Wedding photography prices

There are two sides to this coin - on one side we have the Bride and Groom (who probably don't have in infinite budget) and on the other we have the wedding photographer (who in line with all wedding suppliers) has to make a living. So I am trying to see this question from both sides.

The confusion that can be caused by websites is generally down to the individual photographers pricing structure. The price quoted is often not the price that is paid. For example - Wedding photography for £600 but when we delve a little deeper we also need to pay for an album, then extra photographs then this and then that. To keep this confusion to a minimum for my clients I simply quote the whole price. obviously there has to be some movement in that to allow for brides wishes but I try to keep this to a minimum.

People often say to me "I've seen the prices you charge, you're not doing badly for yourself, for only working Saturdays". Well, like all businesses things look different from the inside. What these same people don't realise is that I (like most full time professionals) spend about 60 hours on ONE wedding. I only use the best albums (they cost money), I bring in other professionals to design the albums or for post production work. I have a studio, telephone bills, fuel charges to pay for, tax etc etc and all of the time this is coming out of the price that is seen initially (by some) as the money that I am making. I am not moaning about these costs, all businesses have them, but it needs to be said.

I also think that clients need to look at the cost of things going wrong on their big day.

Two of the main reasons (apart from cost) that the Bride and Groom make a decision on hiring a particular photographer are 1. They like the photographs in the photographers portfolio and 2. They like them as a person - and if I may say so, very valid reasons. But there should be more to this process of thought.

Here are some of the things that I would ask:-

Are you a full time professional?
Are you fully insured against public liability and professional indemnity?
Do you carry back up equipment including spare cameras, lenses and lighting?
What exactly would happen if you were taken ill on the day?

The reasons for these four questions, to my mind, is simple.

A full time professional does this week in and week out. They have a work pattern that is aimed at producing "The Album" which to my mind is the future family heirloom. This takes experience. There is only one chance to get all of this right. Miss that vital moment and the moment is gone forever. The person who does this part time or as a Saturday job (the weekend warrior) maybe a great photographer when they are not under pressure and have all the time in the world to take a photograph, but weddings happen at a pace and there is no pause or rewind button. They may be confident that they can get the job done, after all they did their cousins wedding - are you that confident? I also mentioned that a professional will spend around 60 hours on your wedding - could someone who holds down a full time job give you that sort of commitment.

Being fully insured shows the photographers attitude to working in a professional manner. It gives you piece of mind knowing that you will not be liable for their actions and if the worst does happen there will be some sort of compensation.

Someone telling you "I have a really good camera" or "I've never had equipment break down on me before" is simply not good enough. Take the attitude that if it is mechanical or electronic (cameras are both) then they can go wrong. A photographer should carry at least two cameras, better if it is three. An array of lenses that can be used by all of his cameras and adequate lighting. You should never put yourself in the position of hearing "I'm sorry I only recorded the first hour of your wedding day because my camera wouldn't work".

If the photographer is taken ill on the day, another photographer should appear seamlessly. I would always want to know before the day - who that photographer would be and also see work from their portfolio. Things could be a little hairy should the photographers neighbour turn up to take your photos on the big day, because they have not planned for every eventuality.

Now, as with most things in my life, I like to look at things in a balanced way.

It would seem from above that I am against new photographers coming into the business. I am not, there are some extremely talented people out there who by virtue of being new to the business don't necessarily have all of the equipment yet, let alone back up equipment. And whilst they are talented, they also possess a certain business sense that allows them to think outside the box (ie I have a wedding, so I'll make sure I can borrow a spare camera). Try looking at Dashas site to see an example of someone who is new to the business but can be trusted. She is constantly working to improve and appears to invest in her future by buying equipment when she can. As with all businesses there are others that buy a camera and see wedding photography as a way to make a quick buck. There are a group of individuals on a photography forum site called The photography Parlour that are worth looking at and more importantly perhaps talking to. The reason that I say this is because they all admit their limits and are hell bent on improving. Try the site out and sit back and watch what is being said - If you like what you hear from someone simply click on their link to see some of their work.