If you are about to get married, you are probably browsing the Internet and feeling quite confused about photography package prices. There are “all day long wedding photography for only £500”, while there are also those saying “Wedding Photo Package starting from £1,700”. There are UK wedding photographer charging £5,000 for a whole day cover and they seem to be booked a year in advance, while some of the U.S. wedding photographer charge even $15,000 for their service. How can the differences in prices be so huge? Do you really get what you’ve paid for? What are the actual components we are paying for when hiring a wedding photographer? What you should know when looking for affordable wedding photography in Melbourne, for example?
First of all, let’s make it clear what does “a professional wedding photographer” stand for? The thing is, you don’t receive a license to be a photographer, therefore anyone can call themselves so, both the one who took an evening course in a basic photography and photographed best friend’s budget friendly wedding and the one who studied photography for three years and more and have been wedding photographer for more than 5 years. Keep in mind that there are no rules and clear definitions when it comes to the photo industry.
There are many components, sort of building blocks, to make any wedding photographer. These are four basic and essential areas according to which wedding photographer charge their service:
- Training/Courses and Experience.
- Education costs and Equipment investments.
- Time spent for taking photos and post-production and communication with clients, before, at and after the wedding.
- The reputation, style and creativity.
First of all, think about how much money do you want (or can) spend on wedding photography and with these building blocks in mind, you will be more aware of what you can get for the planned budget.