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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?
