Looking for a cheap wedding photographer

[Beechwood_S6 101]

Question for you togs.

 

How much is your insurance?

I ask because I've seen it mentioned a few times is it for a year or for each event.

 

It's a year normally inclueded in with the equipment insurance, so say the insurance came to xxx amount for the year it would include the PLI with it. Just checked mine looks like I pay as part of my overall equipment insurance £25 for the year for a Million pounds PLI.

 

My passed years I used to have to have 5 million pound cover but that was down to higher risk assignments.

 

I guess If you pay for it separately maybe £150 for the year, it's easy enough to find out just go to an insurance site and get a quote.

 

Mines wrapped up in with my equipment so it varies with the amount that's insured.

 

But over all it's not expensive to get cover for a year.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Beechwood_S6
To add my costs

[Bruno 10]

Thanks for your reply I just questioned it due to it being mentioned in prices, I thought it was going to be ridiculously expensive.

[Nickscape 10]

Interesting discussion folks. I think wedding photography in Sheffield is very different to other areas of the country where people have more disposable income and assume that you need to spend so much on a wedding, I totally agree that it all depends on the couple and what they are looking for, I know people who have spent over £3k on a photographer and the images have been amazing and just what they were looking for and the photographs were a very important part of the day. On the flip side I have a friends who have recently been married who only spent around £3k on the whole wedding (and it was just as good and thoughtful as a £20k wedding) so to spend £1000 and a third of their budget on a photographer just wasn't an option for them, this seems to be far more normal these days.

 

Twoflags - please take this as constructive - 87.5 hours editing per wedding seems a little excessive, there must be tools available that will take time out of some of your work flow to automate it opening up lots of extra time to spend on other areas of your business or to have extra rest as I imagine the days actually shooting are exhausting. I know some photos will need very detailed alterations but I wouldn't normally even spend 15 minutes editing one of my landscape photos which can need all kinds of attention.

[Bruno 10]

You will find some will target the upper market and do their marketing for this and others who target other audiences in their marketing, so in other words there is a photographer for all occasions.

Take a typical hotel and the cost of their food per head, also the cost of a pint of beer it doesn't make either any tastier. Yes there are different prices all over when it comes to weddings it's all down to marketing.

[Beechwood_S6 101]

@nikcsape I use photoshop also I have had Lightroom but really never got to grips with LR as I'm so use to photoshops basic actions and really hardly use it to it's higher potential, eg I'm a photographer so just need the crop and level settings and other basics it offers, some cases my clients would expected an image within 15 mins of it being taken or an event finishing, so I've been hard wired to complete assignment on the basis of snooze and you lose.

 

I can understand 15min on a pic if you were really editing it from the in camera image to something such as black & white with some specific colouring in, so a really artistic image maybe, but if personally I had to spend 87hrs editing after an event, I'd probably end up shooting myself out of frustration.

 

I would expect 200 images would take me 4hrs edit time based on current software and Computer ware I have.

 

Batch edit and recorded actions could probably reduce some of the time spent in front the screen.

 

I admit Airbrushing takes a bit longer but it's all about practice more you do quicker you get unless you have a bad work flow in which case editing really would be a struggle even for the most efficient tog.

[Twoflags 10]

Interesting discussion folks. I think wedding photography in Sheffield is very different to other areas of the country where people have more disposable income and assume that you need to spend so much on a wedding, I totally agree that it all depends on the couple and what they are looking for, I know people who have spent over £3k on a photographer and the images have been amazing and just what they were looking for and the photographs were a very important part of the day. On the flip side I have a friends who have recently been married who only spent around £3k on the whole wedding (and it was just as good and thoughtful as a £20k wedding) so to spend £1000 and a third of their budget on a photographer just wasn't an option for them, this seems to be far more normal these days.

 

Twoflags - please take this as constructive - 87.5 hours editing per wedding seems a little excessive, there must be tools available that will take time out of some of your work flow to automate it opening up lots of extra time to spend on other areas of your business or to have extra rest as I imagine the days actually shooting are exhausting. I know some photos will need very detailed alterations but I wouldn't normally even spend 15 minutes editing one of my landscape photos which can need all kinds of attention.

 

Hi Nick,

 

I'm certain there will be tools to speed up and automate work flow, but, I enjoy the editing side as much as I enjoy the photographing side. I don't necessarily always spend that long editing on every wedding. Again, it depends on the expectations of the client. But what I have found in the past is that although you may be doing a favour for someone, a good deed etc at a reduced price, the client still expects the level of attention that is in line with your portfolio.

[jennymills 10]

Hi Cam26, I am a student photographer and have 3 years experience working with a professional wedding photographer.

 

I don't know what type of budget you had in mind, but please feel free to take a look at my work and contact me about your wedding.

 

http://www.facebook.com/jennymillsphotography

 

[Beechwood_S6 101]

In a sense it's not as simple as that. You set your prices according to your lever of clientele. Are a bride and groom with a £40,000 wedding going to be expecting, or even looking for a photographer in a £365 price bracket. In honesty, no. That's no reflection on the photographer, but common conceptions being that "if it costs more, it has to be better" on the same footing, a couple with a £5,000 budget for instance aren't going to be looking for a £1000+ photographer.

 

My image only price is £650, that's two photographers, for a full day, engagement shoot etc etc.

 

 

A perfect example, you'd expect to pay more for a BMW than a Vauxhall, they're both cars, they both do the same thing. But different bells and whistles, different target audiences.

 

Fair comments on the image only prices etc

 

Side note on BMW & Vauxhall were both clients when I was in London along with most of the other dealership brands, I can tell you there's a vast difference in the price for their products but when it came down to photography budgets they are tight on spending. Prime Example Porsche http://www.porscheeastlondon.co.uk

 

They paid for a one year licence for a pic back in 2008 they paid just over £200 for it certainly not my best work they wanted a rush order on it, but they were very happy with it, so over past 6 years it's continued to be their store front image. Ive had a couple letters sent but never paid.

[jezzyjj 10]

@nikcsape I use photoshop also I have had Lightroom but really never got to grips with LR as I'm so use to photoshops basic actions and really hardly use it to it's higher potential, eg I'm a photographer so just need the crop and level settings and other basics it offers, some cases my clients would expected an image within 15 mins of it being taken or an event finishing, so I've been hard wired to complete assignment on the basis of snooze and you lose.

You're not using the right tools for the job then.

Lightroom will do all you need [and a heck of a lot more] and LR will also do it much faster than Photoshop will be able to.

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 14:51 ----------

 

There seems to be a lot of very poor costing with regard to the business of doing wedding photography in this thread.

Not to mention the completely overlooked and most important aspect - the photographer's ability. I guess some of the people here would work out a price for the Mona Lisa by adding up the cost of the canvas, some paint and a few hours work at minimum wage by Leonardo. And then they'd complain that Leo was taking too long and that feeding the model was an unnecessary expense.

 

Some examples of price/time/overhead breakdowns for a professional wedding photographer.

 

Hariscott Photography

 

Matt Nolan

 

Ten2Ten Photography

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 14:56 ----------

 

I'm certain there will be tools to speed up and automate work flow, but, I enjoy the editing side as much as I enjoy the photographing side. I don't necessarily always spend that long editing on every wedding. Again, it depends on the expectations of the client. But what I have found in the past is that although you may be doing a favour for someone, a good deed etc at a reduced price, the client still expects the level of attention that is in line with your portfolio.

Indeed. Some levels of service simply take time and therefore there is no cheap option.

The other thing that I've noticed is that clients [speaking generally, not just weddings] who want to pay the least are the ones who suck the most time out of your life with faffing and constant demands.

[Boothybabe 10]

You're not using the right tools for the job then.

Lightroom will do all you need [and a heck of a lot more] and LR will also do it much faster than Photoshop will be able to.

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 14:51 ----------

 

There seems to be a lot of very poor costing with regard to the business of doing wedding photography in this thread.

Not to mention the completely overlooked and most important aspect - the photographer's ability. I guess some of the people here would work out a price for the Mona Lisa by adding up the cost of the canvas, some paint and a few hours work at minimum wage by Leonardo. And then they'd complain that Leo was taking too long and that feeding the model was an unnecessary expense.

 

Some examples of price/time/overhead breakdowns for a professional wedding photographer.

 

Hariscott Photography

 

Matt Nolan

 

Ten2Ten Photography

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 14:56 ----------

 

Indeed. Some levels of service simply take time and therefore there is no cheap option.

The other thing that I've noticed is that clients [speaking generally, not just weddings] who want to pay the least are the ones who suck the most time out of your life with faffing and constant demands.

 

You sound just like an elitist pro tog illuminati member

[jezzyjj 10]

You sound just like an elitist pro tog illuminati member

You sound like a troll, nope I'm wrong, you are a troll.

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 15:14 ----------

 

I'm not doubting the work needed, I have shot at weddings strictly as a friend whilst a pro has done their stuff and I have seen the work that can be involved just on site and not the editing that goes on afterwards, it can be exhausting I'm sure, I just find it hard to see how some of the prices can be justified, there is obviously some heart string tugging being used with the "one special day in your life that things have to be right" card.

Try looking at some of the costs of doing business I linked to above, rather than being a smart alec 'mate with a camera'. One who obviously has no idea about the realities of running a business or even the concept that you pay more for better work/more expensive product/higher level of service etc.

[Boothybabe 10]

You sound like a troll, nope I'm wrong, you are a troll.

 

---------- Post added 28-02-2014 at 15:14 ----------

 

Try looking at some of the costs of doing business I linked to above, rather than being a smart alec 'mate with a camera'. One who obviously has no idea about the realities of running a business or even the concept that you pay more for better work/more expensive product/higher level of service etc.

 

What are your wedding prices ?