How Much Does Wedding Photography Cost?
Original Plea:
“I need help figuring out what my budget should be for my wedding as in photography? Helppp!”
Wedding photographers are individuals and contrary to popular belief, photographers set their rates based on more than just one 8 hour wedding day. There are TONS of different factors that go into setting rates including (but not limited to): where they live, years of experience, business expenses, living expenses, supply and demand, visibility (or lack thereof) awards they’ve won, places they’ve been published, the ideal client they wish to attract, whether they’d be shooting your wedding on their birthday or a holiday, hours of wedding coverage needed, how much they value their time, or simply……..because that’s just the price they want to charge.
An NYC photographer thats been shooting for 5 years can easily offer prices anywhere from $5,000-$10,000 while a photographer just starting out in Austin may set their prices at $1,000 to get their foot in the industry door until they can increase their rate. A Los Angeles photographer with celebrity clients is probably charging more than a Dakota photographer that lives in a town with a population of 2,000. You get the point I’m sure. The ‘right’ rate is really whatever it is you are willing to spend to get whatever is most (or least) important to you when it comes to capturing your once-in-a-lifetime day.
If you’re truly unsure of how much you should spend, try this: find 3 photographers in your area that you really love and check in with them to see what their rates are for their most popular package. Use these numbers to help you gauge where your budget should be for the type of photographer and photography style that floats your boat. If what you had planned to spend is lower than what you find is the median rate, you will either need to increase your budget, or dig super deep until you find someone you love that charges a little less than the majority. Its as simple as that.
At the end of the day, photography is the only thing you can take away from your wedding day, besides your new spouse of course, so while looking for the best photographer for you, remember: you get what you pay for.
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