Wedding photography is considered as the most costly type of photography out there. Yet it is very crucial. People hire professional photographers all the time to snap photos of one of the biggest functions of their life.
The photos of the wedding stay with you for the rest of your life. It carries great value in most people’s life. That’s why it is important to capture the best photos.
As mentioned earlier, the wedding photo shooting is costly. You might not know how much does wedding photography cost by now.
To help you with that, let’s go over all the stuff you need to know about it.
You may love to read rest other Guide of photography Genres
Table of Contents
- 1 How Much Does Wedding Photography Cost Actually?
- 2 What does a wedding photographer cover in his prices?
- 3 Various Styles of Wedding Photography
- 4 When to book a good wedding photographer
- 5 How much do you have to pay for the engagement photos?
- 6 Which time is the best for taking engagement photos?
- 7 How will you have to pay to get a videographer for a wedding?
- 8 What questions can you ask the wedding photographer before booking him for your wedding ceremony?
- 9 The importance of discovering planning tools, tips, and inspiration for your wedding beforehand
- 10 How do wedding photographers set their pricing?
- 11 Is Wedding Photography Really That Expensive?
- 12 Can I hire a non-professional photographer instead of a wedding photographer?
- 13 What offers I’ll get in modern wedding photography packages?
- 14 Frequently Asked Questions
- 15 Conclusion
How Much Does Wedding Photography Cost Actually?
A lot of stuff influences the price of a wedding photographer. Where you choose to hold, the wedding ceremony plays the biggest part there.
In the United States, you have to comprise an average of 12% of the total wedding budget. That falls under a range between $1150 to $3000. This is an average estimation that you can get an idea from.
The average cost of a shooter will be $2000. That might sound a lot for most people. But that’s the pricing that they are working with right now. It can fluctuate over time.
What does a wedding photographer cover in his prices?
The modern wedding photographers offer a lot of services for their price. In most cases, you’ll get the following services from them.
Time
That’s an obvious thing. The shooter will give you around 6 hours for the shooting sessions. That can vary for who you are working with.
Travel
Most photographers include all travelling costs. That means you don’t have to pay extra for their travelling fees.
Staffing
A good wedding photographer has his stuff with him. That lets him work at the best of his capacity. This is also included in the prices.
Editing
The after shooting stuff is added with the price in most cases. You don’t have to pay extra for editing costs.
Prints
All the wedding photographers offer this basic service. They provide the prints of the images. You will not need to pay any extra for getting your hands on the print copy. It’s added to the prices.
Albums
Most of the shooters will provide you with a wedding album. That charge is included in their pricing as well.
Various Styles of Wedding Photography
When it comes to different styles, wedding photography has a handful of those. Having some knowledge of them will help you a lot. You’ll be able to make the photo shooting session much better in that way.
Also, you will be more likely to get unique photos shot for you. The most common styles of wedding photography include,
Photojournalism
This style focuses on telling a story. It is best for capturing the intense and emotional times at the wedding.
Traditional
The traditional style is more about posed shots. You’ll see this type of photo shooting in most weddings these days.
Fine Arts
This is a beautiful style of wedding photos. The dynamic feels captured is great for frames.
Fashion
It is picking up popularity in recent times. It’s more about the dress code, style, and trend.
Vintage
Great for giving old-school vibes. This style is still common and timeless for wedding shots.
When to book a good wedding photographer
This is a place where most people struggle to make a decision. You should always be quick about it and avoid any kind of delay.
The wedding photographers get booked for various events. That’s why you need to book them earlier. That way you can get your hands on a good shooter.
A good shooter is always on demand. You can’t just go and schedule him for the next month. He is more likely to be booked for 5 or 6 months.
You should approach him before 11 months and make a schedule for the big day. That way, you can’t miss it.
How much do you have to pay for the engagement photos?
Engagement photos are something you should consider. You can certainly get away without doing it. But isn’t it better to capture as much as you can?
The photo shooting sessions are not that costly as well. It will cost around $150 to $600. That depends on the shooter you choose to work with.
Most people don’t consider engagement photos necessary. But it’s a great thing to do especially in this day in age. And the pricing is not that high as well.
Which time is the best for taking engagement photos?
That, of course, depends on the couple. Most of the couples choose to shoot the engagement photos 3 months before the big day.
But the best way to go is to talk to the shooter and decide what would be better. Most of the time, couples need to wait for warm weather. That makes the photos much more cosy and romantic at the same time.
But that isn’t a reason to shy away from winter photo shooting. It can give some great shots as well.
How will you have to pay to get a videographer for a wedding?
Having a videographer is very common at the wedding. They can adopt the working pattern and work with a photographer. And in most cases, they work together as a team.
Videographers capture the true moments of the wedding. That’s why they are so in demand. That also makes them pretty costly as well.
You’ll need to spend around $1500 to $2500 for hiring a videographer in the US. That, of course, is not any fixed number. But the average cost is 1799 dollars.
What questions can you ask the wedding photographer before booking him for your wedding ceremony?
As you book your wedding photographer, you need to make the contract as clear as you can. And what better way is there than asking questions? Ask the following questions to get done with it at ease.
- How are you going to describe your style in wedding photography and what’s unique about you?
- Would you mind showing me a full album from a wedding that you shot photos at?
- iii. Tell me about your packages. What are the costs and what do you offer?
- What happens if you are not present on my wedding day?
- When I’ll be able to get the captured images?
- How are we going to order the prints for a faster delivery?
- vii. How many weddings do you attend to take photos in one year?
- viii. What do you like most about shooting pictures at weddings?
The importance of discovering planning tools, tips, and inspiration for your wedding beforehand
You have some duties on your own at your wedding rather than relying on the wedding photographer completely. Rather you should try and identify the best planning tools, tips, and inspiration for your wedding.
That will help to give a personal touch to your photos. You can’t get otherwise. The photographer will not be able to match that no matter how good he might be.
How do wedding photographers set their pricing?
It’s no wonder why wedding photographers charge that much. They have to bear the cost of their costly equipment as well as they have to work very hard.
For the pricing, they stick to the average most of the time. They start in the lower range. And as the experience grows, they start to charge more. But take note that their quality of work also develops as well.
Is Wedding Photography Really That Expensive?
Wedding photography is considered as one of the most expensive types of photography. The gears and equipment used in shooting the photos are very pricey. Also, the shooter has to go through a lot of training. So that he can take good photos, that education is costly too. That’s why this type of photo shooting is very pricey.
Can I hire a non-professional photographer instead of a wedding photographer?
In case you are wondering, wedding photography is not easy. It’s not just taking a camera and shooting a couple of shots with it.
It takes a lot of skills in this type of photo shooting. Only then the shooter can provide you with the quality photos that you crave for.
So, if you are thinking about skipping on a wedding photographer and hiring some local one, it’s not the best decision for you to take.
Hire a professional wedding photographer only if you are serious about getting the best pictures.
What offers I’ll get in modern wedding photography packages?
Different photographers offer different things in their package. You’ll see the following offers more often.
- Photography Coverage of the day
- A second photographer or an assistant
- A pre wedding photo session
- A USB stick
- A number of images captured
- A certain number of prints that can be done
- An online gallery of photos
- A wedding album
- A large canvas or frame
- A preview album
- A video with best photos captured
- The pricing or the deposits
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s go over some of the most frequently asked questions down below.
1. Do weddings take the whole day to finish?
There is no yes or no answer to that as there is no strict rule on how long a wedding should take to finish.
But most of the weddings don’t take all day. Some of them get finished in less than an hour. An average wedding lasts somewhere around 4 to 5 hours.
But if it’s the wedding of a celebrity, for instance, it’s going to take a lot longer. That crosses the 7 to 10 days range sometimes.
2. Is it necessary to pay extra for wedding photographer’s meals?
The wedding photographer stays with you the whole day. That makes it crucial for you to feed him with a good meal.
Some people like to provide a vendor meal for the photo shooter. But at the end of the day, paying for the person who’s taking photos for you the whole time is a responsible thing to do.
You should go for it by all means. If not, at least reduce the cost for their vender meal. That’s the basic etiquette you need to show.
3. Is it crucial to pay the wedding photographer’s travel costs?
A wedding photographer’s travel cost is around $20 to $200 on average. The distance plays the biggest role there.
Most of the people like to point it out when they deal and negotiate the price.But it will be very good if you can pay him for his travel cost.
That goes to show that you care for him as a person. And that will reflect on the quality of his work too. So, it’s a good idea for you to pay for the travel cost.
4. Should I give some extra tip to my wedding photographer?
You don’t need to pay any extra to your wedding photographer. It is not a thing that most of them expect anyways.
But you can consider if they work under some company or work as an individual. If they work for themselves, you can tip them. That is a generous thing to do.
It also lets them know that you appreciate his work. It’s more like a thank you note for them.
5. Do I need to get a second photo shooter for my wedding?
In most cases, a second shooter is not necessary for a wedding. It’s a couple of shots anyway. Paying for another shooter is not that ideal thing to do.
Most of the people want to take shots before, during, and after the ceremony. One shooter can handle it most of the time. But if you think that there are too many people, you can hire another shooter by all means. It’s not a thing most people need to do these days.
6. Do I have to pay for albums individually in a wedding photographer’s prices?
That depends on the shooter you are working with. For most of the photographers, you don’t need to pay any extra for an album. But some of them ask for money. That’s $12 to $18 on average.
Conclusion
That was all the information you need on the wedding photography charges. As you saw, a lot of things come into play that influences the pricing. And it all should make sense for you now.
Having an idea of the pricing can help you so much along the process. Knowing the different costs and average cost helps as well. But you should also consider negotiation. That will make sure that you get the best deal for you.
Hopefully, the article was able to clear out any questions you have on this topic.
You may also like to read our other Photography Genres guides here.
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