How Much is Wedding Photography?

Almost every bride has that ONE thing that they will consider the most important part of their wedding day, and will usually spend the most amount of money on it. Remember that once the cake is cut, the guests are gone, and the dress is cleaned and preserved, all you really have left after are your photos. But how much should you spend on your wedding photography? How do you know if you're paying fair price? What about determining a photographer's skills and your anticipated quality standard to match your budget? In this interview, we ask many such questions to photographer and one-time bride herself: Caroline Ghetes; on her take of the professional photographer and consumer views on the subject of wedding photography cost:

Question: What's your opinion on how much wedding photography should cost compared to the entire wedding budget?

Caroline: There's no real answer as to how much you should really be spending on your wedding photography, but as a guideline I would say about 10% of your total wedding budget. I have seen MANY brides make the mistake of spending a TON of money on the wedding day festivities, locations, attire and decorations, but skimped on photography. As a result, they hired a photographer with poor equipment and insufficient wedding photography knowledge, and they received sub-par quality photos which they regret later. All that money and effort spent on making everything perfect will never be remembered the way when they should through the photos for the rest of their lives.

Bride's white dress I am speaking on behalf of personal friends and their wedding day experiences. Now, on the other extreme, I have met a few brides who recognized the importance of wedding photography, and spent an excessive amount of money on it. Unfortunately they later expressed to me that they didn't have enough budget left for anything else, and went cheap with their dress, decorations, flowers, and location. This made it very hard for me to create "upscale" looking photos that they expected from my portfolio.

I always communicate to my clients from the beginning: it is important when choosing a dress, location, and flowers to keep photography in mind. If you plan to go all out with your wedding, you may want to spend a little more money hiring a talented photographer who will be able to creatively capture the location and all of the beautiful people that you spent so much time and effort in bringing together, but balance your budget carefully.

Question: What are some photography styles you would recommend for clients with different personas? Would you put a pricing ratio on different styles of capture, and settings that could contribute to photography cost?

Caroline: If you're a bride and groom with quirky personalities and full of life, and you know most of your guests are the same way, you would definitely need to look into hiring a documentary style photographer or wedding photojournalist. I consider myself to be a wedding photojournalist, although I believe in throwing in a bunch of creative and artistic bride & groom portraiture in the mix to let them feel like models & stars for a day. There are plenty of very good wedding photojournalists out there that do an incredible job at capturing the true essence of you and the wedding day festivities. I myself am always observing and always ready to shoot a moment that could easily pass in the blink of an eye. A real wedding photojournalist never really rests because of fear of missing a good moment.

With wedding photojournalism, you may get some silly shots that may not seem so graceful but they're full of true and raw emotion. If you don't want any of that, and you want to create an album with each photo being perfectly composed to fully express the glamour side of your wedding day, you may be the type of bride that looked through your mother's photo album and knew that you wanted something similar for your own wedding. In this case, it is best to hire someone who has an extensive amount of wedding portraiture experience under his belt, and really know how to make sure he is able to get all the pictures you need from your list. He should be comfortable with posing techniques for the bride and groom and their families, large or small.

I don't believe that there should be different price points for different styles of shooting. I believe all styles of photography, whatever they may be, should be charged based on the real talent of the photographer and how well he or she is able to capture your wedding day in the style they do best. You as the consumer need to make your own assessment.

Question: Since most consumers lack the knowledge of judging a photographer's skill set, some wedding photographers often emphasize their expensive equipment to justify their cost. Could you provide some basic knowledge for the consumer on how to identify a professional’s equipment and practices compare to an amateur?

Caroline: Just because a photographer has expensive equipment does not mean that he is talented at what he does. There are many photographers who will try and justify their price because they have expensive equipment, but frankly, some don't carry the talent to match their equipment. On the other hand there are many really good photographers out there who are maybe fairly new to wedding photography, and don't have $10,000 to spend on a camera body. They get a good camera, maybe not the best camera, but are still able to capture beautiful images with their raw talent.

I have done wedding photography on and off for several years. I’ve spent six months previously researching everything that I could find out about wedding photography so that when I officially started my business, I would do it right. I knew with my passion and talent for photography, what’s left to be desired was more experience and solid equipment. When I started out, I wanted to buy the best camera within my budget that would do what I need it to do at the time. After my first successful bridal show, I booked 25 weddings that year, and used a Nikon D70 (under $1,000) for all of the weddings. Other photographers may laugh about that, but I'm still getting bookings based on my portfolio shot with the D70 in my early years, so I really could care less. As I upgraded my equipment and got better at what I do, I adjusted my prices according to my increased experience and new equipment to meet the higher demands of my brides.

There is no way to compare photographers solely based on the equipment they own. Rather, compare their portfolios and credentials. You will see who has the bigger passion, talent, and professionalism.

title="Wedding Photography"

Question: Could you explain why some photographers offer an assistant photographer on the wedding day? When are the benefits to justify the increased cost? When is this optional for brides on a budget?

Caroline: Some photographer offer an assistant photographer to help them capture the "must have" shots, like posed photos of the families and guests, so that the head photographer can do what he does best: focusing on the creative aspect of the wedding, and making sure no important moments go un-recorded.

When I work with an assistant photographer, I often end up with less stress as my assistant is taking care of the routine shots, so I could enjoy the freedom to be more creative and explore more. Having an assistant photographer could also be a good thing when both are capturing the same moment; for example, during the ceremony. Both photographers will be capturing the same event in two different styles and points of view which makes for interesting photos. I don't believe having an assistant photographer is absolutely necessary, but if you really like the photographer's work and you want him or her to focus on the more creative and in the moment shots, then you may wish to add that option.

Question: What's the pricing and output difference consumer should expect from independent photographers compare to studios?

Caroline: It may be a bit more expensive with an independent photographer than with a studio because he or she does all of the work before, during, and after the wedding themselves. Independent photographers price their packages in such a way that they have to make it worth their time; otherwise they lose the passion doing what they should love to do. With an independent photographer, I really believe that you will have a more personal level of service and potential bonding experience. With studios, though I am not speaking for all, you may not receive the same level of personal service. You could be one of the hundreds of weddings a year that a studio shoots, and they will probably never remember yours from everyone else's. As far as output differences, I cannot judge based on whether they are an independent photographer or a studio. Again, I would have to judge based on their levels of talent and commitment.

Question: What are your payment options? What do you consider to be the industry standards? Any red flags consumers should be looking out for?

Caroline: I used to accept only Cash and Checks, but recently added credit cards to the list. I felt that many brides would like to spend money on having their favorite photographer shoot their wedding, but sometime don’t have the financial means. I did not have enough money to afford the photographer I wanted when I got married at a young age. Some brides may be in the same predicament, but would not hesitate to purchase photography services on a credit card, and pay it back afterwards. If I had that option, I would have done it, and I would not have regretted so much till this day.

Having credit card payments option available provides the bride with more options, and also makes the photographer more legit; considering that they have to be verified as a merchant. Every photographer should offer credit cards as payment options. It really is not expensive, so there isn't much of an excuse.

As far as payments, photographers will generally ask for a deposit or payment up front to hold the date. This is usually a good idea because it protects the both of you: It will hold the date for the bride, so no other weddings should be booked on that date, and in case the brides decide to cancel, the photographer won't feel too much at a loss at the possibility of having booked another wedding on that day.

One red flag brides should be looking out for is when the photographer asks for full payment before the wedding day. I know some do it, but I as a bride would feel very uncomfortable with that. I've heard stories from past brides who say that their photographer never called or showed up when they were supposed to. As a photographer, that is always embarrassing to hear that there are people out there giving wedding photographers a bad name.

Question: Do you think consumers should be entitled to photography (product) quality guarantee? If so, any tips for consumers to negotiate this?

Caroline: I definitely believe that photographers should offer a guarantee to the quality of their photos so that the bride will have a peace of mind. In my contracts, I have presented references of standards to my work, and stated that there will be no refund given if the bride and groom decide that they "don't like" their photos because they knew what to expect of their own wedding photos if not better, based on my portfolio. This is just to filter out any "bridezillas" that just may be looking for trouble for any reason, even if the photos are exactly what I've always done if not better. I am a perfectionist. If I ever shoot a wedding that isn't up to par with my standards and the bride agrees, then I would be more than happy to work with the bride to do whatever it takes to help rectify the situation. This hasn't happened as of yet, but I am prepared for it if it ever does. Brides should expect this out of any compassionate photographer who cares about making you happy. Having an open discussion about your expectation with your photographer, and gain a thorough understanding of output quality is my suggestion to the consumers.

Question: Any general rules of approach and photography quality expectation consumers should set base on their budget range? Example: under $2,000, you could expect this, etc...

Caroline: With any wedding photography budget, you should always expect full wedding day coverage at the least. If a photographer is charging $1,500 and all he does is go home and put it on a CD and give it to you, then one day's work of shooting is not too much to ask for. As a general rule, if you are paying $2,000 for wedding photography, you should expect at least full day coverage, with editing of all of your final photos, and at least a proof book or a set of 4x6 proofs or final prints. If you are paying $3500 or more, you should expect all that, an album, options for assistant photographer, or maybe even a CD with some rights.

Question: Since wedding photos are a life time investment, tie any lessons learned and general rules you've discovered and speak from the views of both a one-time consumer and a professional photographer later in life.

Caroline: I've learned as a past bride, that you can't really put a price on your wedding photography. I spent $300 on my photos and wish that I had thought beforehand how I would feel about my wedding photos afterwards. It's better to spend the time, research and money hiring a talented photographer, and your favorite one at that, rather than trying to save a few bucks and regretting that decision for the rest of your life.

Source : www.weddingphotographydirectory.com (Caroline Ghetes)

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