The Fairy Godmother Project Wedding Photography

The Fairy Godmother Project are creative and talented wedding photographers ...our aim is to give you confidence and creativity on your big day. The Fairy Godmother Project is casting a protective wand over your perfect day. We are here to create timeless memories with an elegant, fun and trustworthy approach. Based in West London, serving London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and beyond...

Monday 10 March 2014

The true value of wedding photography...

--> As an established photographer making the decision to concentrate on Wedding Photography full time is a brave move, opening oneself up to the minefield of the wedding business.  There are hundreds of established wedding photographers all vying for the attention of the happy bride and groom who’ve seen the perfect wedding photographs in glossy magazines and highlighted in top portrait photographers portfolios…  

But what is real?  According to stats given by Which Magazine 2011, the average wedding cost is around £20,000, so unsurprisingly the happy couple are constantly trying to make savings where-ever possible.  

The bride imagines those dreamy, stylish images of her perfect day, taken by a confident and professional photographer and as a confident and professional photographer I can deliver this dream.  However, it comes at a price, the price of my hourly fee for all of the additional work undertaken after the 5 to 9-hour wedding shoot. 

Photography falls under the “service” category, and yes you may get digital files, prints or an album at the end of the process, but it’s still a service.  The outlay for a wedding photographer, on average between £2,000 and £4,000, may seem a bit hard to swallow, but it still amazes me when clients balk at that expense and yet barley flinch when a venue charges more than double that price.  Why does the venue seem so much better value?  Is it because it’s more tangible? You can see the building, touch the walls and feel the luxurious parquet flooring underfoot…  Why does my photography service and expertise seem less value?


Just to run through some costs that not every bride and groom appreciates, to explain what you get when you hire my services as a wedding photographer:  

My photography experience, education and training.

My professional standard equipment costs; camera, lighting, editing software, printer etc.

My professional insurance and other business costs.

The average 5-hour wedding takes 20 hours to edit.

The average 9-hour wedding takes 35 hours to edit.

To produce a wedding album takes a further 5 to 20 hours.

Not to mention venue visits and first edit show cases.


So to be honest I think to have lifetime keep sakes from the happiest and most important day of your life, the £2k - £4k price tag is more than worth it… The wedding dress you only wear once, the wedding venue you only use once, the flowers you use only once, the pictures are there to remind you for a lifetime. Would you want someone untrained to capture your day with a camera from Argos, even if your favourite Uncle says he can.....! What do you think?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts