I would never normally do this, but wedding photograhy is a big investment so i beleive it’s important to understand why so you can value the investment.
So here is a little break down of why wedding photographers charge what they do.
Equipment – my camera equipment i bring to each wedding is £20,000 and half of that needs replacing every year.
And more so i need double of everything for backups and redundancy, i have 3 cameras, multiple lenses, flashes and it even goes as far as getting a car that i can relie on to make sure i can get to every wedding.
One of my best lenses to capture your moments is £3,500 alone (and i have two of them incase one breaks!) top equipment delivers top quality images.
Software– On top of the equipment there is around £2,000 a year in software to edit your beautiful pictures and a super computer to edit your photos on aswel.
Time –
Photographers & Videographers are the only people who when your wedding ends have to keep working, the DJ packs up, the photo booth goes home, the florist was finished by 11am, but for a photographer the job is only just getting started.
And they’re the only supplier that is with you all day on the day.
An average wedding day takes up 12-16 hours of the day then another 25 hours at home editing.
So in total it requires around 40 hours work per wedding.
My mate has one of those expensive cameras and said he would do it – The camera is one thing – knowing what to do with it is another.
Being at the right place at the right time, knowing where to stand, being able to predict every moment before it arrives. The camera is only a fraction of the story and not to mention the countless hours of training each year to keep on top of techniques.
Marketing costs add’s up
Being able to sustain and stay in wedding photography is another factor! websites like hitched & bridebook want around £2,000 a year each to be listed on there websites.(yikes! bet you didn’t know that)
I’ve seen other photographers charging £700
There are options out there who charge these amounts, but at a profit of around £500 when charging £700 it becomes very difficult to re-invest in your equipment, keep on top of training courses, and more so you need to do more weddings to make it worth while (meaning less time dedicated to each wedding).
Once upon a time we all charged this much – but after a lens of mine i broke costing me £1,500 to replace i just thought – i now need to do 3 weddings to break even.
Being able to keep on top of the right equipment becomes a pricey job.
Equipment espically at weddings doesnt last as you are running around quite a lot and using it heavily.
Ultimately it depends on how much you value your photos. everyone has different needs and different priorities.
What about wedding photographers who charge £3,500!
Well this is the other end of the chain, after many years it’s likely that these photographers have grown an amazing online platform and have a mountain of people refering them. they come with the finest equipment money can buy and with years of experience people hugely trust them.
So the honest answer is – they charge that because people will pay it still. BUT on the plus side it means they do probably do less weddings a year and likely will dedicate more time to each wedding.
Summary
Being able to reinvest in equipment, use the best software and make it sustainable to the point where plenty of time can be dedicated to each wedding is fundamental in delivering memories to last a life time.
Wedding photography deserves the highest level of attention to detail and care.
But only you can decide what it’s worth to you.
The important bits
Half day coverage – Digitals
✯ All of the above
✯ 6 Hours Coverage from bridal prep till speeches or ceremony till first dance (You decide)
✯ 400+ Images
✯ Pre wedding consultation chats
✯ Full private online gallery
✯ All images digitally delivered
£1300
All day coverage – Digital
✯ Coverage from bridal prep till a little after first dance
✯ 600+ Images (and likely more!)
✯ Pre-wedding consultation chats
✯ Full gallery delivered via private only gallery
✯ Covers Bridal prep/ceremony/family/couple shots/first dance/some of the evening fun (Everything you need)
£1400
All day coverage – Digital + Album
✯ 600+ Images (and likely more!)
✯ Pre-wedding consultation chats
✯ Full gallery delivered via private only gallery
✯ Covers Bridal prep/ceremony/family/couple shots/first dance/evening fun (Everything you need)
✯ Includes 25x25cm 20 page Album designed and delivered
£1700
Diamond package
All day coverage + Digitals + Album + Extra Photographer
✯ All day coverage from bridal prep till evening celebrations
✯ 2 Photographers on the day to capture more
✯ 800+ Images (and likely more!)
✯ Pre-wedding consultation chats
✯ Pre-engagement shoot
✯ Full gallery delivered via private only gallery
✯ Covers Bridal prep/ceremony/family/couple shots/first dance/evening fun (Everything you need)
✯ Includes Upgraded 30cmx30cm 40 page Album designed and delivered
✯ Canvas print of your chosen photo
On offer till end of October – save £600
£2200 £3000
Extra Photographer – £375
Added coverage of your day
Perfect for larger wedding or at large venues
Recommenced with weddings of 90+ Guests
Add’s around 300 photos to your collection
Do i need 2 photographers? Click here
Lay Flat Album’s – £300
Selection of albums available in various sizes
Choose from 25×25/30×30/20×30
Add additional pages from £15 per spread
£250
Get some practice in before the wedding and enjoy a preshoot + 50 images to download
From £955
I have teamed up with a fellow videographer to deliver a discounted rate on video packages when combined with a photo package
Having 2 companies each specializing in their own field will deliver the best results for your special memories
I have hidden this amongst text for a reason.
Couples who go the effort of wanting to know as much about me as possible are the sort of couples i love the most!
The one’s who want to know as much as possible about there photographer for there big day as they know it’s a big decision for them!
So here is a special treat for you – Enjoy £100 off your booking just write “I read your stuff” when you inquire and i will apply the discount to your booking if you decide to go ahead.
It’s just a sweetener to say thanks! as you are the type of couples i love to work with! :)