How much is a wedding photographer
A big question! How much is a wedding photographer?
It’s fair to say you are probably over whelmed with how many choices you have and you don’t want to get it wrong.
Your wedding photos are the only thing you have to look at after your wedding.
Let’s break down the costs and help you understand the value in wedding photography.
wedding photography prices
Experience, equipment, and generally how busy they are all dictates how wedding photographers set their prices.
All this ends up deciding how much a wedding photographer cost.
Combating the decision between a £600 photographer vs a £4000 photographer is tricky.
average cost for a wedding photogpapher
Category & Costs.
New wedding photographers -£200-£500 – Often students breaking in to the market offer substantial discounts in return for some experience.
Budget level – £500-£800 – Lower priced range, often people with less experience.
Low level – £800-1100 – Generally people with 2-3 years experience that can deliver some good wedding photos but not fully experienced.
Mid level – £1100-£1700 – Higher levels of experience who often take the job a lot more serious, able to re-invest in there own equipment and training.
High level – £1700-£2400 – Often highly recommended photographers who come with a great ability to photography any wedding with great skill.
Luxury – £2400+ – Luxury wedding photographers, often turning up with some helpers along side with a specific style and niche in mind.
dont be fooled
It’s very fair to say that there are many wedding photographers who simply stick a price on them selves but don’t necessarily fit in to the pricing structure.
I’ve seen budget photographers who should be charging triple and high level photographers who should be charging half.
So how can you spot the good from the bad?
Here is a guide I’ve written on what to look out for-> Top 10 things to check before booking your photographer
It just seems so expensive for a days work?
The most common phrase i hear.
A wedding photographers tool bag can cost more than a house deposit , not to mention that “just a day” is more like a weeks work.
A wedding can take around 14 hours, along side a further 15 hours at home editing.
photographers just double the price when you say wedding
This is probably true – they do but with great reason.
But when you add in the pressure of wedding, the stress of dealing with drunken guests all day and the added resilience that you need double of everything incase of equipment failure you soon start to see why.
So why do some charge £700 with 10 years experience? Some operate a different business mentality – higher volumes for cheaper prices – perhaps doing 4-5 weddings a week in peak season.
But take it from me doing just 3 weddings in a row is exhausting, let alone doing that most of the summer.
You have to question how much effort is applied to each wedding. If you wan’t a very bare basic wedding gallery then someone budget could be right for you. If you want something more fun and creative then look at mid/high level.
What should i spend on a wedding photographer?
If you care very little about the quality and style of your wedding photos then you can quite happily take on board a budget priced wedding photographer.
But if you have at least some care about your wedding photos then you need to start looking in to the mid range to secure someone you feel will deliver something you will love, after all there are no second chances and it needs to be right first time around.
But set your expectations – it’s unfair to book a budget wedding photographer then complain after certain photos didn’t get captured, you get what you pay for is the famous saying.
