Why Are Wedding Photographers So Expensive?

Local wedding photographers

Wedding photographers are expensive. But why? Wedding photographers are often expensive because they offer a highly specialised and skilled service. Wedding photography requires a high level of expertise and experience to capture the special moments and emotions of the day beautifully and artistically. Plus it is a luxury service to have, therefore I would always recommend looking locally to avoid extra charges.

Wedding photographers also have to invest in high-quality equipment and editing software and often work long hours on the day of the wedding itself and 40+ hours of admin, meetings, and editing. Additionally, the cost of wedding photography can vary depending on factors such as the location of the wedding, experience, the number of hours the photographer will be shooting, and the services they will provide. All of these factors contribute to the high cost of wedding photography and expensive wedding photographers.

Why do wedding photographers charge so much?

I’ve taken my time to break down the whys in no particular order and hopefully help couples understand what goes into the business, and answer those questions that every couple has! 

The best wedding photography camera equipment

As much as we all love to buy shiny new stuff, it is a requirement to buy and maintain our camera equipment, not to mention the need for backup camera gear in case the unforeseeable may sadly occur. We don’t like to risk it on the most important day of your life. 

Wedding photography lighting

Now I prefer natural light when shooting, but with the winter months and darker evenings, photographers need to invest in lighting equipment for off-camera flash. It is another “must-have” and it must be maintained. A good photographer will also have a backup plan put in place for equipment failure. 

I personally love the “Godox” brand, click here to browse.

Best computers for editing

After a full day of celebrating the wedding day with couples and aching from the dance moves from the night before. We start the culling, and editing process, and it is critical we buy computer systems that have huge storage space with external Hard Drives and calibrated screens to work our magic on, and this type of technology does not come cheap. And even the editing software is a needed expense.

Wedding photography workshops and education

All passionate photographers, like me, will always invest in their business and themselves, and we all do this by attending photography workshops and signing up for business education. This enables us, photographers, to keep up the date with the modern world and to deliver an excellent service to our clients, and it improves our skill sets and knowledge. There is so much to learn, which as a result helps photographers to personally grow in their business venture and to provide the best product and service they can to the best of their ability. And that’s what you’re paying for, the experience and skills of the photographer, not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears that go into building a business and maintaining it. 

Taxes

Each year it’s important we keep on top of our accounts by managing invoices and we all have to be prepared, by putting away a percentage to pay the HMRC. It just sits there practically waiting for the tax department, so we have to account for that too when pricing up our services. 

Wedding photography marketing

To get our business name out there in an overly saturated photography market, we put money aside for marketing and advertising costs. This could include featuring in magazines, creating Google/Facebook/Instagram ads, and registering on an online directory. Also, some photographers attend wedding fairs and all of these avenues add up over time. 

Photographers that travel for weddings

I am one of a few wedding photographers who travel to the beautiful British country for work, so take mileage and accommodation into account when booking, as it is a factor to be mindful of. I always include these into my prices, so no extras added.

Branded wedding photography materials

I spend ages searching for the perfect materials to suit my business brand. I only want the best and it costs time and money to do these tasks such as: ordering wedding albums and designing, USB transfers, placing print orders for the photo boxes, and then packaging them all up super cute before heading off to the post office to deliver the goodies safely. 

Wedding photography business administration

The administration tasks behind running a business include setting up business insurance and creating and updating a website which involves fees for storage/blogging/images. And when delivering galleries to clients I use a trusted site called pictime and it costs further fees to do so. 

Wedding photography business hire

As time goes on some photographers want to employ new people or outsource these tasks and workloads to be more available for weddings and engagement photoshoots. Plus we hire second shooters too.

Household bills

And lastly, we all want to pay the household bills and put food on the table. So after the expenses, it can be thinly spread if we photographers are not charging enough to cover everything. But it is the best job in the world and very seasonal work.

I hope this blog has helped you with your questions and given you some direction in your search for a wedding photographer. 

CHECK OUT OUR “HOW TO GET STARTED AS A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY” BLOG FOR SOME INSPIRATION – CLICK HERE

IF YOU LIKE THE LOOK OF EDITORIAL IMAGES, CLICK HERE FOR OUR PORTFOLIO