If you are a wedding photographer, you might have probably wondered how much you should charge for wedding coverage or your services. How much will be enough, and how much will be too much? Well, it is difficult to give an exact answer or figure because several factors can affect the price.
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However, the average cost of wedding photography is between $300 to $2000, while the best wedding photographers charge $2,500 or more. But research has shown that couples or people often spend between $1,150 to $3,000 on their wedding photography.
Therefore, as a wedding photographer, you can charge between $900 to $2500. But this pricing is dependent on some factors.
5 Factors And Tips To Help You Know How Much You Should Charge As A Wedding Photographer
Setting up your prices as a wedding photographer can be hard, especially if you are new to the industry. Thus, below are a few (of several reasons) to help you figure out the right amount you should charge your clients.
Your Level Of Proficiency
Experience is one of the major determinants of your price. If you are new to the wedding photography industry, your focus should be on building a portfolio and how to increase your customer base instead of the fee.
Wedding photography, a genre of photography that focuses on capturing the special moments, emotions, and details of people on their wedding days, is a competitive but lucrative niche. The niche requires a great deal of skill, creativity, determination, and attention to detail alongside professional gear to produce stunning images of couples. Our Master guide has some helpful information to help you start.
Click Below to Read a Comprehensive Guide to Start Wedding Photography.
Therefore, as a student or novice, you should charge way less than the regular cost of covering a wedding ceremony. For instance, instead of pinning your price at $900, you can start from $450. But ensure the charge will be enough to cover the cost of editing the photos and producing the agreed deliverables without you breaking into your personal account.
In contrast, if you are an advanced or professional wedding photographer with vast experience, you can charge your clients whatever amount you think your time or service might be worth. You might want to fix the cost between $1000 to $2000 for a standard wedding package featuring 500 to 1500 photos, an album, a two hours video, and one or two specially framed pictures of the couples. But this depends on your:
Your Location And Customer Base
If you live in a major city or government-reserved area where influential personalities or figures reside, you might want to fix your charges a bit higher than wedding photographers in non-major towns. As a student, you can charge at least $500 for standard 10-hours wedding coverage without an album deliverable.
If you are a professional, you can charge $120 per hour to click only images or a flat fee of $3,500 for 2,000 wedding photos, an album, and a short clip.
However, this is dependent on the kind of clients you attract. If you often attract low-budget couples, you might want to adjust your charges to fit their preference regardless of the location.
The Grade Of Your Photography Tools
Your charges should reflect the level of your shooting tools. Your gadgets and experience will determine the quality of work you will render.
Thus, if you have high-level equipment, such as the Sony α1, a sturdy tripod, and other high-tech light boxes and controls, you should charge a high amount that will reveal the grades of the equipment.
For instance, if your tools are worth $9000, you might charge nothing less than $1,500 for a basic wedding package featuring no album.
Consider The Time You Will Spend
As they often say, time is money. Therefore, before you establish your price, ensure to calculate how long it will take you to get to the wedding venue, the duration of the event, the time frame of editing the clicked photos, general post-production of the clicks, and delivery. Unsurprisingly, a 10-hour wedding can take you more than additional 30 hours of work to complete.
Consider Miscellaneous Fees
Furthermore, you also have to consider hidden charges before charging your clients as a wedding photographer. You might have to travel to the wedding location (depending on the distance), pay for accommodation, employ the service of an assistant photographer, and pay for meals.
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Considering these factors will help you to profit. However, if you are a newbie, you should only charge something enough to cover the event and forget about the idea of making huge profits.
In conclusion, although the average cost of wedding photographers is $2000, there is absolutely no precise answer to how much you should charge as a wedding photographer. You can set whatever price suits you best.
However, your charges should reflect your experience, tools, brand, and location. It should also cover the total time it will take you to plan, shoot, edit, and turn over all the wedding deliverables. Finally, ensure your price is within your client’s budget.