Many brides have been dreaming of the perfect wedding ever since a little girl. With pretty brides maids, fresh flowers everywhere, Rolls Royce to take you to the huge church, a cake covered in scrumptious white flaked chocolate, a Vera Wang dress to die for and Jimmy Choo shoes to make everyone green with envy… not to forget the personalised wedding stationary and favours for all your best friends and family to take away.
Six months after the wedding, your fabulous honeymoon is all but a memory, the cake eaten, flowers long since forgotten and the dress sold on for a mint, you pat yourselves in the back for hiring a good photographer who has created a wonderful album capturing the story of your day beautifully… You did hire a professional photographer didn’t you?
Why do photographers cost so much anyway? Surely if anything, it should be cheaper in these days of cheap digital cameras? In short, it’s because it takes a least a whole week of slaving behind the computer to edit all the photos and put together the perfect album. But that’s not including public liability insurance, equipment insurance for two high-end digital cameras, flashes, lenses (did you know a professional lens can cost £1500 and more? Yes over one thousand five hundred Pounds for just one lens.)
At the photographers.co.uk website, they have price guide of how much you can expect to pay for a wedding photographer to cover your wedding.
| Rough Budget Guide (from photographers.co.uk) |
| Under £500: Very basic. Part time photography |
| £501 – 1000: Standard. No Frills |
| £1001 – 1500: Standard. Plus quality album |
| £1501 – 2000: Comprehensive. Plus quality album |
| £2001 – 2500: Top Quality. Plus bells and whistles |
| Above £3000: Exclusive. Best Quality. Extra albums |
I’d agree with the above price guide, you certainly should not look to pay less than £500 for a professional photographer, someone charging less than £500 will most definitely skimp on something somewhere, be it using sub-standard equipment, no backup equipment, uninsured, or they just expect not to spend much time editing your photos. By the way, at RHOTOGRAPHY, we don’t skimp on any such things.
So the a decent package costs around £1000 upwards. There will be regional differences how much the photographer will charge for his/her time, but insurance, equipment and albums all cost the same in the UK, so the guidelines are roughly accurate wherever you are.
Whoever you choose as your photographer, be sure to work closely with him or her. They can only give you what you want only if you tell him. Make sure you have met them at least a couple of times, a pre-wedding shoot is great way to get to know them and for them to get to know you so you won’t feel awkward in front of them on the day that matters. See my previous blog post for more tips on how to get the best out of your photographer.
I hope your wedding plans come together smoothly and more too far over budget.
Good luck,
Ray
RHOTOGRAPHY.co.uk
A People’s Photographer
