Why is Wedding Photography Expensive?

Why do wedding photographers cost so much?

This is one of the most common questions of those who are planning a wedding. It’s a reasonable question at a first glance. Why should I hire a wedding photographer? Can’t a friend with a camera take some pictures? The answer is yes, you need to hire a wedding photographer. That is, if you’d like your wedding planning efforts and special day captured and saved forever. Why, though, is the cost so high? Let’s dive into why wedding photography is so expensive.

Why is wedding photography expensive?

Shooting Time

Wedding days can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. This is non-stop, continuous shooting action for the wedding photographer, which can be strenuous physically for any photographers handling their own equipment. It can add to the cost if they have an assistant to help with this, so the photographer can focus 100% on capturing your wedding day. On top of this, there is a lot of creative work that goes into getting just the right shot, while navigating the room and guests. The physical and creative demand for a wedding photographer is a long and hard day’s work.

Editing Time

The editing time that goes into a wedding can take several days, and even longer depending on the length and size of the wedding itself. The work for a wedding photographer to get through just one wedding can take days to weeks after the event is over. The photographer must spend time narrowing down the best images for you, adjusting colors and light, creating galleries, prints, albums or whatever their preferred medium of distribution is. Wedding photographers take a lot of photos to ensure that the perfect shots are achieved to capture your special day. That equals a lot of work in the editing process of those final beautiful images.

Equipment Costs

The right equipment to deliver the quality that you deserve for your wedding day does add up. This applies to both shooting equipment and editing equipment. Photographers are shooting with multiple lenses, camera bodies and lighting setups to ensure that the quality of capture is made to last. It’s important for photographers to try to keep their gear up-to-date and well-maintained so that they can better serve you, and to do that there is a lot of extra capital put into these investments.

Business Expenses

You found your wedding photographer through research. Whether that was on social media, Googling things like ‘Brooklyn wedding photographer’, at bridal show, or a referral from a vendor, it’s very likely that the photographer put some money behind that marketing. To be able to keep up the business to provide for happy couples, there are business expenses that get put into marketing so that they can continue to shoot, gain experience and deliver high quality results to their wedding clients.

Assistants

To ensure that nothing gets missed on the big day, many photographers suggest enlisting a second shooter for assistance. This gives them more flexibility and ease and make sure all of your bases are covered on the wedding day. However, the second shooters and assistants are also working professionals who need to make a living as well. The cost that goes into a second shooter is worth every penny to ensure your day runs as smoothly as possible.

Making a Living

At the end of the day, photographers are going home and living life just as you are. To be able to make a living on top of the expenses into working hours, it’s fair to say that these wedding photography professionals deserve to be paid for their hard work. They have put hours and hours into perfecting their craft, including many obtaining degrees and certifications, so they can give you the best results. Experienced wedding photographers make their livelihood from making your day one to remember forever.

One Opportunity to Shoot Memories for a Lifetime

Wedding photographers have one opportunity to capture your day perfectly. It is so important to remember that the quality you pay for is the quality you receive. If you are given one opportunity to trust someone to capture your memories for a lifetime, make sure it is someone you trust and believe are worth the price tag. At the end of the day, your wedding is about you and your event. It’s worth every penny to make sure that you spend your day with peace of mind knowing that your forever love can be forever documented.