Need help on pricing for a small wedding

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Permalink Reply by Bill Dobbs on September 9, 2011 at 7:09pm

Big question Latisha. I did my first two weddings for a very low price in order to gain experience. I recovered all my out-of-pocket expenses and made my revenue from selling the photographs. Didn't make much mind you but doing those events were an excellent learning experience.
Depending where you are located and the level of service, I have seen wedding photography prices range from $600 to $4000. If you are thinking along the lines of charging what the market will pay I would charge 70% of what well established studios charge.

Here's a breakdown of a sample package if you're looking at charging this way:
Shooting hours 6 (before wedding 1, wedding 1, private sitting 1.5, reception/dinner 2.5) $400
Post-production hours 4 (organizing, editing, transfer to media) $160
Equipment/supplies 10 hours x $25 $250
Basic level photos $200 proofs and enlargements
sub-total: $1100
This would be on the low side for a seasoned professional, but starting out it would be reasonable.
Please take this all with a fair bit of caution; there are a lot of factors to consider in drawing up reasonable estimates.

Permalink Reply by Latisha Smith on September 10, 2011 at 10:19am

Thank you! The total timeframe the client wish to pay for is 4hrs. I have shot a wedding before it was larger than 30 people and it was a family member so discount was all over that one :). I appreciate you giving me this information. What's the average price for engagement shoots? Prints? Do you provide a release so they can print elsewhere? Some photographers I've asked said it's not professional to give a cd because of the quality of the prints if the client print them from walmart, cvs etc. so I was torn about having that being apart of my wedding package.

Permalink Reply by Bill Dobbs on September 10, 2011 at 11:00am

Given my market (small town) for an engagement session where you are also doing the wedding I would charge $50 for a 1 hour shoot (minimum) plus car expense if I have to drive more than 20 km. plus $40 for editing (culling, cropping, correcting).  For engagement pictures I get inexpensive prints done (Costco does a good job) and provide them as part of the service.   If using more expensive printing, charge for costs.  For the wedding enlargements, I charge between $20 and $50 plus print costs for enlargements depending on size and quantity, proofs at cost. 

You have to think about where you make your profit.  Is it bound within your hourly cost or will you make it in selling outputs (photos, cd, albums, etc)?  For me it's a bit of each. If I provide a CD it's usually for the married couple to use to decide on which photos they want enlargements (instead of proofs); in that case the images are low resolution only or will have my watermark on them.  If the client wants photos in high resolution so they can print them off themselves I would charge $150 for the CD.  In this case I would provide a release for the client to use the disc (verbal is usually ok)  It is still professional to provide a CD with fully edited images.  Never give a CD with images as shot though.  I never advertise providing a CD as part of my service and will only do it if asked up front.  Again, where will you make your profit?  For very good clients I often provide a CD so they can use the images for screensavers, for emailing small images to people that couldn't make the ceremony, etc. 

Pricing is such an important part of the photography business, and you will have to develop your own list.  Think about all the factors involved, right from client consultation (can be huge!) before the event, your preparations, your equipment, transportation, getting enlargements done, billing, shipping/delivering, etc.  Then think about your market: what are people able to pay?  These days with less money in the economy you may have to provide a wider range of services (i.e. from bare-bones basic to deluxe packages) to capture your clientele.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Latisha Smith on September 10, 2011 at 12:39pm

Thank you! I agree that pricing is key with photography and any service for that matter. Have to really get my packages together but I don't plan on doing many weddings. I'd rather shoot engagement pictures less stress :). I like shooting portraits but right now I have to go where the market is fruitful. Again I appreciate your quick response. You were informative. :)