Should I Charge For Wedding Photos?

Bride and groom, full length at reception centre

Bride and groom, full length at reception centre

Are you about to photograph your first wedding? Should you charge to do the job? Here's what you need to know.

There are three approaches to take when deciding how much to charge for your first wedding photography assignment. You could do it for free, charge your full rate or offer a discounted price. What you charge and the perceived value of the expertise you provide can impact on the final product.

Wedding photography is not to be undertaken lightly. It's stressful, physically difficult and involves many hours of work both on the day and, for many, on the computer afterwards.

If the job is undertaken for a friend or family member you’ll need to read on to know whether or not to charge for all that hard work and the stress that goes along with such an important assignment.

Table of Contents:

    An Experienced Wedding Photographer

    These days I brand myself as a travel photographer. But I started in this profession long ago and my first major jobs were as a wedding and portrait photographer.

    I even operated my own photography studio for a few years. As I lived in a small town with a relatively modest marketplace it was necessary to become a bit of a generalist.

    That fact resulted in me photographing all manner of assignments, including the following:

    • Several hundred weddings

    • Over a hundred family portraits

    • Debutante balls

    • School and kindergarten photography

    • I even photographed a funeral

    The experienced and expertise gained in those early days as an up and coming wedding photographer allows me to speak to the subject in question with a measure of authority.

    Let’s proceed.

    Providing Free Wedding Photography

    Only you can decided whether or not to charge for your services as the wedding photographer.

    There’s no doubt that many of us who have faced that particular choice would likely have benefited from hindsight.

    It’s important to understand that, despite how the bride and groom sell the idea to you, you’re not being asked to shoot the wedding because you’re a great friend or a beloved family member.

    In fact, whether they know it or not, they’re playing on that very relationship to save themselves a truckload of money.

    Please understand there is no honor being bestowed upon you for undertaking such an important job. You’re simply a resource to be exploited.

    There, I said it.

    While the bride and groom may invite you to the wedding, you’re no guest. It’s just not possible to enjoy yourself on what could be the hardest working and most stressful day of your life.

    Of course you’ll feel a mix of elation and relief if the photos come out well and are enthusiastically accepted by the bride and groom. 

    But I can assure you that if they had any concept of how hard the job was there’s no way they’d ask you to do it for free.

    The Value Of Your Wedding Photography Skills

    If you’re a RAW shooter you could easily spend a week, by which I mean at least 40 hours, photographing and post processing the job.

    Let’s say the groom is a builder. Try asking him to spend a week building you a garage - for free!

    And be prepared for the following line

    “Oh, we’re happy to reimburse your costs.”

    That one never added up and, now that many weddings are provided as digital files, where’s the cost? A USB memory stick.

    Oh, p-l-e-a-s-e.

    It’s labor and, more importantly, expertise that matters. Imagine how much the labor cost would be for a 40 hour job undertaken by your builder buddy.

    While an hourly or daily rate and, sometimes, post processing charges can be factored into a lot of commercial photography, it just doesn’t work that way in the world of wedding photography.

    It’s reasonable that labor becomes part of your own considerations when calculating how much the job cost you to deliver.

    But the fact is it’s hard for wedding photographers to charge for their hard work in the same way. Nor should you.

    It’s your expertise, authority, trustworthiness and the communicative power within the photos you deliver that’s at the heart of what you do. They’re the most important factors that should determine your pricing.

    It’s worth noting that professional wedding photographers book weddings on trust and as much as on the quality of the product they produce.

    The really successful wedding photographers build a brand and a reputation that showcases their unique vision, approach and photographic style.

    While such things are beyond the realm of newbie photographers, if you’re wanting to build a successful business as a wedding photographer you’ll need to pay attention, on an ongoing basis, to such concerns.

    Now I certainly wouldn’t recommend that you photograph anyone’s wedding without first gaining experience assisting another, more experienced photographer.

    Working For Free Devalues Your Skills

    The irony is that working for free only lessens your chances of success. It’s likely that you won’t be valued or given the respect required to get the job done properly.

    You’ll know you’re in trouble when you discover the bridal couple have asked other people to also take photos on the day.

    There’s nothing worse than competing for the bride and groom’s attention when you’re trying to make beautiful photos.

    Talk about a mood killer. It’s almost impossible to produce intimate, romantic images when you’re surrounded by onlookers and other photographers.

    But for the bride and groom to be happy leaving their friends and family and following you to a more secluded location they’re going to have to trust that you know what you’re doing.

    Trust is diminished when authority and expertise are under valued.

    Conversely, if the couple have invested a reasonable amount of money in your product or service, they’re far more likely to trust your judgment and act on your advice.

    By charging a reasonable fee you’re far more likely to be able to make the kind of images that will satisfy all concerned.

    Be aware that, by agreeing to photograph a wedding for free, a dangerous precedent may have been set.

    Let’s face it, by saying yes once you’ll find it hard to refuse the rest of your family and friends when they come looking for a once in a lifetime deal.

    For those of you with large families and extended groups of friends, you have my most sincere condolences.

    I know what it’s like having photographed weddings for two of my brothers and one of my sisters. I now have eleven nieces and nephews, two of which (so far) managed to get me to photograph their big day.

    And there’s now a new generation on the way. Yikes!

    Of course the importance of these photos is not to be diminished and you may well become the manager of significant moments in your family’s ongoing history.

    As your parents age and, eventually pass away, the responsibility for the ever expanding family photo time capsule will likely be passed onto you.

    This is both an important, difficult and long-term responsibility. And it’s yours because you said yes.

    Wedding Photography For Beginners

    The notion of a beginner being responsible for photographing a wedding is, from my experience, a preposterous notion.

    There’s just so much at stake.

    While it takes a long time to master the type of technical challenges you’ll likely experience on the day, you also need excellent time management and people skills and the ability to work under extreme pressure.

    No! Wedding photography is absolutely not for amateurs.

    Having said that, you have to start somewhere. It’s true to say the first weddings I photographed were absolutely bargain basement level productions.

    I was not much more than a kid and I priced the work incredibly cheaply due to where I saw myself in the market and according to how I perceived the quality of the images I produced.

    And of course I wanted to gain the experience I knew would help me become a much better photographer over time.

    While I worked enthusiastically and as hard as I could, the standard of the work wasn’t great.

    But the couples who contracted me were always very pleased with the results and the genuine passion and enthusiasm with which I approached the assignment.

    They appreciated my efforts and recommended me to their friends. Overtime the quality of my photos improved and I was able to offer far superior products for which I charged accordingly.

    And that’s how it works. The best marketing there is word of mouth. Testimonials from past customers are, ultimately, what will build your business, as they did mine.

    Overtime your skills will increase and the quality of the products and services you provide will improve. This will allow you to increase your prices and move up to a more profitable part of the market.

    Charging Full Price For Wedding Photography

    Outside of working for family and, perhaps, your very closest friends and colleagues there’s probably no reason why you’d want to discount your wedding photography pricing.

    There might be some exceptions to this rule. Here’s some to consider.

    • You’re photographing a wedding for reasons of charity.

    • You’re a very inexperienced wedding photographer and you don’t think it’s right to charge what, one day, you believe your photography is worth.

    • You’re trying to work your way into a particular segment of the market by photographing a wedding held at a certain reception venue.

    Wedding Photography at a Discounted Rate

    There’s something to be said, when you’re starting out, for offering your wedding photography services at a discounted rate.

    By being upfront with the bride and groom about your actual fees they’re more likely to perceive value in the fact that you’re offering to do the job at a substantially discounted rate.

    After all, they’re friends.

    But by having to pay (something) you’ll find they’ll be more cooperative on the day and will be more likely to grant you the level of respect and authority you need to produce the kind of photos you know you’re capable of creating.

    Just ensure there’s an iron-clad agreement between the three of you that no one else knows that you’re providing this service at a discounted price.

    That’s because, once it’s known that you’re prepared to discount your rates, it can become expected that you’ll do so for others.

    It’s at times like this that you’ll discover friends you never thought you had.

    Keeping Wedding Photos Safe

    As a way of protecting yourself against technical disasters make sure you do the following:

    • Bring at least two cameras with you on the day.

    • If your camera allows it, record pictures onto duplicate memory cards.

    • If that’s not possible consider using a separate memory card for photos made at the bride’s house, wedding service, bridal party location photos and reception.

    • Ensure you have numerous backups for your digital files, both on and offsite.

    Conclusion: Is Wedding Photography For You?

    It’s important to understand that, other than carrying the primary photographers bag and, maybe, being given the opportunity to make a few pics on the day, photographing weddings for friends and family is a legitimate way to enter the industry.

    But if you want to build a business as a wedding photographer, beware.

    It’s murder and, regardless of all the goodwill and hard work you invest, if you mess it up your name and brand will likely be damaged for years to come.

    Glenn Guy, Travel Photography Guru