Scott and Amedea from Foley Photography aim to take the hard work out of choosing a wedding photographer by explaining some of the costs and the elements that couples should consider.
“If, when you are planning your wedding, you are left wondering “why does that cost so much?” or “why is having that important?” you certainly aren’t alone. There can seem to be a never ending list of things which you simply must have, and trying to fathom out the myriad options, packages and minutiae can be exhausting. From the venue, to your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, wedding cake… We know, we have been there!
We thought it would be helpful if we dedicated a post to exploring what you actually pay for when you hire a professional wedding photographer. You might think the answer is rather straightforward – someone who will take beautiful photographs of you and your fiancé, enjoying your wedding day with your guests. That much is certainly true, but we would like to go further and show you what goes on behind the scenes which affects not only the price of your photography, but also the quality.
‘Professional wedding photographer’
A clue is in the phrase. When someone makes photography their profession, that is their line of work, their business, not something they do on the odd weekend for a bit of spare cash. As a result they need to earn a living from it, and by dedicating themselves to their craft, the service they offer and the quality of images should be a great deal higher than someone who doesn’t take wedding photography as a serious craft. Making it their profession means they need to charge appropriate fees to make a (usually modest) living, of course, but their quality should stand out. As with most things you get what you pay for.
Equipment costs
If you or someone you know owns a digital SLR, you will probably know they are expensive. How much for the lenses??! Consumer level digital cameras have increased in quality over the last few years, however for a professional level camera and lenses you are looking at several thousand pounds minimum. That’s a big investment, to be renewed every few years! You might wonder if it is required? Using the best cameras will enable a professional wedding photographer to create high quality images, deal with low light levels (eg in a dark church or during your first dance), create effective and flattering flash where needed, and they will be robust enough to take being used every day.
Time
You would be surprised how much time photographers invest in weddings, from consultations and phone calls, to venue visits, post processing/editing (we spend a day or more on this alone per wedding!), album design. And then there’s the wedding day itself – the most visible and important part of their work, which actually takes up only about a third of the time they work for you. It all adds up.
Post processing (photo editing)
As mentioned above, we spend a lot of time on your images after the wedding day to ensure they are presented to their best when you see them. Some photographers however will spend minimal time on this and may even give you photos straight out of the camera to keep their package cost down. You might wonder, if you hire a professional wedding photographer, why they need to spend so much time on post processing? It’s because whilst the image should already be good, post processing allows small corrections (eg for unflattering artificial lighting) and adjustments that elevate the image in quality, eliminate distractions, draw out the most important elements and focus the viewers eye exactly where it should be. There is art here as much as in the taking of the image.
Albums and display products
You may be surprised to hear that even for professional wedding photographers, album costs are high. The kind of albums I refer to are high quality albums which can only be supplied to professional photographers, like Queensberry, Jorgensen, Folio, Graphistudio, Loxley and others. These albums are usually handmade with the finest materials. In addition, there is a large investment of time your photographer makes in designing and proofing your album (in some cases also in album assembly) to make sure the finished product looks stunning.
Good quality prints, frames, canvases, signing boards, guest books, photo books and so on can also be costly, as they should only use the highest quality suppliers rather than the high street chains/consumer websites – after all, that’s something you can buy yourself. Again, add the time investment in creating them for you, so we to see your beaming smile when we present them to you!
Training and development
You should expect someone working as a professional wedding photographer to have a high level of competence before they enter the profession. They should have developed their skills and not just have a great camera, but know exactly how to use it. When it matters… when there is only chance to get the shot before the moment is gone.
But it doesn’t end there. A good wedding photographer should be committed to developing their craft and art by investing in training and development, via seminars, conferences, courses, sending time working on personal projects, and so on. In many cases, those things have a cost, which they have to absorb into their business. The end result however, is better images for you.
Insurance
A professional photographer should have professional indemnity and public liability insurance in the event of a failure on their part to deliver the service properly, inadvertent damage or injury, and also (importantly) to insure their equipment in the event of damage, theft and so on. Some of these forms of insurance are there to protect you as a consumer (or a member of the public), so you should always ask if a photographer has insurance cover.
Website, marketing, advertising
A significant cost for any business, from web hosting to web and magazine advertising, to wedding fairs.
Professional memberships
Some professional wedding photographers are a member of one or more professional bodies, the more well known ones being the MPA, the BIPP and the SWPP. We won’t go into the ins and outs of who they are, but the main things to know are that photographers often join a professional body as a way of showing their commitment to their craft and a code of ethics, and for professional development reasons. Membership of a professional body isn’t compulsory, and there are many talented photographers out there who aren’t a member of any organisation, so don’t use it as an ultimate guide to quality. However, again for those who are members there is a cost which is factored into their business costs.
Other overheads
Some wedding photographers work from a studio, which can provide a nice environment to both work and meet clients in, however it can add considerable cost to business overheads (we don’t use one for this reason and because we primarily shoot on location). Also add car, petrol, computer equipment and software, telephone, electric, etc… No doubt we have left a few things out!
Summary
So there we are, did some of these surprise you? We hope you have found this informative, if not exactly light reading. Far from living a jet set lifestyle (we can all dream), we are paying the bills like everyone else… There are quite significant behind the scenes costs which you don’t see when you talk to wedding photographers, and whilst they aren’t for you to worry about, it’s good to bear in mind that a photographer who charges, say £750 isn’t necessarily able to invest the same level of time and dedication to you, or provide the service, quality of images and album you might hope to have.
Ultimately it’s a personal decision how much to spend on your wedding photography, as it’s a question of how important it is to you, your budget, whose style and approach you like, and just as importantly, who you get on with as people – after all, we will be spending all of your wonderful wedding day with you! We love getting to know our clients so we can have a bit of fun on the day, and that doesn’t cost us, or you, anything ”
Awardweddings is a photography and videography business with a passion for natural, elegant and timeless images.
