Why Does Wedding Photography Cost So Much?!

I have a hard time determining how much to charge for wedding photography.  It's a tough thing to do, and even harder to justify to those who don't know just how much goes into it.  It's kind of like how people ask why wedding cakes cost so much.  It's just flour and sugar after all, right?  Wrong. 

I understand that there are plenty of newbies out there that are willing to charge you next to nothing for your wedding photography, and if you are up for the uncertainty in quality, then go with them!  I got my first wedding jobs just like that!  There were those brave people that had enough faith in my blossoming talent to trust me with their weddings!  In my mind I thought they were nuts, but hey, that 500 bucks they were willing to pay little old me was worth the experience!

Now that I'm older, wiser, more experienced, and have MUCH better equipment, I feel it's only fair that I am paid more.  You wouldn't want to work at the same job for 6 years for the same minimum wage, would you?  I worked for LESS than minimum wage.

So let me break it down for ya.  I'll outline all of the little costs that are associated with wedding photography, the amount of time I have to put into each wedding, and how much I actually make.

If you want to skip the outline, scroll on down to the bottom where the text is yellow.

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The time I put into your wedding isn't just the 8 or so hours I spend with you on the day of.  It starts the second you send me that email, or give me a call.  So here's a time breakdown:

• Initial emails, phone calls, and consultations to discuss details and book the date: 2-3 hours
• Engagement Session, including booking, shooting, editing, creating online gallery, fulfilling prints and disk orders: 6 Hours.  
• Add that same engagement time for any additional shoots, such as Bridals, Boudoir sessions and "We Did" sessions.  That can come out to an additional 18 hours.
•  Communication before the wedding to solidify details, confirm times, and set up schedule for the day of the wedding: 2 hours
• Preparing the night before the wedding (charging batteries, testing equipment, gathering materials, confirming details with assistant): 2-3 hours
• Wedding Day Coverage:  8-10 hours
• Downloading, sorting and editing of all images: 12 hours.  Keep in mind, the time required for this step is not all in one sitting!  It takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete this, as I always have other sessions to work on simultaneously!
• Uploading all images to online gallery for viewing and purchasing: 1 hour
• Creating albums and books: 5 hours
• Follow up, order fulfillment: 2 hours 
• Total travel time: Varies, usually about 1 hour in town, longer for out of town (obviously)

If my math is correct, the time I put into your wedding can be anywhere from 30 to 65 hours!

Now, I see that if you divide the base wedding fee ($2500.00) by the number of hours I spend, it still seems like I'm charging out the wazoo!!  But there are other factors you must take into consideration as well!

MY expenses:

Replaced about every 5 years

• Tripod: $150
• Camera bags: $200
• Two Speedlight Flashes: $900
• Lighting Sets: $800
• Ladder, extension cords: $75
• Vehicle+maintenance: We all know how much that costs! 

Replaced about every two years: 

• Cameras and Lenses: $3500 minimum, and new lenses are always being added.Wireless Triggers and Receivers: $80
• Laptop: $2000
• Back-up hardrive: $250
• Desktop Computer: $1500
• Printer/scanner/copier: $150
Software: $800

Yearly Costs:

• 4 Camera Batteries plus chargers: $400
• Memory Cards:$300
• UV Filters for all lenses: $80
• Smart Phone to stay in constant contact: $150
• Insurance for equipment, vehicle, and business
• Taxes!
  
• Bulbs for Lighting Kits: Replaced as needed

Monthly costs:

• Website Hosting: $50 per month 
• Business Cards: $50 per 100 cards
• Studio Rent

Per-Wedding Expenses:

• Miscelaneous office supplies (paper, ink): $40 per wedding
• Lithium batteries for speedlight flashes: $40 per wedding
• Gas: Varies, but usually about $100 including travel time to meetings and gathering supplies.
• Cell phone bill: $50 a month for business related calls and emails
• Assistant costs: $300 per wedding
• Base price for all prints, disks and albums: $500 (varies) 

Now, what I have done is divided all of these costs per wedding, assuming I have two weddings per month.  I took the cost of equipment every five years and divided it by 120, which is the average number of weddings I will shoot in that five year period.  I went down the list and did the same (adjusting the time of course).

So you don't have to sit and do the math, I've done it for you.  On average, I will spend about $1800 for each wedding I shoot.  That is a LOT of money!

That leaves a measly $700.  Divide that by the number of hours I spend on your wedding, and I'm averaging about 10 bucks an hour.  That's not much more than minimum wage these days.    

Then I have to factor in my actual living expenses, which are none of your bees-wax :) But you all know how high the cost of living is right now so you get the picture!



I think these numbers speak for themselves, so I'll just leave it at that :) 



For another photographer's point of view, and a great explanation of the talent side of the equation, please visit Brian Powell's blog on the subject.