Okay you guys. I keep seeing this pop up on a bunch of different Facebook groups, so it’s time to address it. So why does wedding photography seem so expensive? In this post, I’m going to break it down. I’m going to show you exactly wedding wedding photography is priced the way it is. I often hear from couples that they feel like wedding photographer’s take advantage of people. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, many of us are not making nearly what we need to be to support our families. Sure, walking away from an 8 hour day with $2000 seems like the jackpot. But it’s not. There are so many other factors to account for than that 8 hours we are physically at the wedding.
So first, let’s talk about the wedding part. Before a couple even books with us, we spend a ton of time communicating with them; via phone, email, and/or in person meetings. This can take anywhere from two hours to five hours total, depending on the couple. So that’s an average of three hours before anyone even books. Think about the ones that don’t book. We spend all that time communicating, and then end up making no money. If a couple decides to book, they sign a contract which is handled via a service we pay monthly for. Then, we send the couple all kinds of printed information and a magazine in a welcome packet; more money. Then comes the engagement session that is included in the package; more money (don’t forget to include communication and travel for the engagement session). Then there is a few hours spent on editing the engagement session. After that comes wedding planning. We plan a timeline with each and every one of our couples. We send out questionnaires, communicate via phone, email, and/or in person meetings. The average timeline planning process is three hours; more time. Then account for all the questions that come up in the time approaching the wedding. Account two hours for communication there. Then comes the wedding day. I spend around 45 minutes before each wedding going through and cleaning and testing all my gear. 10 minutes loading up. Traveling anywhere from 20 minutes to four hours one way. We arrive and shoot the wedding anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. Then travel 20 minutes to 4 hours or more home. Then more work begins. Uploading and backing up weddings takes around an hour. Editing an entire wedding takes anywhere from four to twelve hours, depending on how long we were at the wedding. Then I spend an hour blogging the wedding and posting sneak peeks. We then pay for USB drives, packaging, and postage to mail out the final wedding images. We then send follow up emails to check in after images are delivered. I am sure I am missing things in here. but you can get a brief idea of the cost and time associated with booking and shooting a wedding.
We also need to account for administrative and operating expenses. 35% of profit goes straight to taxes. Bye bye money. Let’s also account for paying for Quickbooks, paying my CPA, paying to file taxes, paying for my LLC, and the time it takes me to enter all my expenses and income. Also account for my website, hosting, paying for SEO monthly, paying for advertising, etc. Paying for online galleries, editing software, blogging software, album software, backup software, etc.
Then let’s talk about my gear. Gear is constantly changing and evolving. In order to have the best gear possible to shoot your wedding, I am always investing more money back into my gear. A low end estimate of the total cost of my gear is around $40,000. That’s not accounting for the costs of the film I shoot at weddings and engagements. On average, shooting one roll of film costs me $27. I typically shoot about 15 to 20 rolls at a wedding. I invest a lot into keeping my gear up to date and in perfect working condition.
And finally let’s discuss education. I am always, always learning. I owe it to my couples to always be learning more, and mastering my craft. I spend a lot of money every year on workshops, trainings, and styled shoots to help me constantly improve how I shoot. I spend time networking with other vendors to make sure I have the best team of people possible to refer my couples to. I am always networking with other professionals in the field in order to take care of my couples.
Another thing to consider is that wedding photography is not only about cost, but about value. The value you receive (the quality of your images and experience) is more important than just cost. Sure, you could probably find someone to shoot your wedding for $500, but you won’t be getting the value out of your wedding photography experience. Your money pays for not only beautiful images and once-in-a-lifetime memories, but also the experience and care you receive from your wedding photographer.
I really hope this helps to break down why wedding photography seems expensive. In reality, if your wedding photographer is doing all of these things to take care of you, they probably aren’t walking away with very much profit after it’s all said and done. So why do we do it? Well, I do it because I love it! There’s nothing like being a part of so many amazing weddings. Being witness to the start of so many new life chapters in such an honor and joy for me.
