Average photographer cost?

I just did a bridal show in Tampa with Jen Maihack Photography. I asked her what she charges for a wedding and she said her basic package starts at $995 for 4 hours. Her website is www.JenMaihack.com.

I have to agree with Brian. The connection you make with your photographer is more important that your budget. Not to say that you should pay through the nose just because you like the person. There should be a reasonable margin and the right photographer will be willing to work with your budget. Many times people will ask what we charge and if it isn't the number they had in mind I will never hear from them again.

It is important to have good communication with your photographer about what you want to see in your photos, which people, which shots to ensure that you get the memories you want from your photos. I wish you the best. Enjoy your day.

I offer a package starting at $950 with six hours of photography along with the c.d. of all the edited images and copyrights to print the images from that c.d. This is a very low price for the D.C. Metro area. I would say the average is about $3,000.

One thing that's going to truly last forever is your photos. Don't skimp here. It's becoming more and more common for people to skip on the video, and spend that money on a high quality photographer instead. This is what I did for my wedding, and it was worth it.

Some tips:

- Interview 2 or more photographers to find your perfect fit

- View the photographers final proofs from one of his/her previous clients.

- Ask to get full resolution digital copies of all your proofs with a full release. Not all photographers do this, but you should insist.

- Large photography companies will send you whoever is available your day. Make sure you know who is going to be shooting your event and meet him or her before-hand. Remember, individual photographers will work harder for your money because their name is tied to their work.

Good luck!

Salman

www.salmanPhotography.com

(954) 667-7770

"They're your memories"

I'm a photographer, and most of the photographers I know charge at least $1500. My prices range from $1500-$5000. These are pretty average prices where I am in Southern CA. Although the celebrity photographers go for about $20,000.

For me photography is everything. I know this because of my mother. She doesn't have her dress anymore. She doesn't remember what the cake tasted like. She doesn't remember what the flowers smelt like, and she doesn't remember what my father felt like on there first dance. Everytime she looks at here photos of her wedding she cries because it makes her remember. I want to remember my wedding just like that when I'm old.

I have spent a good 24 hours looking at photographers in my area and I decided to go with Boniimages.com. Not because their photos took my breath away, not because they were in my budget ($2000) but because I trust them. When I saw there video and finally met them they made me feel that they were going to do everything in there power to create photos that I will remember just like my mother. They made me feel special like there is no one else they would rather photograph then us. That feeling for me is priceless

Well said everyone!

What I have read about (especially the guy who charges $4200 on Average and refuses clients concerned with price) is really sad, in my opinion. While these photos will be the one way to look back on my special day, I am a Graduate Student who after student loans is planning my wedding on a budget! The thought of someone refusing service to a Bride because they would like to know more about pricing is quite possibly the most absurd thing I have yet to hear while wedding planning... it's not called being cheap, it's called intelligence. I am spending $2000 for my wedding photography & I can guarantee that my wedding photographer is not some pompous weirdo who thinks it is outrageous to be concerned with the pricing of something so crucial (and expensive).

I offer very affordable wedding packages for less than $800 which includes two photographers, 8 hours of coverage, $100 print credit, and all edited images on a DVD. Check out my work at kelseybagwellphotography.com.

My prices for 2014 are currently posted on my website. Please feel free to check them out: http://juliesaadphotography.com/pricing/

This is my first post in years on WW, but I felt the need to comment on some statements made here.

There are clients and photographers talking like $200-800 for a wedding, even including all-day coverage and TWO photographers (!), is in any way reasonable. Fair points have been raised about budgets, and it's very true that not everyone has $4k+ to spend. However, there is a very real and tangible floor to the professional wedding photographer's price, which I will explain.

Brian Noah mentioned a very critical piece of information earlier: time spent on a wedding by a pro photog is 40-50 hours from the first client meeting to the last delivery of any product or service. That's a full-time work week, which means that a pro who is doing their job properly has a maximum workload of 40-50 weddings per year. This also very effectively caps their maximum income! Take whatever you think is reasonable, multiply it by 50, and ask yourself if that's a gross pay you'd be happy taking home.

And I can't stress GROSS income enough. A self-employed photog is paying for operational costs, their own health insurance, equipment, double social security (15%!) and a myriad of other peripheral expenses. A photographer who charges $4k is NOT putting four thousand dollars in their personal bank account.

To illustrate: a photographer charging $800 for a wedding has a maximum gross earning potential of $40,000 per year. Max. Cannot exceed. You can halve that number for what a photographer gets to keep as profit. Would you expect any other skilled tradesman to work for $10/hour? I bet you'd probably dismiss out of hand a plumber who charged $10/hour. Or, would you personally accept a job that paid you $20k/year for 50 hour weeks?

People who charge so little are actively destroying the career they're trying to establish. Now, a number like $1500 becomes much more reasonable, especially in locations where living expenses aren't high. Please just bear our financial reality in mind,

Know what else lasts? A lifetime of financial responsibility and a big portion of the downpayment on your house. Spending $4,00+ is absurd when you're just starting your life together unless you're really wealthy.

Our wedding was super simple and I just asked friends to come shoot pictures. The pictures were great and we spent about $20 printing things out to give to our family. I've been in fancy weddings where they make you stand around for shot after shot after shot and honestly, I don't think those pictures are any better than ours. Sure, those people have artsy ones where there is a picture of the couple holding hands where everything is blurry and romantic, but honestly those pictures look like stock photography and what you really like years later is going to be pictures of you and your grandmother, that moment when your sister made a ridiculous toast, and when the ring bearer did something cute.

Know what you're not going to care about in 20 years? That cliche photo every wedding photographer takes of your dress on a hanger.

@Brian Noah, $4200? Seriously? That's more money than most people spend on the reception and ceremony combined! So you basically charge $100 an hour; sorry but that's absurd. You photogs need to get over yourself!! There's no way I could ever justify paying over $**** for some douche to point and click, photoshop the pictures and make a pretty scrapbook. The economy is still tough too, so how can you even get any business at all charging that much money? I guess that's why you have so much time to spend trolling this blog. No wonder the divorce rate is so high in this country, one has to pay over $20,000 for even a tiny wedding because of all this price gouging! I will take your advice though; I'm checking Craig's List right now.

@gregg Here is some help for you:

http://petapixel.com/2013/10/04/save-big-money-hiring-professional-wedding-photographer/

YOU'RE WELCOME

I believe pricing depends on your experience as a wedding and portrait photographer, your qualifications, education, PPA member or not, your ability to connect effortlessly with brides and their guests, the equipment/tools you use for achieving the preservation of the images as well as the studio you own and the area it's located in. I pride myself in offering my clients a beautiful studio, beautiful products and guaranteed professional work. I have the ability to anticipate emotions before they happen and i'm ready for them when they do happen. I also go, image by image perfecting each one removing any exit signs and unwanted items. I price my weddings accordingly to all these services. There is a photographer for every budget. The discerning bride goest to a photo studio that will continue to make her feel glamorous rather than a backyard at someone's house. There are so many hidden costs in running a studio but usually brides will take a studio owner more seriously than someone who just decided to pickup a camera one day and charge $500 for a wedding. (just like there's a walmart and there's whole foods) you choose where you want to spend your money for the quality you receive.

We're spending about $2500 with www.ericalynphotography.com

Hello!

I’m sure that you can spend less on a photographer if you hire a freelancer. You can find a competent one, for example, here: https://www.xplace.com/photography/freelancers. This website has more than two thousand freelance photographers (you’ll be able to evaluate their resumes and portfolios) and no commission fee.

Always meet with your photographer before discussing pricing. Find someone whose work you love, and ask if you can meet in person for coffee to go over everything. As a wedding photographer, this is one of my favorite steps! Your personality HAS to click with every vendor you hire, especially your photographer, who is with you all day! If the two of you meet and get along well, but they are truly out of your budget, most will find a way to work with you in order to book you.

Many photographers who seem to charge a little more, do so because they are true professionals, and can offer you a lot more than fantastic photos. The peace of mind you'll have going into your wedding day is worth the extra cost, trust me!