Weddings can be so expensive, with the Banquet Hall, the food, the clothes, the decorations, the DJ or band; the list goes on and on and on. The cost of the photographer might be on top of the list, and it can feel overwhelming, and it will make you astonish why wedding photography are so expensive. Wedding days are the most important day in many of our lives and the risk of not having the photos you dreamed of runs high unless you have professionals taking care of it.
Not only the wedding photographers take shots of staged photographs of the wedding and guests, many people offer a full day of shooting which involves everything from photographs of the bridal makeup and hair being done right until the last person leaves the wedding reception. Furthermore, just like wedding DJ photographers’ work is not done when the day is over as they then have the responsibility of choosing the best quality photos and making any edits to those that need it.
We’re here to break it down from a photographer’s perspective so you can ale to understand clearly all the work that goes on behind the scenes.
Equipment Handling:
Not only do they need to handle one camera, but also need to handle lenses, tripods, memory cards, batteries, a different camera for this, a different camera for that and camera equipment is not easily affordable with many Wedding photographers’ kit reaching a cost of well into the thousands. That is just the camera, what about editing your photos? which includes a huge process
A powerful laptop or PC is needed, software to edit the photos, back up hard drives, so nothing is lost, USB pens and online storage to supply your photos, all these costs add up.
Time:
The amount of time a wedding photographer spends on wedding factors can intimates us why wedding photography costs so much. The time they spent can be Categorized into client
- Meetings
- Pre-wedding day preparation
- The wedding day and
- The editing.
Client Meetings:
The client meeting is an initial interview between the couple and the photographer. There will be Succeeding meetings to update the photographer on the planning process and to discuss the wedding day timeline. A good wedding photographer will periodically check in with their couple to see if everything is going well and if they have any questions. Sometimes these meetings can be done via video chat, but sometimes they required some friendliness Approach with the photographer so the need to travel away from their home to meet with the couple. This process takes a few hours.
Pre-Wedding Day Preparation:
The pre-wedding day preparation also one of the factors into why wedding photography costs so much. If the wedding package includes an engagement shoot, a photographer has to account for travelling time, photographing the couple, and editing the photos. There is often location Seeking involved to find the best spot for the bridal party photos on the day of the wedding, especially if the venue is a new one for the photographer. Your photographer might even be looking online for inspiration via new angles to try shooting from or for a new take on a photo they’ve shot dozens of times. They need to prepare and pack their gear, and they need to run through the shots mentally they plan on taking. This will take your photographer another 7-10 hours, depending on the length of the engagement shoot.
Wedding Day:
The wedding day is likely 7-10 hours long, plus the drive time for the photographer also need to calculate. Some weddings may require the photographer to travel long distances. It is not uncommon for photographers to travel 2-3 hours one way from their hometown to cover a wedding. Sometimes photographers will fly across the country or even overseas for a wedding, in which case the photographer uses about two days of their time to get to and photograph the wedding. Travel time has to be incorporated into a photographer’s cost of doing business. If there is a second photographer involved, that person has to be paid as well. You’re suddenly getting the equivalent of 16 hours of work when your 8-hour wedding package includes two photographers.
What are the factors that can influence wedding photography price quotes?
Even if a photographer lists starting prices on their website, there are certain factors that might influence the estimated cost to photograph your wedding, such as
- The popularity of your wedding date
- Travel and/or accommodation
- Package add-ons, such as albums, prints, second shooters, etc.
- The number of hours they’ll be asked to photography
- Special equipment they may need to photograph your venue
- Taxes and fees.
Editing:
Finally, editing is probably the most time-consuming aspect of a wedding. Editing is one of the reasons why wedding photography costs so much. Your photographer could take dozens of photos seconds apart to avoid missing a particular moment, or they might be much more selective with each shot they take. So, a wedding photographer can choose anywhere between 50-300 photos per hour. For an 8-hour wedding that could be approximately 2400 photos. Now your photographer needs to select these photos, separate the best photos from the average. The time varies depending on the photographer, but it would probably take 3-4 hours to select the images for an 8-hour wedding.
The actual editing process takes much longer and is an even more significant factor in why wedding photography cost so much. The photographer can sometimes apply a specific editor preset to multiple photos at once. Still, then they will go through each picture individually to manually adjust these presets to give the photo the perfect final look. Expect this process to take another 8-24 hours. And your photographer will probably leave your photos for some days before coming back with fresh eyes to correct any overlooked imperfections before sending you your photos.
The Treasure of life:
Wedding photo and video recording is not just a photo, there is no such thing as a normal video. It is your Life-Story. In it you are the hero, and heroin other characters, surrounded by your own, the screenplay of the festival celebrated with friends. The halls may be emptied Once the Wedding Finished, and the fragrant lotus and flowers that adorn the hall will diminish But, your wedding photos, videos will continue the sweetest moments of your life which will be a feast for your eyes forever.
Can you think of spending all this?
Do you want to spend so much for this today? You may think so, but when you think of this with few years later, and realize that your wedding day is a treasure that recreates memories like traveling on a time machine, you will feel the amount you spend on photography and videotape is Valuable which sculptured the beautiful moments of your life.
If we’re counting hours, at the very minimum, your photographer has spent 24 hours of their time on the various aspects of one wedding. This doesn’t even include the time needed to create a wedding album. Now you might be wondering why your photographer takes so many weeks to send you the photos after your wedding. Remember your photographer has other weddings to photograph, they may also have different types of photoshoots to attend, more client meetings, other client photos to edit, and their own family life.