Ever wondered what goes into the prices that wedding photographers charge? What exactly IS the average cost of wedding photography, and what all does the job description entail?
Belinda Philleo of Shots Before Shoots came up with a concise and informative infographic explaining the cost and time involved in wedding photography. We think it is something that both brides and photographers can benefit from taking a quick glance at!
“The first and most common misconception about wedding photography is that your average wedding photographer provides around seven hours of wedding day photography and some will give you an included engagement session. So many couples calculate this way $3000 divided by 8 hours = $375 per hour, right? Wrong.”
Think prep time, editing, and order fulfillment, all which leads to an average of 39-55 hours spent on any single wedding. Add in the costs of assistants and second photographers (all of which many good photographers will utilize, and you’ll be glad they did), AND a 20% income tax cost per wedding? That, at an average cost of wedding photography at $3,000, is $640 per wedding! Beyond all of this, running a business is a challenge in any industry. We’re ever more impressed with our photographers after getting the down-low on the connection between cost and value.
How does the average cost of wedding photography compare with earnings for a photographer? Take a peek:
“When all is said and done, your wedding photographer has spent much time learning and perfecting their craft. They have learned how to capture that magical moment when your groom first sees you coming down the aisle. They catch that tear you didn’t even know your father was wiping away as he handed you over. You aren’t paying your wedding photographer to show up and take a few snapshots, you’re paying them to create beautiful artwork and family heirlooms of your most precious day.”
What are your thoughts about the average cost of wedding photography, and the cost breakdown from the infographic? How does this relate to your own wedding photography business? Or what do you think about this if you are currently in the process of planning your own wedding and searching for a wedding photographer?
Please share your comments below and also consider sharing via the social media buttons below so that others can join this conversation about the average cost of wedding photography.
To see the rest of this article, visit “Wedding Photography- Why So Expensive?” on Belinda Philleo’s Blog.
See more from this Garden Grove, California wedding photographer on her SnapKnot Profile, or her website.
SnapKnot helps connect engaged couples with wedding photographers based on budget, location, and visual-styles. For more information on wedding photography prices, how to keep your wedding planning simple, or to create a professional wedding photographer listing, please visit our website.
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Jozef Povazan
Great post and very well calculated :) And even thou we offer Vancouver brides packages from $2200 – 5200 we still meet couple of them who think that is too much :) Thank you for posting this. No wonder I had 5 brides fighting for the same dates on August 17th, 2013 – for this pricing bookings go fast ;) Thanks snapknot for wisdom words. JP
Brooke
Recently there was a story on a national news show regarding wedding professionals “ripping off” brides by upping their prices. It is really sad to me that most people don’t know the full cost of shooting a wedding. Not only are there costs involved in the actual wedding, but just being in business. Insurance, legal fees and requirements, gear, education, and so much more. It is important for us to educate our clients and each other to avoid these misunderstandings, and raise the entire industry! Great article. :)
Matthew Celeste
Couldn’t have said it any better! Thanks for backing the industry and explaining it in a fair way. Definitely some sticker shock for couples when they don’t fully understand all the time and costs that go into it. A little education goes a long way! Thanks again.
Regina Heron
This blog seems to be bang on target. Sometimes it becomes extremely hard to make couples understand the kind of time that goes in the business before and after shooting the wedding. Here i would also suggest to the photographers to consider outsourcing the editing. Thankfully i stumbled across a perfect team (facebook.com/idowedding.co) who i delegate all my post production. It has given me loads of time and opportunity to concentrate on other aspects of the business.
Tom Burtchaell
After 30 years earning a living with a camera, I have concluded that weddings are by far the least profitable segment of our business. For every hour shooting we figure on 4 hours in preparation, post production etc. Add to this the limited season and the fact the almost all weddings involve the sacrifice of an entire weekend of family time and I wonder why anybody chooses to specialize in this genre. I still do weddings and enjoy the challenge greatly but I have do not actively market for this market segment.
Photographer
You lost me on the first line. One hour to prep for a consult? Are you kidding?
Based on that I assumed the rest was going to exaggerate every possible mentionable as well. Skimming right to the end, I would add that a client doesn’t care that you want to blog and/or FB, so nothing you do for you matters to them. Same goes for the consult mentioned at the beginning (What kind of experience does this photographer have if they need an hour of prepping just to talk to me for the first time?!! As well as an hour of prep for every other conversation. Yikes!). And am I to believe you’re expense is over a grand for a 2nd photographer that you are only charging client $200 for?
The article would be much better of it nailed reality, and sounded less like a “complaint”.
-Just my two cents if you care to post it.
Mike
I’m sorry, but this is crazy. I’m a software engineer – I work a 40 hour week on my job. If I include “prep time” and over time, I’m probably working more in the range of 55-60 weekly hours, and far more than that at “crunch time” when deadlines are looming. AT MOST I can expect to make 900 dollars a week, and that’s before my income taxes get deducted. So I fail to see why I should just lie back and accept that I’m getting an “amazing deal” when a photographer charges me 3x my weekly salary to work the same number of hours I have, especially when the quality of the end product is open to interpretation (but the cost of the product is not).