| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/25/2007 01:50:29 PM · #1 |
I'm doing some research for my dad on wedding print prices. He's gonna be retiring soon and he's planning on getting back into wedding photography as a retirement career. I want to help him research the current business models and pricing in the wedding photography industry. If you are doing wedding work and would like to share your pricing and package structures, please post links here.
Thanks :)
|
|
|
|
06/25/2007 04:04:42 PM · #2 |
The best thing to do is to check on what your local photographers charge first, since prices do vary by locality a bit. Look at their sites and see what packages they offer, that way you can figure why they charge what they charge. If you are not sure how to do a seach on this, besides Google, try WPJA and search by your state.
Also, visit this site Wedding Forum, and do a search by topic--there are tons of posts regarding this very question.
Pricing depends a lot not only on products that you offer, but on quality and experience.
Good luck.
Message edited by author 2007-06-25 16:05:56. |
|
|
|
06/25/2007 09:30:04 PM · #3 |
|
|
|
06/25/2007 09:32:26 PM · #4 |
|
|
|
06/25/2007 09:58:00 PM · #5 |
| John, you're welcome to PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you my packages. It will also depend on where's he's located of course but it's a start :0) |
|
|
|
06/25/2007 10:16:24 PM · #6 |
HERE Is the price list for the local photographer we are using for my daughter's upcoming wedding in August. We actually mixed and matched a couple of his services to customize just what we wanted in terms of photography services for the day since we're on a pretty tight budget. Our total cost before getting any reprints will be about $1400, but that includes all the files as well as an engagement sitting, and a second shooter for the event.
What I liked most about the guy was when we went in for the consultation, he didn't "sell" us...we met in his office, which was obviously a working office and not geared to slick presentations. He had stacks of cd's for weddings he had done and we looked through probably 30 or 40 of them ...not just certain prints or certain weddings...and that gave us a very good idea of what he can really do. |
|
|
|
07/02/2007 01:06:38 PM · #7 |
The average wedding package in my area is $1800-2000. Closer to the city that can move closer to $3000-3500.
Single shooters is by far the most common arrangement, use of assistants is 30-50% from what I've seen and heard.
Print prices...online? as part of package (discounted)? for the B&G as part of the package, as a credit in a package, or what? It's be nice to quote a price of $35 for an 8x10, but it's not that easy or simple these days.
Packages - I have them listed on my site as that is what brides are shopping/comparing on. In reality I have a chart - $x for shooting fees (5,6,7,8 hours, 1 or 2 photogs), add' hours (1 or 2 photogs). Then I have album prices - and there is a discount on the album for pre-buying - it comes as a 'print credit' good toward anything we sell (album options as well as prints, folios, parent albums, announcement cards, etc). I have a consultation with a bride and from that suggest hours of coverage, 1 or 2 photogs, an album, etc and then quote a price with "Was that what you had in mind?"
In my market anyway, almost always brides want printed proofs and very very few want hi-res CD (it's priced on a sliding scale - if that's all you want it's $900. The more you spend the cheaper it gets - spend $3000 and it's $50). It's an incentive deal and I use it for proofs and disks.
All my weddings include an in-studio engagement session at not charge, wit 2 5x7 prints 'for the newspaper'. The reason for this is simple - it give me a chance to work with the B&G to be, and they (especially him) to get comfortable with being photographed. This makes the wedding day pics 200% better. And it's an opportunity to sell more!
|
|
|
|
07/02/2007 01:17:49 PM · #8 |
Wow, in the states it seems like people are ready to dish out the $$ for a wedding photographer.
It seems most people here in Norway are prepared to spend between $400-$800 for the photographer to take the pictures and then prints ordered afterwards. Is that $3000 with some albums or something??? My most expensive package is just over $2000 but that includes all day photography, and a nice album and a couple other things.
Prints on the other hand seem higher priced. I sell an 8x10 for $42. Perhaps people here are just used to paying less for photography and more for other products??
Message edited by author 2007-07-02 13:18:10.
|
|
|
|
07/04/2007 11:41:39 AM · #9 |
$100-125 an hour for photography, 1 photographer. Some charge more. That includes all your labor - the meetings, getting ready, shooting the day, transit time/car, editing, backup, some form of proofing the images and at least one more meeting. 7 hours at 125 is $875. Reality is those 7 hours is more like 15 to 18. Don't forget the advertising, bookkeeping time, insurance, equipment, etc all comes out of that money too. It's barely enough to cover costs and I work from home!
I don't find many people buying pictures - a few 4x6 from the wedding (mostly reception shots of themselves, or of their kids in the wedding, or of themselves in the wedding). Maybe $30/wedding average (i am working on improving this)
Biggest sale/profit is the bridal album. this is also where it varies most from photographer to photographer in quality, price, etc. My one album company rep shows me an album and says this sells (retail) for $3000. I charge $1200 for the same thing. Hmm... But then my last 2 friday weddings were my low end packages - $899 including 5 hours of shooting and a 10 side 8x10 album. I shoot just about as much as a full day saturday job, but budgets are budgets and I can't see most of my current clientele spending $3000 on an album. Could be I just don't ask!
I live in a fairly rural county with lower wages. Those here with money commute to jobs in the city, but I guess that's where most of their paycheck goes too - so much for moving out in the country to save on taxes. I don't know the percentage of weddings per year per population in an area, but my county has 170,000 residents - the 'city's county as 2 million, and everything is more expensive there.
Some churches charge $900-1500 for the ceremony, plus the pastor, janitor and security. Limos often cost as much as my photo services. Dresses can cost $800-1000. I feel I'm cheap in comparison.
Message edited by author 2007-07-04 11:45:31.
|
|
|
|
07/04/2007 11:46:47 AM · #10 |
Wow... I feel really over priced here! My prices are actually right around the norm in my area... but still lower than the "big dogs" in the area.
You can check out my prices and packages here. My individual print prices are the same as my portrait prices... which is pretty reasonable. Like I said, at least for my area. When it comes to portraits and seniors... I'm one of the lowest priced for good quality.
Weddings... sorry, I got off topic for a second. :)
Hope this helps some.
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Prints! -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/16/2024 04:18:29 PM EDT.
