Wedding Blog
Today in our Bee Budget Series, the bees are sharing their photography costs. Packages and rates vary from year to year, but we hope this gives you a good idea of photography rates across the country!
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Mrs. Tulip’s Photographer
Photographer: Punam Bean Photography
Package Price: $2000
“When I was looking at photographers, there was nothing that made me as sad as finding someone I loved and then discovering that her/his rates were 2-3 (and even up to 5!) times my maximum. But Punam’s 2008 rates started at $2,000. And that price included an engagement session. And you got a DVD of your images. She’s willing to travel and is reasonable about travel expenses, which is how this DC bride ended up with an NYC photographer…”
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Mrs. Lemon’s Photographer
Photographer: Fiona Sarn Photography from Bay Area/Los Angeles, CA
Package Price: $2500 - for unlimited time on the wedding day & engagement shoot in LA, proof book, DVDs of all photos (2007 Prices)
“We had a bit of a problem when our friendor photographer bailed the wedding plans, and left us w/o the most important vendor on the busiest wedding day in decades. Fiona was incredibly responsive to our needs, and was the only vendor we contacted who didn’t nickel & dime their packages where the costs would exceed $5000. We were very happy with the end results and have had many friends of friends who have used Fiona as well!”
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Mrs. Avocado’s Photographer
Photographer: Kelli Nicole Photography, currently based in Houston, TX
Package Price (2008): $2775
Included: Engagement shoot in Puerto Vallarta (paid only for photographers flight from California and received shoot and disc of images), Boudoir shoot (paid for hotel room, shoot, and disc of images) Wedding day shoot (paid for flight, hotel room, car rental, 13 hours of shooting, and disc of images).
“After my dream photographer fell through I called my freshman roommate and asked her if she thought she thought she could handle photographing our wedding day. She interned with the fabulous The Image Is Found the summer before our wedding and what she learned from them really showed through in our photos. She did so well that my sister is using her 9 months later (and paying even more than I did!). We are close friends so she gifted me a free newborn session, her specialty, upon booking, which I can’t wait to use!”
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Mrs. Flamingo’s Photographer
Photographer: IPI-Events
Package Price (in 2008): $1000
Included in package: 8 hours continuous coverage and a DVD containing all RAW (no editing done) high resolution images and the rights to the pictures (therefore, no need to ask their permission to use their photos).
“I booked a photographer early in my planning, before I knew what was out there in the photography world. I knew at one point in my planning process that I would be disappointed with the pictures because I wanted photojournalistic photography with lots of detailed shots, and even though they are a good company, their work was no longer fitting my requests. Being too chicken to back out and lose our $400 deposit, I stuck with them and regret my choice. Don’t get me wrong, I have some nice pictures, but there are certain shots I wanted, clearly stated, and didn’t get. I was disappointed with the results, but maybe it’s the price you pay for inexpensive photography, hence the reason I had a day after shoot.”
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Mrs. Tiramisu’s Photographer
Photographer: Samantha Warren Weddings
Package Price (booked in 2007): $2700
Included in package: Unlimited shooting on wedding day (I believe she was there for almost 11 hours), DVD of edited high-resolution images, web-based highlights slideshow set to music, travel to event, and custom designed album.
“We were just in love with our photographer.
If you’ve been following along with any of my wedding recap posts, then you already know that I am very much in love with the photos taken by our amazing photographer, Sam. She gave us over twelve hundred photos that together tell the story of our wedding day beautifully. It’s hard to pick favorites, but I’d have to say the ones I love the most are the photos she took of Mr. Tiramisu and me, all the great detail shots, and the wonderful shots of our guests enjoying themselves. A lot of the very sweet comments that you all left on my recap posts mention how much emotion there is in the photos. I think a lot of that has to do with Sam and her great eye for capturing the reactions and interactions of the people she photographs. If you want your wedding captured in a beautiful photojournalistic style that will really help you relive the day every time you look through your photographs, please don’t hesitate to contact Sam, who regularly travels all over New England and beyond.”
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Miss Powder Puff’s Photographer
Photographer: Shutter Sam Photography (Samantha Vanderlist), Muskegon, MI
Package Price (Booked in 2008): $1600
Included in package: Six hours of wedding-day coverage, professional album, hi resolution CD of all images.
“Photography was hands-down the most important aspect of the wedding, to me. So naturally, the photographer was the first vendor we booked. I adore her! She’s fantastically well-priced, since she’s relatively new to the industry. Plus, she’s an awesome person, super fun, and take GORGEOUS photos to boot!”
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Miss D’orsay’s Photographer
Photographer: Evan Bishop Photography, Baltimore, MD/ San Diego CA
Package Price: Basic Single Location $2200 (booked in 2008)
Six hours of coverage at a single location, High res CD at end of online viewing.
“I started my photography search with WPJA and was immediately overwhelmed. I had no idea wedding photography was so expensive, but since it was #1 on our priorities list we made sure to focus on it. After seeing Evan’s website I was praying he was available, and thankfully he was free to shoot our day even though he recently relocated to San Diego. Since we haven’t had the wedding, I can’t judge his photos of us but if his photos of other people are any indication, we’ll be delighted with the final product.”
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Mrs. Meatball’s Photographer
Photographer: Dan Chen of Chennergy Weddings
Package Price: $0, pro bono work of Dan Chen
“I heard via $10,000 Only that Dan gives away 3 packages/year to couples who can’t afford his normal commission, so I wrote him and he picked us! We paid for his flight (which we got for a song, thanks economy!) and rental car. He stayed with friends.
He shot our rehearsal and probably 11 hours of wedding day coverage. Even though he didn’t have an assistant with him, he still managed to get every angle of every moment, like some photography ninja. He was amazingly low-profile, and we often found ourselves thinking, ‘I sure hope he got that moment’ — and he didn’t miss a single thing. It was great not feeling like there was a camera in our faces all day! We absolutely loved having him around - he was a joy and so sweet. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have scored such an amazing talent for virtually no money! He edited his favorite shots and is sending us all our images on a disc.”
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Mrs. Peep Toe’s Photographer
Photographer: Amanda from Blueberry Photography (based in Emeryville, CA, but works the entire Bay Area)
Price: (2008 pricing) Package was $2500, plus tax= $2700
Included: One hour engagement session (turned into 3 hours) at multiple locations. We received about 200 pics from that, of which, 50 were retouched. We also got an online slideshow. Day of: 7 hour package with a second shooter (and an assistant on the day of). All high resolution photos on DVD, an online viewing gallery and an online slideshow.
“Amanda was so amazing to work with. She was very professional and great to have around on the day of the wedding. She ROCKED- big time. I know she’s raised her rates since, and she should’ve—she was amazing”
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Mrs. Emerald’s Photographer
Photographer: Dennis Lee Photography, Chicago, Illinois
Package Price: $3000 (booked in 2006 for 2007 wedding)
Included: 10 hours of wedding day coverage, 2nd shooter, 2 hour engagement shoot, hi-res images on disc, 950 4 x 6 proofs
“Dennis was a total pro on our wedding day!! He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and he climbed up into some crazy places to the the shots he wanted…”
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Miss Beagle’s Photographer
Photographer: Ashley Smith (w/ Studo 563); Austin, TX
Cost: $2100 (discounted, fall ‘08 pricing)
Included: Engagement and Bridal shoots, day-of coverage for 8 hrs. w/ an extra photog, discs of all images, rights to photos (so we can print them elsewhere)
“Ashley and I met when we were in Middle School through Girl Scouts. 
A few years ago, I discovered that she had an interest in photography and I have watched her talent grow since then. I’m so glad we were able to book her for our wedding day!”
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Miss Gloss’s Photographer
Photographer: Erica Lyn Photography, based out of NY
Package Price: $1750 (discounted 2008 rates), additional hours @ $175/hr. if requested
Included in package: Six hours of wedding-day coverage, secondary shooter, unlimited images taken, DVD with all high-res post processed photos, unlimited photo-retouching, (250) 4×6 prints in a black proof box, (6) 5×7’s, (3) 8×10′, $50 album credit
“Erica was the first vendor I booked and I feel SO lucky to have found her! We ‘met’ on Craigslist, she was looking for a wedding in Maine to make a vacation out of and I was trolling around for an affordable photographer—I saw her gallery and it was love at first sight ”
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Mrs. Bee’s Photographer
Photographer: Cappy Hotchkiss
Package Price: $4300 early 2005 prices
Included in package: 8 hours wedding day coverage, 35 rolls color and black and white film, 4×6 proofs, contact sheets for 120mm film, assistant, retain negatives, and $200/hour overtime (We ended up using her one hour overtime so we paid a total of $4500)
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Miss Bruschetta’s Photographer
Photographer: Cindy Patrick Photography
Package Price: $4,895.25 (Early 2008)
“Our package includes a complimentary second shooter of Cindy’s choosing for both our engagement session and the wedding. Cindy also offered a moderate price break because she had just shot my sister and BIL’s wedding several months previous to our booking her.
Our wedding day coverage spans 12 hours, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and will include all final high-resolution digital images on DVD, 50-page Graphistudio coffee table book (of approximately 100 images), two 8 x 12 parents books with photo pages and four mini book copies.
Cindy’s based in New Jersey, but works very frequently in Philly — though she’s never done a wedding in our church or reception site before (which I find really exciting, since she’ll be fresh in her approach!). ”
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Mrs. Cherry Pie’s Photographer
Photographer: Piknik Studios of Polson, Montana, shoots in a variety of MT locations, will travel anywhere
Package price: $3,500, 2007 pricing (even though we were married in 2008)
Package included: Full day of coverage, one assistant, online viewing/sharing/ordering, DVD with high-resolution versions of all edited images and web-resolution versions of all edited images. Albums and prints optional to add-in for additional cost.
“We loved working with Nicole Tavenner of Piknik Studios. She absolutely bent over backwards to photograph every aspect of our day, and the images she produced were wonderful. We met Nik after deciding to sample her work through an engagement shoot. The 2-hour shoot quickly turned to 4 hours, and we were so blown away by the images she produced that we hired her right away as our wedding photography.”
Engagement shoot: $500, 2007 pricing
Engagement shoot included: Was supposed to be 2 hours of photography, ended up being more than 4 hours in 5+ locations around Glacier National Park.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Nicole. Her work is excellent! But we don’t just love her photos, we love that she kept smiles on our faces the whole time, that she came and had dinner with us when she was visiting Seattle, that she took the time to go through all of our photos with us to help us choose the ones WE liked, and that she kept in touch even after our shoot was over and our photos post-processed.”
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Miss Star’s Photographer
Photographer: John Martin Photography
Package Price: $1200 in 2009 for an 8-hour day, includes a second shooter, a disk with retouched images and rights to the photos
“We already shot our (gorgeous, if I do say so myself!) engagement pics with him, so we know how much we love his work! Plus, he’s Sassy Bridesmaid’s best friend, so we know he’ll do an awesome job. Gotta love friendors.”
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Mrs. Ballet Flat’s Photographer
Photographer: Amanda Meyer Photography in Baton Rouge metro area but traveled to NOLA for free!
Package Price: $1500—contract signed in April 2008 for an engagement session, bridal or newlywed session and 6 hours of wedding coverage. Included with that is a DVD or USB with rights to print/do whatever.
“I loved that we found Amanda. I remember how uncomfortable we were for our engagement pictures, but with her, it seemed like no one was around and we were basically almost making out by the end of the shoot! Haha! For my bridals, she was able to help me lug my dress around a grassy, bug filled park and found the PERFECT locations for pictures. I’m so excited to see what she captured for our wedding! ”
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Mrs. Penguin’s Photographer
Photographer: Sarah K. Chen, Los Angeles, CA
Package price (in 2008): $2400, plus $800 travel for flights, rental car, and accommodations for 2 shooters from LA to Sacramento
Included in package: Engagement shoot in LA, 8 hours continuous coverage with 2 shooters, all proofs in 4×6 prints, images hosted on an online gallery, and a DVD containing all images.
“I booked a photographer early in my planning, but after I saw Sarah’s work, I knew I had to have her, no matter the cost (the cost being a $600 deposit that we lost on our old photog… so worth it!). Sarah was great to work with, and because she was somewhat newer to the business at the time we booked her, we were able to secure a good price. Finding talented vendors that are newer to the business is always a big budget saver!”
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Mrs. Butterfly’s Photographer
Photographer: Spencer at 5 West Studios
Package Price: $4100
“Spencer has been amazing throughout this process, and I am extremely excited about the pictures and the videos. I highly, highly recommend them! You won’t regret it!”
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Miss Bunny’s Photographer
Photographer: Julian Allen Photography from Columbus, OH
Package Price: $650 (booked at early 2009 rates, which have since increased)
“You know how all the wedding tips for budget weddings tell you to find someone who is just getting started in photography — someone amazing and affordable? Julian is that person. I found him through a posting on the Columbus Craigslist — which was a small miracle, because that board is so full of mediocrity. But Julian’s photos struck both Mr. B and me right away. It’s the texture, the light, and the love you can see in the photos of his family. He’s only shot a few weddings so far, but he’s extremely affordable (for the moment), especially if your wedding is in the winter months. He’s still building his portfolio, so he’s not charging for engagement sessions, only for photos you choose to purchase. It was a good set up for us, since we’re hoping we can pick a handful of the best shots to use for some wedding projects.”
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Mrs. Pineapple’s Photography
Photographer: Mary Mervis Photography, Mingwei Tay Photography,
Package Price: $2450 + photo disks (we don’t know how much they will be yet)
We had three wonderful photographers with us on our wedding day, including Mingwei Tay who is a student at my alma mater and asked us if he could shoot our wedding for his portfolio.
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Miss Joey’s Photographer
Photographer: Jess Carmichael
Package Price: $300 - A bargain for over 8 hours of shooting, plus extra time touching up pictures
Included in package: 9 hours of shooting including over 900 shots, 100 edited images (more if he has time), 4 DVDs of all the images in color, black and white, and sepia, the ability to buy all our pictures from whatever online vendor we like.
“We met with 4 people a little while ago, and finally decided on Jess Carmichael. His pictures were lovely, his enthusiasm infectious, and the package was perfect. He’s amazing. He’s just starting out, but hopes to never charge more than $500 for his services in the future. He’s hoping to provide affordable photography for those on a budget.”
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Mrs. Plumeria’s Photographer
Photographer: GB Photographers
Package Price: $4500 for the wedding day (10 hours of coverage with two photographers at 4+ locations), $750 for the engagement session (4 hour session with two photographers), and $1000 for the bridal portrait session (4 hour session with two photographers, 2 locations) Total for photographer came to $6,250
“We feel blessed to have paid this much, because we know the rates have definitely risen for since we booked them in early 2006. Their expertise, work ethics, easy-going personalities, and — above all — gorgeous, priceless photos of our happiness are worth every penny. We received 2 very nice 10×13″ albums with proof prints of every single image in all three of our sessions, a keepsake DVD with our slideshow on it, and will later receive a DVD with all of the digital files.”
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Mrs. Kiwi’s Photographer
Photographer: Melody Rohaly
Package Price: $650.00
“Our photographer was an old friend of mine from girl scouts who I had lost touch over the years, but finally reconnected later. Lucky for me, she only charged us $500.00 for all pictures in CD/DVD form, an album, and retouching. Since she also stayed at the hotel with us the night before, and came down for our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (taking pictures the whole time). We gave her $650.00. I would gladly have paid more, not having many girlfriends, it was such a joy to spend my “last night as a single woman” with a friend who had known me when I still ate paste. I look back on that last night with such fond memories. She was really such a blessing.”
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Mrs. Corn’s Photographer
Photographer: Kathryn Whitney Lucey
Package Price: $2,863
“I found a wonderful photographer, who lives in Middletown, RI (the next town over from Newport) who takes the most lovely wedding photos and who I think is moderately priced; Shooting packages start at $2,800. Custom albums and additional products are sold separately to allow for the most flexibility.”
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Mrs. Cookie’s Photographer
Photographer: IN Photography, serving all of Colorado
Package price (in 2008): $2,900
Package Included: Engagement session and DVD of image, 6 hours of coverage on wedding day with 2 shooters and a DVD of images, images hosted on an online gallery, and printing rights
“We booked another photographer very early in our planning, but when we saw the images from our e-session, we were very unhappy with the result. We were so worried about his ability to capture our day and spending a ton of money in the process that loosing a $500 deposit was worth peace-of-mind to hire another photographer. When I saw Mark and Michele’s portfolio, I was sold and completely confident in their ability to beautifully capture our wedding. And they did not disappoint! Not only did they deliver some unbelievable shots of our day, but they were fantastic to work with.”
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Mrs. Cupcake’s Photographers
Photographer: The Wiebners, Lancaster, PA
Package Price: $3,900 + $234 sales tax = $4,134 total (booked in March 2007)
Included in package: 10 hours of wedding day coverage by two photographers (husband and wife duo of Joel and Rita Wiebner), 500-700 printed proofs (we received 770), online proofing, entire set of hi-res files with minimal edits on disc.
“The Wiebners regular package began at $3,200 and included a $300 credit for prints. The full set of hi-res images on disc is normally $1,000, but knowing that I wanted all of the images on disc in lieu of any prints, the Wiebners let me apply that $300 credit towards the hi-res files, so they ended up being an extra $700 on top of our package.
I found the Wiebners before we were even engaged, and I literally emailed them within days of Mr. Cupcake’s proposal to inquire about having them photograph our wedding. We set up a meeting with them, and based on their portfolio and pricing, we booked them without meeting with any other photographers as soon as we had our wedding date secured. They had the edge, style, and eye that we were looking for without the hefty price tags of some of the more established Philly area photographers whose starting prices were way higher (for just a single shooter). They were still a splurge, but we got two photographers and essentially a full day of coverage. We are so in love with our photos and couldn’t have asked for anything more!“
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Share this post: The Bees’ Photography Budgets
I am shocked that Punam Bean’s prices were so low for 2008! I got a quote for 2010 and her pricing was at least twice that!
This is a very informative post. I found photographers to have the most confusing pricing because each one has a package that includes slightly different things, so it’s really hard to know where you’re getting the best bang for your buck!
@Miss Burgundy: You can always request a custom package that fits what you’re looking for! Our photog knew that we wouldn’t buy an album from her because Mr. S can just do that himself at the same quality, so instead she swapped in extra hours It never hurts to ask!
Very helpful. I think the price of Peep Toe’s photographer was left out, though.
I checked in with the Wiebners and their prices also went up.
Again, good post. I still think the economy is not affecting the wedding industry when it comes to photography.
@Miss Stiletto: that’s good advice! the photog I ended up with does his packaging based around product credits, so you choose an amount of product credit that you’ll agree to purchase and the more you agree to, the cheaper the actual photography services get. For this reason my photography was really expensive, but I picked a package that would allow me to get a nice album and a few really nice prints or a canvas…
@El Capataz: I agree… prices continue to rise to cukoobanana prices despite the economy… I think even brides could use a little break. But as long as people continue to pay asking price, then I guess they have no reason to lower their prices. Grr….
@El Capataz: Not for the listed prices, anyway… but I’ve found that a lot of them seem to be willing to be talked down on their prices, even if they don’t admit it up front. 
I’m one of those people who hates asking for a discount, so I probably get taken advantage of a lot! The first photographer I booked (and then dropped) had in his original email that if we needed a custom plan or things taken off of the cost etc, just ask! So I asked, and he almost bit my head off in his reply email. Oh well.
All this talk of prices going up makes me want to book NOW! I’m am not gonna pull a Monica, I am not gonna pull a Monica!
Thanks so much for the informative post!
Does anyone know how to contact Jess Carmichael? I found the website, but I can’t seem to find the contact info!
Oh lordy. I’m as confused as ever. What to do, what to do!
This is great, though. Thank you!
@Elsie: Ah sorry about that! Mrs PT’s info is all there now! All fixed
I am SO happy you are doing these budget posts, I think it really helps put things in perspective. I wish I saw something like this last year! We TOTALLY spent too much on our photographers. Although we saw great work on their site, it doesn’t mean that they’ll capture YOU in the same way. Therefore we should’ve been more realistic with this part of our budget. Some of the inexpensive posts here are AMAZING!
I am surprised at how much less most of the Bees paid compared to what I paid for very much the same thing in the same year. I loved loved loved our photographers and hope to book a family session with them at least once every other year. My only complaint is I feel like 600 photos is not a lot for the price we paid (which included a cd with rights to all images and proof book, and no time-limit on shooting). Other photographers just give so many more images, which to a person who hates being photographed is priceless! More images to chose from that I actually like the way I look in them!
The photography prices in this post are much lower than I thought they would be! I live in Pittsburgh, and my photographer was $2500. I thought I was getting a deal, because I had interviewed other photographers who started at $5000! I knew my photographer’s work was not as breathtaking as the super pricey options, but it was the best I found in that price range, and we really clicked with the photographer’s personality. But some of the photography packages shown here for the same price look like the $5000 packages in Pittsburgh! I thought in major metropolitan areas like LA (Penguin & Peep Toe), the prices would be higher, but perhaps there is more competition in those areas than in a smaller city like Pittsburgh? Very interesting post.
@Miss Burgundy Punam Bean affords to double her prices so fast because she gets featured on this blog every other day which brings her enough business to support her price raises
@Mrs. Penguin I think only good photographs are able to increase their prices because at the end of the day this is a business and the photographers need to make a profit. There’s a lot of work involved in wedding photography and a lot of pricey gear, insurances, software, hardware, workshops. Add that to the normal monthly expenses (rent, gas, car, cell etc) and you’ll see that you can’t make a profitable business charging $500/wedding. It just won’t be sustainable in the long term. And keep in mind that in most areas this is a seasonal thing.
Pricing is one of my “favorite” subjects so I feel that I need to add that sometimes a higher price can tip the balance in favor of a photographer because people associate that with higher quality. What I mean is that a good photographer has to charge accordingly, otherwise potential clients will ask themselves what’s the catch?
Wedding photography is a delicate subject but the wedding is something that only happens once (hopefully) and you want good photography. Unfortunately there are too many couples trying to save money by spending less on the photographer and regretting it afterward.
@haselwand Sometimes less is more:) Most of the photographers are very harsh editors and have high standards. That’s because we want only the best for our clients.
@razvan: I’m a videographer (TV and video), and we definitely don’t raise our prices as rapidly as wedding photographers do. Our daily rates pale in comparison to wedding photographers in my area (and the commercial still photographers we work with charge incredibly less for their daily rates for corporate work than they do for weddings). I think it’s because we work with corporate clients, and they are more aware of what things should cost (and are aware of all the other vendors in our geographical area) and also are not as emotionally involved in their vendor choices as brides are. I really do believe that brides do get ripped off if they dont flex their bargaining muscles. I do believe that the bees have gotten great photog rates because they do their research, and they learn from the other bees, which is why some readers here are surprised by the rates bees have gotten for wonderful photographers. Face value, list price, mid range talent photogs in my area cost WAY more than I paid, way more than most of the bees have paid, across the country. I think some of it is borderline sick, and all I hope that anyone gets out of this series is that brides CAN afford beautiful photography, and that high prices doesn’t equal better photography if you’re willing to search, bargain, and negotiate.
@BlushingBride530: Yes! You’d be surprised. I got married in Sacramento, and the most well known (and quite frankly, they’re pretty BLAH but they advertise the crap out of themselves and I know many many brides that have used them) photogs in sacramento were charging $7-$10K for a 10 hour day of shooting, plus engagements. Gag me. I really do think that there is SO much more competition in LA, that you can find better rates there, and there is always new up and coming talent that flocks to the bigger cities, looking to make names for themselves, and understudying/second shooting for the brightest already known photog “stars”. After I decided that I would consider hiring someone from LA, if Sarah wasn’t available, I was finding that there were way more photogs available in my price range that I actually thought had really great talent.
@Mrs. Penguin I certainly agree that photography shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. I also think that prices should be fair enough so that the photographer can make a living out of it. If we consider a price of $2000 for a package at 30 wedding per year that’s 60,000. That’s before taxes. As a self employed you have to pay higher taxes. You have to pay more for a health insurance (or just settle for a crappy, very high deductible one). You would also want to have the best gear out there. A good camera body runs for 3k-8k and should be changed every 2-3 years. And you need two of them. Then there are the lenses and good glass runs for 2k a pop. And you need some but fortunately they can last you years and years if they are well looked after.
You would also want to save some money, nobody likes to run a business just to live paycheck to paycheck
And that 60k/year was for a package that doesn’t include prints or albums. In that case the profit is smaller.
The best deals can be found with talented photographers who are just starting out (and they still have a full time job). If you do your research you’ll find them
Bottom line is that I agree with your statement. People should and can afford beautiful photography. High prices don’t equal better photography but for many that’s the truth. I’ve offered free engagement sessions. I had 0 results with that.
I didn’t want to make it sound like 60k is peanuts I make less than that. I was just trying to say that prices should be fair in order to run a successful business.
If you and your husband make 60k each then you do better than 90% of the country.
There are photographers that make 400k/year and there are photographers that make 5k/year. It comes down to how well you know how to sell yourself.
There are people who make 100-200k / year and they will look at photographers that charge 8-10k+
There’s a market for everything.
wow! I feel like I have been ripped off… my photographer was much more expensive than all of these.. and all of these photos are gorgeous
I used Spencer from 5west. Pictures were great. His 09 pricing are a lot higher though.
I am a photographer too (in Chile, I did Miss Bear Cub’s engagement photos, that’s how I found the Wedding Bee and now I just can’t stop reading looking for ideas for my friends’ wedding…I’m a little bit obsessed).
Any way, I was going to come on here and basically type out the exact same thing that Razvan just said, but he beat me too it. There’s a reason that photography is so expensive. That reason is not that wedding photographers like to rip off brides. That reason is that we have to charge those prices to be able to afford decent gear AND put food on the table.
I’m only six months into the year and I’ve spent $8,000 dollars on photography related expenses…not exaggerated expenses like oh, I went to Starbucks at the airport, but actual true photography related expenses.
Just another quick note ( I know, another photographer here :))
There are a LOT oif great images up there and some of those photographers charge practically nothing! BUT you are only seeing 2-6 pictures of each of their portfolios. I think there is a lot of value in consistency. It is a very important when looking for a photographer to look at several FULL weddings ( or what they offer as full) to see what you are really going to get. For instance , most photographers only put the best of the best on their websites, but I bet if you, as a consumer, were to buy an entry level SLR from Best Buy and take 3000 photos in 8 hours at a wedding, I bet you would find at least 10-20 that you loved, some of which you might even be able to show off on a website and decide to set up shop with So basically be careful out there…do your research. Look at 5, even 10 photographers in all different ranges, before making a final decision. See what they have to offer, look at the quality of their work, then make an educated decision so you get EXACTLY the kind of photos you want. Remember, your photos are the only thing you are going to have left from this in 10, 20, 50 years, not the cake, the flowers, the food…just some photos which help with memories , well, and maybe your dress
This is a great website I and encourage all photographers of weddings to direct there clients to here. I for one will be. This shows the photgraphers are not afraid of transparency.
Gardner
http://www.weddingphotochile.com
I shot my first wedding last weekend…for a friend…for free. I say with full certainty that wedding photographers EARN their money.
No doubt some wedding photography is overpriced, but I think one reason prices have risen so much is that photography is so much better than five or ten years ago. Beautiful, artsy pictures take more time to create than most people imagine. I’ll easily spend 50-60 hours on this project…most of that done in post-processing, which most people don’t even think about.
we sure do earn our money…i just got home 3am from a 7pm service and marrage a huge event with over 400 guests and 2 photographers…and as usual…under priced….the post pro work alone on this progect is hugh to deliver 250 photo to client in 8 days time…but i love the challenge and the deadline…NEXT PLEASE
I am a full time professional photographer, and I would only classify about three of those images above as “good” (and coincidentally, those three photographers all charge upwards of 5-8k a wedding now). Most of those photos have awkward posing, unflattering angles, poor composition, and terrible post-processing. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder…
I also want to second what Laura said. It’s easy enough to pick out ONE good photo, it’s another thing entirely to provide 500-1000 of them.
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Real Budgets
Feature Launched: July 3, 2007
About: Real wedding budgets submitted by former brides.
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