There are many factors that can affect how much a wedding photographer charges for their services. It can be really confusing if one photographer charges half of what another does but still seems to deliver quality work. You know what they say -- you get what you pay for! But what does that really mean?

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Well, price usually comes down to three things: Expertise, Location, and Style. Let's break these down further.

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EXPERTISE

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A wedding photographer with more experience will produce a higher quality product and be in higher demand. They have worked with more clients and have nailed down the business side of things in a way that works. They also have been in the business long enough that they understand how easy it is to get burnt out and set boundaries accordingly -- one of those boundaries is charging more because they know what they are bringing to the table.

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Expertise involves a combination of the following:

• Finely tuned photography skills refined from years of actual experience

• Interpersonal skills (i.e. responsive and helpful communication, day-of guidance, etc)

• Keen and proven business sense you can trust (AKA they run their photography business like a business)

 

This kind of expertise, of course, comes at a higher price that correlates with their skillset, level of demand, and reputation. A great way to gauge a wedding photographer's level of expertise is to view full galleries and look at how they handle a variety of lighting situations and various parts of the day.

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LOCATION

 

Some industry professionals will tell you this shouldn't be a factor, but the reality is that different locations have different costs of living and doing business. If you are looking for a wedding photographer in an expensive urban area like NYC, you should be prepared to spend more than what you would have to spend in a rural Midwest area.

 

You can pay $3000 vs $6000 for the same quality of work and expertise depending on where you are located. More broadly speaking, the larger the city and higher medium-level income, the higher your standard prices will be. 

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STYLE

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Style is often subjective, but there are time-tested philosophies that should be considered when evaluating a wedding photographer's work. You will see a lot of trending editing styles as you search for your wedding photographer. (Think "light and airy" or "dark and moody") But your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime day and you will look at your beautiful wedding photos for decades to come. 30, 40, 50 years from now, do you want to remember your day through the filter of a trend that has long-since passed? 

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A refined and timeless style can come at a higher premium because it takes time to develop a consistent and beautiful editing style. The type of style you want for your wedding photographer will affect the pricing of the photographers you look, especially depending on the area you are looking at.

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There are also a lot of costs you don't see that professional photographers have to factor into their pricing. Here are some examples of costs of being a wedding photographer:

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• Business licenses

• Commercial and liability insurance

• Software for editing and client management

• Websites and domain fees

• Marketing and advertising costs

• Professional services like accounting or legal

• Taxes (Usually 30% of gross revenue)

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These costs don't even factor in expensive professional-grade photography gear which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, travel costs, and second/associate shooters.

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