The answer to why are wedding photographers so expensive can be from three things. First, the professional will do various tasks before, during, and after the wedding.
And if you’re a photographer yourself, you should also dress for the occasion, so you’ll look more professional. Here is what to wear as a photographer to a wedding, then read expectations about your services below.
Why Do Wedding Photographers Cost So Much?
Pre-wedding preparations
The wedding photographer will be involved before the wedding. As a client, you will have various meetings with the photographer once you confirm that they match your needs for your wedding.
The photographer will start planning as you tell them your wedding day timeline. And depending on the availabilities of the parties, the photographer may travel to meet with their clients.
The time exerted with planning, and potential expenses for the travel will be part of the fee you’ll give to the wedding photographer. Besides that, the photographer will also usually be involved in other pre-wedding events.
You may have chosen a package that includes an engagement shoot, photos of the bridal party before the ceremony, or even during the rehearsal dinner. All of these involve expenses on the photographer’s end as they travel to various locations, prepare their gear or team, shoot and plan photos, and then edit the images.
Wedding services
At the wedding itself, the services, time, travel fees, and other efforts of the wedding photographer will factor into why the costs of hiring one can be between $1,000 to more than $10,000.
After the photographer gets involved in the planning and shooting pre-wedding activities, they will usually be all around the wedding, which can take 7 hours or longer. They may also need to travel long distances if your wedding venue is far from their hometown.
If it is too far, the photographer will allocate two days of their time, including accommodation expenses. And during the wedding ceremony and reception, the wedding photographer is not just randomly taking portraits and candid photos.
At the planning stage, they have already discussed your expectations on what shots you want. Then, they go through the photos, selecting the best backdrops and moments to provide you with the memories you want to see from your special day.
Post-wedding and editing
After the wedding, the final part of wedding photography is the editing. This is also a challenging task that is one reason why a professional can charge high.
Some wedding photographers have a particular style with their shots, and it might be one of the reasons you hire that specific person. You might also choose to get physical copies of the photos and not just the digital copies.
The photographer will have to choose from hundreds to even thousands of photos. Then, the actual editing takes skills and uses expensive software for edits and presets to process the desired photos.
They might need to adjust some photos individually, which will take the photographer up to 24 hours to ensure that you’ll be satisfied with what you’ll get. And during this time, remember that the professional will also be doing other duties related to their photography business.
Is A Photographer Necessary For A Wedding?
It’s better to allocate a part of your wedding budget for the wedding photographer. You would want the best shots during this special occasion as they will be your memories in the upcoming years.
Of course, you can have someone take shots during the wedding or collect those taken by friends and family. However, they won’t be as precise as what you would’ve wanted, and everyone is there to celebrate with you and not follow you around to get good photos.
You’ll be paying for the photographer’s talent, gear, time, and effort to give you perfect wedding photos. They have refined their shooting techniques and editing style through experience, making their fees reasonable.
Is 1 Photographer Enough For A Wedding?
Having one photographer is enough for most weddings, as it will also save you on expenses. However, if the bride and groom will be in separate sites while they’re getting ready, hiring another photographer would be more convenient.
Another factor is the size of your wedding. Big weddings will be more effective to shoot if you have two photographers.
On the other hand, one photographer is enough for an intimate wedding. Speaking of small weddings, read how to say no plus ones on wedding invitations to limit your guest tactfully.
What Is A Reasonable Price For A Wedding Photographer?
Depending on various factors, wedding photographers can cost as much as $10,000. However, paying $2,000 is the average expense of couples at most weddings, and for a first-time wedding photographer, $1,000 should be reasonable.
Who Pays For Wedding Photographer?
The bride’s side usually shoulders wedding photography. Regardless, there is no rule on who should pay for the photographer as couples and families differ.
Conclusion
And that’s it! We just discussed why are wedding photographers so expensive, and it’s essentially because of their personal expenses, time, talent, and effort that are exerted before, after, and during a wedding.
You hire an experienced professional to provide you with photos according to what you expect. Therefore, it’s only fitting to pay them a reasonable amount since you desire a quality service.