Welcome to our special blog discussions about wedding photography. If you have recently become engaged and are in need of a wedding photographer, we know you have questions. Over the next several weeks, we will provide you with honest answers to some of the biggest questions most brides-and-grooms-to-be have. So be sure to keep checking back.
The most logical place to start this discussion is with the price. Why do professional wedding photographers cost so much? More frequently these days, this question usually leads to the follow-up, “Can’t we save a lot of money if we ask a relative or friend to take our pictures?”. The answer to that question is certainly yes, but doing so will lead to a very different end result. When your wedding pictures are all you will have once the day is done, you really need to consider if this is where you want to save money in your budget.
When you hire professional photographers, like us, you are paying for our time as well as all of our training and experience. We are, essentially, your employees and we are solely focused on capturing your day, not joining the party (as fabulous as it may be!). We know our equipment and how to use it to make the best use of light in every situation. We even have back-ups for key equipment in the unlikely event of failure.
In addition to the time spent on your wedding day, which can be substantial when the photographers are providing all day coverage, the fee also covers time before and after the wedding. As an example, many of our wedding packages include an engagement session, pre-wedding consultations, site visits and coordination with some of your other vendors.
Following the big day, much time is spent editing your photographs. As a general rule of thumb, it takes about three times as long to edit an event as it does to capture it. This is the time it takes to “proof down” the images to remove the ones you don’t want to see and then to review each and every remaining image to make sure they look their best. Finally, in addition to that three-to-one time ratio, you need to add on another substantial amount of time for album design. We design your album, we don't contract that service. It takes copious hours to make sure it perfectly depicts your unique story. You have heard us say this before: designing albums is a “labor of love” . . . we love doing them, but they are hard work.
All of this is factored into wedding day coverage pricing. We do understand that everyone has a budget they need to work within, and we know that your friend or family member with a great camera can do it for less. But the reality is your friend or family member won’t likely have the skill and experience to capture your day in a way that you will cherish for years to come. Once your wedding is over, there is no opportunity for a re-take.
Be sure to check back next week as we continue our discussion. If you have a specific question you would like to discuss, be sure to let us know that, too.
Until the next time,
Judianne and Ron
