Happy December everyone! Wow, how time flies! Now that wedding season is really slowing down we thought it might be a good idea to share some pointers with potential clients needing to make an educated decision on wedding or event photography. Naturally we're hoping we'll become your photographer of choice, but regardless of whom you hire, we're pleased to share what we've learned in this business.
Today's topic is one that I think many folks ask themselves ... "WHY ARE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS SO EXPENSIVE? "
After reading this, should you have any questions that we haven't answered, please feel free to comment here and we'll gladly offer our input. I (Chris) am a full-time photographer specializing in wedding photography for the last twenty years.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It stands to reason that most people don’t have a clear understanding as to why a professional wedding photographer charges so much. What could be so costly when all he/she has to do is show up and shoot a few hundred images, and then download them to a CD/DVD and/or send them off to a lab to be made into previews? And the finished album surely couldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars … so what other expenses does the photographer pass on to the client??? Are they just charging loads of money because they only do a few weddings a year?
Well, the first misconception most people have is regarding a photographer’s time. Both before and during your wedding day, we will spend approximately 8 to 10 hours with you. But then after your event there are many more hours and many more expenses incurred.
Beyond the wedding day itself, here's a conservative estimate of where we spend our time for each and every wedding assignment:
· We get acquainted with the client (initial calls and emails, first meeting, writing up a contract, etc.) This is about 4 hours of time.
· If requested, we attend the rehearsal (including travel time) which could be another 4 hours.
· The day before the wedding, we recheck the equipment, charge batteries, format memory cards, ensure that we have all the right gear and that it's all in working order, etc. This adds about another 2 hours.
· After the wedding (which lasts typically 8 hours) we download and cull the images, perform initial editing in Photoshop, and send the previews to the lab for printing, all of which could total another 6 to 8 hours.
· We then handle post-production of client selections, design the album, meet with the client to go over any changes they want, and make the requested changes. All this could be another 16 hours.
· Finally we order the album, check the quality and deliver the final product to the client, another 2 hours.
So as you can see, that’s on average 38 to 40 hours of the photographer’s time spent on one wedding. In addition, a photographer has business-related expenses to cover, such as liability insurance, equipment expenses and association dues. If a couple requests a photographer for “only a few hours”, it’s typically because they need to economize. In today’s economic environment, this is totally understandable. However, the actual amount of time the photographer spends at the wedding is fairly small relative to the entire amount of time spent on the job. Therefore, a reduced time frame isn’t going to cut much from the cost of hiring a professional photographer.
A better way to look at wedding photography is to consider the value per cost basis – how much does photography matter in the grand scheme of your wedding day? For most people, it is one of the most, if not THE most important part of the wedding since it’s the one thing that you have to show for that special occasion once the guests have gone home and your short-term memories turn into longer-term ones. The food and drink will be consumed, your dress may no longer appeal to you years later, and the flowers will have long since withered and died. But today’s photography will last for decades to come, and with the many new options for displaying your personal memories, the value of whatever you spend goes a long way in providing happiness as well as home décor. The coffee table album was once the only memento couples could purchase after the event, but now-a-days many couples are opting for alternatives such as wall displays using gallery wraps, metallic prints, collages and collections of shots. There are all sizes of albums available as well as accordion-style ‘brag’ books, CDs, and the options continue to widen. Your professional photographer can help you assess how you would most enjoy your photographs and then direct you in the ordering process. Now that’s money well spent!
