Wedding Photography Costs Increase

A recent survey by The Conde Nast Bridal Group shows that the average amount spent on weddings has increased to $27,852. This is almost a 100% increase since 1990 when the average cost was $15, 208.

Of the top growth categories, the cost of photography and video jumped the highest percentage – 178%. In 1999, the cost of photography/video averaged $1263. In 2006 it was $3509.

But the statistics don’t explain why and I thought it would be appropriate to address this- I can only speak about wedding photography, and not video.

1. Digital costs and equipment
As studio and photojournalistic wedding photographers have changed from film to digital photography their costs have skyrocketed. Digital equipment is very expensive, plus any photographer worth two cents carries a lot of back up equipment. Depending on the size of the wedding, they also bring assistants and second shooters if necessary.

2. Time
In the old days, a photographer shooting film would have a professional lab process the film and then deliver the images to the photographer who would sort and edit them.
This was tedious work but relatively easy.

Now, with digital photography, photographers do the work the labs used to do- they process the images on their computer, they edit and color correct them and then in some cases post them on a website.

This can take a day or two since most photographers take a lot of images when shooting digital. So time has to be factored into the photographer’s costs.

3. Experience
Never discount the cost of experience. As the market shifts so more and more amateurs pick up a digital camera and profess being wedding photographers, there are more avery inexpensive photographers out there who offer to shoot your wedding and then just give you the images on
a cd without editing them, correcting them or giving you high resolution images. Then you’re stuck making all the reprints whose price you didn’t factor into the cost of your wedding either.

An experienced photographer will give you a fair package that doesn’t contain hidden costs. You will be assured that the images will be technically proficient but also, and just as important, have a viewpoint or artistic sensibility that puts them above the amateur photographer.

In the end, you only have your memories and your pictures so if you’re going to spend extra money, do it with a high-end professional wedding photographer like those on www.TheWeddingPicture.biz!