I have heard a lot of brides say this a lot recently and, unfortunately, there is no simple complete answer. Brides and grooms are sometimes shocked when thye suddenly start seeing the costs of getting married. Wedding photography is expensive because well, being a quality photographer is expensive. Now, you might be saying to yourself, “You take pictures. You put them on a disk. You are done. What’s the big deal? I have a digital camera too.”

But, my dear, this is not simply pointing and clicking a digital camera. I think a lot of brides are overwhelmed by the price of photography simply because of lack of understanding. A little bit of education may go a long way in helping you understand pricing and how to budget for your wedding day.

Let me break this down a bit for you:

Equipment- $12,600

A professional camera is about $2600 (and you need a back-up)= $5,200

Professional lenses are around $1400-$2000+ each= $4200 minimum

Professional flash equipment is about $1000+

Computer- $1400

Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom- $600

External Hard Drives- $200

And this is just base items. Photographers are constantly updating and getting newer equipment that may have worn out due to wear and tear. For now, we will assume I already have these and I will not include them in the yearly expenses below.

Per year- $4,500

These are basic costs that professional photographers face every year.

Insurance ($1,000,000 in liability is considered standard) about $100

Advertising (Just for an idea, one small ad in one magazine can EASILY be $800)

Professional memberships ($100/year per membership. Let’s say I have 2)

Professional seminars (These range from $200-$1000/each. Let’s say I don’t attend ANY)

Equipment upgrades and replacements (Let’s say I spend $3000)

Sample albums- $400

Per wedding x 25 weddings/year- $20,000

Travel to meetings, engagement sessions, location scouting, wedding day (Gas)-$200

Food- $200

Albums- $400

Okay so from just the yearly expenses that I have mentioned (and there are more) a photographer (not in a studio) needs to make a minimum of $24,500 a year to run just their business. I haven’t mentioned prints, canvases, professional networking meetings, wear and tear on their car, health insurance, life insurance, car insurance, retirement OR (UGH) taxes.

BUT OOPS! This photographer also has to live. They need a home, car, food, clothing, water, home insurance, electricity, internet, etc, etc. Let’s say they need $40,000 a year to survive!

So, with all of the business and expenses and living this photographer needs to make $64,500/year!

In order to do a quality job on each wedding (and not go crazy), photographers shouldn’t book more that 25 weddings a year. $64,500 divided by 25 weddings is a total of $2,580/wedding IF they get all 25 weddings. And we didn’t even take out for taxes, many other expenses, or children!

Probably the most important thing to remember is the value of a photographer’s time. A full-time photographer doesn’t have another job. They are spending hours of their time and talent on making you look stunning in your wedding photos.

As a bride, here are a few things to keep in mind when considering all wedding vendors:

• Educate yourself on what things cost. A $12K wedding is considered budget. Plan on spending at least 10% on your photography.
• It’s a safe bet that if you think you know what something costs it is probably double.
• You get what you pay for. Professional products cost more, that’s just the way it is. You know that you will get quality when you walk into Nordstrom, you also know that you will pay more. Why should photography be any different.
• Prioritize! Your photos are the thing that will last the longest after your wedding day. Your flowers will fade, your dress will go into storage, the food will get eaten, and that getaway car that you just “had to have” will leave, and you will be left with memories and photos. Your photos will outlast you, your spouse, your children and your grandchildren. Budget well.

This post was not written at anyone in particular. It was written so that brides might have a better understanding of the hidden costs to being a photographer, so that they might learn how to budget in such a way to have the best wedding possible and a so that they may have glorious photos to look back at their wonderful day!

Happy planning!