I met with a couple not too long ago, and when I showed them my package options and prices, the bride seemed to be pleased with what she saw. The groom raised an eyebrow a little bit, and said, wow, I am in the wrong business. I’m just curious, how do you arrive at the prices charged in your packages? Well, I’d much rather be asked this while they are there and listening, so it’s not a bad thing at all, and hopefully my explanation helped educate the client. I definitely don’t claim to be the cheapest, but I’m not the most expensive either. As an industry standard, I am pretty modest in my pricing, but am in no way out to compete with the lowball price point shooters. I can keep my cost down some by not having high commercial studio rent.

Part of the prices commanded are based on how often we work, as well as cost of doing business. And I made it clear to them that I was not explaining this to get sympathy because it was my choice to get into this field, and I don’t regret it. First came countless hours developing my craft and gathering the necessary equipment and skill to start a studio, as well as assisting and second shooting for another photographer for a much lower rate than shooting them for myself. But that’s the responsible way to get into wedding photographer. I bring 15-20 thousand dollars worth of equipment to weddings. I have backup everything should there be any equipment failure. Backup camera body, several lenses, backup flashes, memory cards, radio slaves, etc. I also bring studio lighting for group formal portraits, to ensure there will be enough light to fill a dark church or overpower daytime sunlight. I am also hiring an assistant during weddings to help things stay moving and organized. Liability insurance is also an expense I incur, but it’s required by many venues, and it’s crazy to photograph any wedding or events without it. Not to mention professional organization memberships, marketing and advertising expense, time networking. How ever much time I spend photographing your wedding, on average, 3 times amount that time is spent behind the computer getting the images retouched and ready for the client. Not even counting time cropping or printing, or album design. Also not including the time I spend with each couple prior to the wedding. So however much per hour it looks like we make on the surface, with all the equations to consider, that gets watered down considerably, but it’s all worth it if the referral business kicks in and it’s enjoyable for all.

Sure, there are price point hobbyist photographers out there who will do it cheaper than me. I am not out to compete with them because they don’t offer the same product, or accountability to the client. Kindof like hiring the kid who mows your lawn to trim a 40 foot high tree. Maybe he can get it done…..but maybe if he trims a limb wrong will cause a limb to fall on the roof of your house and damage it, or crush a gutter. Or he falls out of the tree and breaks his arm. And if the homeowners’ insurance policy finds out you didn’t hire a licensed and insured contractor, they may not cover the damage. Nor would that kid have the insurance to cover damage to your house, as a professional tree specialist would. It may mean the difference between paying $200 and $600, but saving that money on an unqualified person can be much much more costly. And a wedding is an event with no do overs. There are probably 3 thousand Nashville area wedding photographers. Out of that number there might be 300-400 who fit the professional criteria listed above, and offer that accountability to the customer. Price and budget is a factor for sure, but cutting corners is not saving. Worth thinking about