Why can Wedding Photography be so Expensive?

Why can wedding photography be so expensive? This is a question that gets asked a lot on the various wedding-themed Facebook groups of which I’m a member. To be more accurate, it’s usually asked in a manner more akin to this: “How can anybody justify charging more than £1000 for wedding photography???” If all of the work was completed on the day of the wedding, they might have a point. The reality, however, is very different.

Clearly there are wedding photographers out there to fit every budget. I myself started off running a ridiculously cheap package on a deal site. Why? Because it was a good way of getting a foot in the door, gaining experience and building a portfolio without completely giving it away. But you really can only do that for so long. Here’s why:

TIME

Why can wedding photography be so expensive? Every wedding I photograph takes up a huge amount of time.

Every wedding I photograph takes time. Lots of it:

I will physically meet with the couple at least once (usually twice) ahead of their wedding day.

There’s usually quite a bit of communication. Emails, booking schedules, contracts, invoices, phone calls, more emails etc…. As much as possible I will always try to formulate a photography plan for the day.

The day before the wedding I have to prepare my equipment: charge batteries, clean lenses and camera bodies, make sure everything works, iron my shirt and trousers and polish my shoes.

A loving embrace between newlyweds

I have to travel to the venue(s). It’s not uncommon that this is over an hour away, in each direction. If it’s a venue I’ve never worked at before, I will also make sure I visit before your big day.

Normally I will be with you on your wedding day for somewhere between eight and twelve hours (+/-).

When I get home from your wedding, your pictures need to be downloaded and backed up. This reduces the risk of a technical failure causing them to be lost.

Flower girls at a Kelmarsh Hall wedding

On average, each hour I spend shooting generates four hours of editing.

If you have purchased a package with a photobook, it’s another ten to twelve hours work uploading pictures and then putting together a first draft. Once you’ve provided feedback, I’ll make any requested changes.

Putting together and uploading your HD slideshow usually takes another two or three hours.

Once I’ve got all your deliverables together, I will arrange to come and see you to hand them over in person.

All told, a ‘typical’ 10-hour wedding photography booking with a photobook usually generates somewhere between 65 and 75 hours of work.

Even at the current national living wage rate (and I think I’m worth more than that), that’s over £650 on its own.

A very different confetti shot

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

Professional grade camera equipment does not come cheap. Many of the locations in which wedding ceremonies and receptions take place are very dark. Consumer level gear will just not be able to cope with it. Camera bodies (including backup), a range of lenses, flash guns, remote triggers, batteries, memory cards…. It all needs maintaining and, every now and again, upgrading or replacing.

Abbey Road cover style wedding shot

COMPUTER ‘STUFF’

I run two PCs, large external hard drives, and pay monthly for various editing software subscriptions, ‘office’ packages, ‘cloud’ gallery hosting and storage, website hosting and for licensing of music used in the soundtracks to my slideshows.

Every Bonfire Night weekend wedding needs sparklers! – Heck, every wedding needs sparklers!

INSURANCE

Having already had camera gear stolen once, insurance does not come cheaply. I also have public liability insurance.

The Sedgebrook Hall pagoda after dark

ADVERTISING

While word of mouth is a great way of getting bookings, it’s almost impossible to fill your diary solely that way. Therefore, money gets invested in Facebook advertising, wedding magazines, wedding directories, wedding fairs, flyers etc. It all adds up.

DELIVERABLES

Why can wedding photography be so expensive? Deliverables! All of my wedding photography clients who choose one of my bespoke wedding photography packages receive a choice of wooden boxes containing prints and a branded wooded USB stick

All of my wedding photography packages come with a number of prints and a choice of branded wooden USB stick and wooden presentation box combinations. If you want a photobook, aside from the time it takes to design it, there is obviously a cost to me to supply it.

TRAVEL

The number of miles I do ‘per job’ obviously varies, but I foot the bill for the first 60 miles of every wedding I take on. The same goes for any consultations, whether they prove to be fruitful or otherwise….

The bridal party in full swing on the dancefloor during the evening reception

EXPERIENCE

The other thing I mentioned further up in passing that you can’t put a value on, and why wedding photography can seem expensive, is experience. Knowing what is going to happen when helps you to be able to anticipate times where beautiful, natural shots might be produced. Knowing the limitations of your camera equipment is also vital. It’s very difficult to even try to put a price on that.

Two grooms have a pre-wedding hug at The Walnut Tree Blisworth

WHAT YOU SHOULD PAY

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of great value, aspiring wedding photographers out there who are still mastering their trade. But, when deciding on a photographer for your wedding, please don’t confuse ‘costly’ with ‘expensive’. Expensive does not automatically equate to poor value. If photographs are important to you, you should spend on them what you can afford.

Lead time with weddings can be huge. Will that photographer you’ve booked for £500 or less still be in business when your wedding comes around in 18 months’ time? You have got to shoot an awful lot of weddings a year to survive at that price point. The reality is that unless you are outsourcing your editing, there’s only a finite number that you physically can shoot. Don’t get stung.

A big balloon and a Sedgebrook Hall fairytale wedding

More Information

If you’ve not already done so, please take a look at my WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGES – Karl Drage, Northampton Wedding Photographer.

For more information on what happens when you decide you want me to photograph your wedding, please see: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY by Karl Drage – How I Work

While every wedding is different, there are certain elements which are usually broadly similar. Take a look at a typical wedding day to get a feel for the primarily documentary wedding photography style I’m likely to employ for your big day.

Get in Contact

If you’d like to enquire about my availability, to discuss other options or if you have any queries, please use one of the methods on the Contact Us page to get in touch.
While I am based in Northamptonshire, I am willing to travel out of area, though please be aware this may bring with it an additional cost.

What my clients say:

02/10/2021

Lisa & Paul

"Karl is much more than a photographer. He truly sees people and tells a story. Both the formal and the more candid shots were so well taken and edited. The composition of the long shots to capturing the look in someone's eye all taken perfectly. I cannot wait until we have them in our hands. Thank you Karl! You were more than our photographer that day! x"

Lisa West

14/04/2018

Claire & Rob

"He turned up on time well dressed and aside the large camera blended right in to our day. Our guests believed he was a family friend. He socialised, took time and patience with our children, and my husband's need to make me laugh. He calmed my worries, picked confetti from my hair and stopped people standing on my dress, all while making us feel at ease and taking incredible pictures. This man made our wedding easy, stress-free and will help us remember it for the rest of our lives. He arrived as our photographer and left as our friend. One of the most heartfelt thank yous I have ever given… Thank you Karl."

Claire Gascoigne

20/09/2020

Holly & Dan

"Karl was fantastic. From the original meeting to our wedding day, he was professional and very supportive. We would highly recommend him."

Holly S

17/08/2022

Kate & Stuart

"Karl Drage is without a doubt the best Tradesperson/Professional that I've ever had the pleasure to hire the services of."

Stuart Willows

October 12,2019

Accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi at vero eos et vitae feugiat magna, ut ligula

Gloria+Nate

]Karl Drage is a professional Northamptonshire-based wedding photographer covering the following counties:

Bedfordshire Wedding Photographer | Buckinghamshire Wedding Photographer | Cambridgeshire Wedding Photographer | Leicestershire Wedding Photographer | Northants Wedding Photographer | Oxfordshire Wedding Photographer | Rutland Wedding Photographer | Warwickshire Wedding Photographer

Providing wedding photography services in the following towns and everywhere in between:

Corby Wedding Photographer | Daventry Wedding Photographer | Huntingdon Wedding Photographer | Kettering Wedding Photographer | Leicester Wedding Photographer | Milton Keynes Wedding Photographer | Northampton Wedding Photographer | Oundle Wedding Photographer | Peterborough Wedding Photographer | Rugby Wedding Photographer | Stamford Wedding Photographer | Wellingborough Wedding Photographer