Wedding photographers charge a lot. So, you are obviously not alone if you are wondering about ways to reduce the cost of your wedding photographer.
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One of the best methods to reduce the cost of your wedding photographer is to hire a cheap professional, experienced photographer with high-level cameras and other tools.
Aside from this, other ways include:
Not Setting Your Wedding Date In Festive Periods
All photographers, especially wedding photographers, are often in demand during the holiday or festive seasons, such as Christmas. During this period of the year, photographers tend to charge higher due to the high demand for their services.
Therefore, one of the easiest ways to keep the best quality service from a wedding photographer at a reduced price is to fix your wedding date during the mid-year when the rate of people getting married is quite low.
Booking The Session Early
Regardless of the period of the year that you fixed your wedding date, booking earlier (between 2 to 3 weeks to the day) is one sure way to reduce the cost of your wedding photography coverage.
As a wedding photographer, I usually give between 20 to 25% discount to couples who book early for their wedding coverage. Generally, all photographers reduce their charges when they know the date is still far away. This is because they believe you still have time to consult others and possibly employ another for the job.
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However, failure to book early might make the photographers increase their costs because they know you are desperate for one and have limited time to go around looking for one. Thus, we recommend informing your preferred wedding photographer at least two weeks before the big day and, at most, during the pre-wedding shots session.
Purchasing Only The Wedding Package Within Your Budget
All wedding photographers, even the best, have different packages at various prices you can choose from, depending on your budget. Some offer standard packages at affordable rates between $300 to $1800, depending on their levels of proficiency.
Therefore, if you feel the average cost of a wedding photographer is too much, you can go for the lowest package, which you can comfortably afford. Furthermore, you might also want to ask for a customized wedding package from the photographer if your budget can’t buy the standard or basic package. A good wedding photographer will be ready to work according to your budget.
Reducing The Wedding Coverage Duration
Wedding photographers charge based on the duration of the wedding, post-processing of the photos and clips, and time spent planning for the event.
For instance, a professional wedding photographer might charge about $70 per hour. Your wedding duration might range from 8 to 10 hours, including the preparation (dressing) moment, main ceremony, after-party, or reception (if any), and an additional 30 to 50 hours to edit the pictures and design the album.
So, you might want to reduce the length of your special day to fit your budget. You can choose to skip coverage of the dressing session and other parts of the events to reduce costs.
Reducing Your Required Number Of Pictures
The number of pictures to be clicked, edited, and delivered is one major factor that determines how much a photographer will charge. Thus, we recommend you ask for a few numbers of your wedding photographs, around 300 to 500 copies instead of 1000+ copies if you want to reduce cost.
Furthermore, you might also want to request raw copies of your pictures. This will also reduce the overall pricing of the service.
Avoiding A Professional Wedding Photographer
Professional wedding photographers will charge you more because of their experience in the industry and the grade of their tools. Therefore, we recommend you engage the service of amateurs or advanced photographers with good shooting gadgets.
Avoiding Wedding Albums
Furthermore, avoiding the photographer’s wedding album offer is another way to reduce the costs. Most wedding photographers often include an album in their packages. So, you might want to skip getting an album.
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Hiring A Friend
If you have friends who are wedding photographers, it is best to employ one instead of booking a stranger. Your friend is likely to consider and offer you a huge discount, unlike a stranger. If you do not have any friends as wedding photographers, you can hire any of your regular customers.
In conclusion, there are several ways to reduce the cost of your wedding photographer. However, if you are seeking to work according to your savings, we recommend cutting the cost of the menu, not the photographer. Your wedding day occurs in a lifetime, so make sure you get good memories in pictures, and you won’t regret it.