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How Much Will it Cost?
How much a wedding photographer should cost is the same as asking how long is a piece of string?
Wedding photography can range from £400 to well over £5,000. Wedding photography isn't just about the time taken to take pictures on the day - preparing your photos and creating your albums after the day will take a lot longer than the time spent taking the photos. As with anything, you often pay for what you get, but don't be fooled into thinking that the quality will be better just because they cost more.
When deciding how much to pay, it is important to try and understand what affects the cost you are quoted and then make a decision about what is most important to you. Once you have decided what you want, ask photographers to quote for your requirements only - nothing more, nothing less - so you can compare like for like.
A number of factors will affect the cost of your wedding photographer including:
- Length of coverage (hours spent at the wedding)
- Number of photos taken
- Choice of photography style
- Type of album and number of photos included in the album
Length of coverage
Most photographers will charge for a set period of time such as:
- 3-4 hours - covering guests arriving, the wedding ceremony and photos before the wedding breakfast
- 6 hours - as above plus getting ready before hand or cutting of the cake and first dance
- 8 hours (all day)- getting ready, guests arriving, wedding ceremony, reception photos, cake cutting, first dance and evening dancing
Number of photos taken
There is no limit to the number of photos a wedding photographer will take, especially if they are using a digital camera. Don't be fooled however by the promise of lots of photos - you don't want quantity to be at the expense of quality. A good wedding photographer will be able to anticipate and capture those special moments in a flash but won't rush the more creative shots.
Choice of wedding photography style
Generally, it seems you are charged more for contemporary and reportage styles. This is partly related to the extra work required to touch up and add effects after the photo has been taken and partly due to demand for the latest trends.
Type of album and no of photos included in the album
The traditional wedding album was leather bound with photo mounted pages. Whilst this is still a popular offering, there are now a number of options to consider:
- Coffee table/magazine style storybook - Wedding photo albums are designed like magazines and the photos are printed direct onto the pages. There is often no limit to the size or number of images you can use. Some albums also allow you to add your own text. These books are hardbound in a variety of materials dependent on price. They are also known as digital albums of flush mount albums.
- Graphi Studio is a luxury version of a coffee table storybook offered by wedding photographers at the higher end of the market. These luxury cover books are handcrafted in Italy and feature a continuous page binding system.
- Slideshows on DVD are used to create a story of the day using a selection of photos accompanied by music. The quality of menu and case will depend on the price paid.
- High Resolution pictures on CD offers a cheaper alternative for those with a lower budget. If you like being creative, you can make your own photo book, DVD slideshow and print out as many pictures as you like. NB. Low resolution CDs are no good for printing photos.
The other consideration should be how many prints are included in the album of your choice, e.g. 20, 40 or 60.
nofreetime tips
- Single use cameras are a great way of getting photos of your guests during the reception to add to your collection of official photos. There is often a tendency for guests to only half use the camera so you'll need to get a member of the wedding party to check they are being used throughout the evening.
- Get pictures from your friends - with so many people having digital cameras, why not ask friends and family to put their photos onto CD and send them to you. You could even give a CD out to anyone taking pictures on the day. Alternatively, why not ask them to upload their photos onto a photo website like flickr or photobox.
- Make your own photo book - if you've always fancied a printed photo book but can't afford the ones offered by wedding photographers, why not make your own? There are lots of websites offering this service ranging from £20 upwards. At this price, you can even make them for your parents too. This is a great option if you want to spread the cost over a period of time or don't want to rush into making any decisions over which photos to choose.