budget on their wedding photography. That is a big range but is consistent with the pricing indicated by “Your Perfect Wedding Photographer”
Local Wedding Photographers Prices By Region
Prices vary greatly within local regions for wedding photographers. Your Perfect Wedding Photographer has cited from their 2019-2020 survey some of the differences in regions throughout
I took a closer look at different wedding photographers to get a regional average and found some discrepancies that produced. I looked at different wedding photographers in all of the regions and took an average of each region’s local prices of the photographers that had them listed on their site for all day wedding packages
HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
No sugar coating it
In meetings with photographers new to the business, the question I get asked the most is, ‘How do I become a successful wedding photographer?’ I decided to write this to help you succeed in your business. This is based shooting weddings over the last eight years. Perhaps the following will shed some light in a very competitive industry that seems to have gone through a huge creative spurt in the last 15 years. Let’s get on with it, shall we? Feel free to add your comments to the conversation below.
The fast track
The first point to get across is there are no fast tracks to becoming a successful wedding photographer. OK. That’s it! Just kidding. But seriously, I hope you haven’t come here after a google search looking for a quick and easy fix. There isn’t. Still with me? It takes immense time, passion, dedication, self determination and, like any successful business, discipline and perseverance. Some talent is needed no doubt. And this talent has to be nurtured, developed over years. I’m still a work in progress and that is the humbling attitude that I suggest you keep in mind
How do you start shooting weddings for a living?
Just don’t do it for the money. You probably won’t make that much anyway for the first few years. Do it for the love of photography. Yes, once full time, it is a business and you have to make a net profit at the end of the month. But right now, at this moment, how do you get started? How do you know you will like it until you try it?
Second shooting
First. I wouldn’t shoot a wedding without getting some experience. Most likely, the preferred start will be a gradual up-the-ladder approach as a second or third shooter. I do not recommend shooting a wedding without doing this first. I say this with peace and love. I wouldn’t even shoot a friend’s wedding, just because, well, you’re a friend or family member and things could go south. I’ve seen too many situations arise that go horribly wrong on the day or after a wedding. You’ve seen those news stories.
The right attitude
Weddings are high intense and super challenging. Having the right attitude, being courteous, deliver what you promise and then over deliver. It would seem that anyone can shoot a wedding, right? Especially if you just do a quick google search for wedding photographers. It would also seem that almost every guest at a wedding has a camera. Speaking from experience, it would also seem that there is a certain ‘uncle’ with a superior camera to mine. And it has a very very long zoom on it with an equally sized flash gun. Wow, he must be good with the camera set to ‘P’ for professional.
Pointers for Picking the Perfect Wedding Photographer
Wedding preparation is both exciting and full of challenges. You have time-sensitive decisions and investments to make, from choosing the perfect location to agreeing on which vendors to set as your wedding day team. These professionals will be part of many special memories of your wedding day.
One of your most important vendor choices is who will capture the events of your wedding. A friend or relative may own a DSLR camera, but you should hire a professional photographer to ensure the day is properly documented.This simple guide will help you decide how to hire the perfect wedding photographer.
As a professional wedding photographer, I have been interviewed by and have consulted with countless couples preparing for their big day. I have also interviewed dozens of photographers, both from my own wedding and as a portrait studio manager, and believe I’ve narrowed down the most important factors for great wedding photographers.
Portfolio
An artist’s body of work is your window into their styles, skills, and stories. While looking at the images, you can evaluate each photograph using the same elements the Photographic Exhibitions Committee (PEC) of PPA uses as their “gold standard.” These elements are Impact, Technical Excellence, Creativity, Style, Composition, Presentation, Color Balance, Center of Interest, Lighting, Subject Matter, Technique and Story Telling.
Every photograph can be measured or graded on all twelve elements, but you may want to simplify by picking the most important elements to you and your partner. Score each photograph, and keep track of your highest rated works.
THINGS TO NOTE WHEN SELECTING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wedding photography has become one of the key highlights to a perfect memory of a couple’s marriage. Everyone’s excited for your marriage and you can’t wait to see your wedding photos. But lets take a step back into the planning stages where deciding on a photographer became the biggest headache to begin with. But freight not for those who just began their wedding planning
PHILOSOPHY
For certain wedding vendors, you really don’t need to care about their philosophy. Wedding photography is not one of those places. Chances are, you’re going to spend more time with your actual day wedding photographer than with your bridesmaids and groomsmen on your wedding day, so you want to make sure they’re someone you’ll click with. The simplest way to start is to sort through the vendor listings of a wedding website or scroll through instagram hashtags to see who vibes with you. Once you’ve found photographers you’re interested in, look at their About pages. Those pages are carefully constructed to give you a sense of who the photographer is and how they work. Look for written philosophies that feel like they just click, and then see if that feeling continues when you meet with the photographer in person or talk to them on the phone
DO YOU LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPHER?
Once you’ve narrowed down photographers whose work you like, and whose philosophy you seem to click with, arrange for a meet up with your photographer. Then, figure out if you LIKE them. If you don’t, please don’t hire them. You spend enough time with your photographer on your wedding day that you should find them generally pleasant at minimum, possible-BFF-forever at maximum. (Only you know how much you care about love-loving them, but make sure you like them.)
LIGHTING SITUATION FOR YOUR WEDDING
Before we get too far into this idea of, “Just hire someone whose work makes you feel happy inside,” let’s have a quick reality check. The easiest wedding to shoot is a wedding in the daytime, with a ceremony under shade and great natural light. If that applies to you, ignore the rest of this paragraph. If, however, you’re getting married in a dark church or an outdoor evening or in a warmly lit ballroom for your wedding reception, it’s really important that you specifically look for a photographer that’s skilled with those lighting environments. Don’t assume that experience equals skill in low lighting. Look for weddings shot in similar lighting environments in your photographer’s portfolio, and ask them specifically how they would handle your particular situation. (Some photographers use external lights for dark receptions, while others may rely on their camera’s ability to see well in the dark.) If you notice that after it gets dark, every wedding photos in the portfolio are processed in black and white, that’s a hint that the photographer may not be super comfortable in darker situations. Don’t get me wrong, but a few black and white photos are totally fine to give some photos the added mood, but every photo in black and white? Red Flag! (Please note: Your wedding in a Dark Lit Church is not going to look like a wedding in a sunlit field, no matter who you hire, so don’t expect magic tricks.)
REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Every photographer is going to have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s pretty easy to get a sense of what someone’s strengths are (let’s assume taking stunning photos is one of them). The trick is to get an accurate sense of what a given photographer’s weaknesses are, and then decide what you can live with. You can do this by a robust conversation with a photographer. (Just ask them flat out what their weaknesses are. A professional will tell you. Run away if they say they have none.) Or you can ask to chat with a past client. Here are a variety of weaknesses I’ve observed in various photographers (most of whom are kick-ass people and artists): not super good time managers on the wedding day, slightly socially awkward, slow delivery of photos, slow or poor client communication, not cheerful and outgoing with the couple, don’t take direction well.
Wedding photography tips on wedding shot lists, equipment recommendations, and more.
Wedding photos are only part of the equation.
They call it “The Big Day” for a reason. Weddings require a massive amount of planning. And those logistics don’t just apply to the ceremony, the cake, and the conga line.
“I respect the hell out of wedding photographers,” says editorial and portrait photographer. She doesn’t normally do weddings, but shooting a recent destination wedding gave her a new perspective on the genre. “It’s really tough. You have to embody fashion, documentary, event, portrait — every field of photography — into one day where you have seven hours to create a huge body of work.”
With so much to juggle, from lengthy shot lists and multiple locations to wrangling a large wedding party, and a finite amount of time to get your photos, it’s a tall order for even the best wedding photographers. Putting together a strategy is essential, and that preparation can save you when the best-laid plans fall apart.
Schedule and shot list
With just one day to get it all done, you don’t want to miss a thing. Meeting with the wedding couple in advance to go over the schedule and develop a shot list means you won’t have disappointed clients.
This not only lets her get the day’s schedule down on paper, but it also provides a way to address potentially unrealistic timing. Helping a couple realize they won’t go straight from the ceremony to the reception when they have to greet 300 people in the receiving line will ensure you’re scheduling the proper amount of time to capture the shots that are most important to the bride and groom, or brides and grooms.