If you've ever been a bride searching for a reasonably priced professional photographer, then you'll understand the angst that a bride-to-be is facing when looking for just the right person to catch memories on her dream day.
Two Sides to the Budget Issue
I will open this discussion with the words of an unknown, disgruntled bride:
"I am a Bride who is getting married this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly talented, fun photographer.
WHY because the word 'WEDDING' is involved photographers think they can charge you $3,000 for wedding photos? Oh, because no bride is going to go without so they are going to pay it, because they HAVE to. They are ripping people off for all they have! Why when you want to get married it costs you AT LEAST 15 grand after all is said-and-done?... I love all you $3000 photographers out there but I think your prices are WACK..." (Unknown bride)."
Nikki Wagner, an Eerie, Pennsylvania, photographer responded to this bride's frustrated rant by listing her income and expenses:
"Dear Bride,
I am a wedding photographer in the Erie, PA area. Wedding season only lasts about 4 months here, so I photograph an average of 20 weddings per year for an average of $2,500/wedding (which totals about $50,000/year).
· That being said, I am a small business owner, so I pay all of my taxes, totaling about $15,000/year, which leaves me with a gross income of around $35,000.
· Of that $35,000 I pay $600/month in rent for my small house and garage which I converted into my studio (which is where I would be editing your wedding images). $35,000 – $7,200 = $27,800
· Then I have my car, which I would use to get me to and from your wedding, which I pay $400/month for the lease, plus $200/month in car insurance. $27,800 – $7,200 = $20,600
· To get to your (and my other brides) wedding consultation, second wedding pre-consultation, the wedding itself, and to and from the printers I spend $840/year in gas money. $20,600 – $840 = $19,760… (PetaPixel.com)."
Little Options and a lot of Expectations
Wagner's "explanation" continues on quite a while and her tactic seems harsh. However, one can see both views. Expectations exist on both sides of the issue: 1) a bride wants good options – as it stands, the only options are to pay upwards of $1,500 for a professional photographer or entrust an amateur with the task of capturing the priceless moments. 2) Photographers expect fair pay for a hard day's work – anything less would result in substandard service.
With a growing divide between professional services and meager budgets, wedding professionals and nearly-wed couples can bridge the gap with a small amount of understanding during the negotiation process.
Negotiating the Boundaries
Nearly-wed couples seem to comprehend the need for wedding professionals to make a living, but they also have real budget restraints. Going without wedding pictures is like bread missing from a sandwich. Therefore, one way to cut the photography cost, while still capturing beautiful moments of the day, is to do a session before or after the wedding. Some couples do this on the day after and others opt to have professional pictures taken before, during, and after the wedding ceremony. Soliciting a professional photographer in this way gives the couple beautiful pictures that are suitable for framing or giving to family and friends, without the cost of a full day session.
Any photographer worth hiring understands stressful budget restraints and anxiety associated with a wedding day, and will do all he or she can to create an affordable and amiable solution for the thoughtful wedding couple. Therefore, with a little forethought and planning, a compromise should be able to be reached between the professional photographer and the nearly-wed couple.
When a couple does find a photographer who is willing to work out a plan that fits the needs of their day, the wedding couple should make sure not to sour the agreement by being late to a session or cancel a session at the last minute. Likely, the kind and professional photographer has given up a longer photography session to make the couple's dream day special or he or she has tightly fit the nearly-wed couple into an already busy schedule.
Worth Remembering
Calmer heads often do prevail: Not all photographers are leeches waiting to suck every dime out of one's pocketbook and not all brides are cheap and completely incapable of understanding the need to make a living. Wedding couples and wedding professionals, alike, should remember that a couple's wedding day should be about love, surrounded with love, and kindness and compassion should be shared by all.
Happy Hunting!
Sonya Dunham - Sonya studied English Literature and Writing at Park University and is currently working on a novel.
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