Average Price for Wedding Photographer
How Much Should I Spend on my Wedding Photographer?
If you are planning your wedding, I’m sure you are trying to sort out how much you should budget for your wedding photographer. With there being such a wide variety in the type and size of weddings, there are a lot of factors that influence the price of a wedding photographer.
What is the Average cost of a wedding photographer?
The short answer is “It depends.” If you are looking for an average cost, according to WeddingWire, the average wedding photographer cost, with experience, in the United States is roughly \$2,000-\$4,500. However, the actual cost for a wedding photographer can be anywhere from \$0 to \$50,000+, ranging from brand new to those who only cater to celebrity weddings.
The reason this varies so much is because of the many factors that go into your specific wedding photography cost. However, the average price of a wedding photographer is going to vary based on three primary things: 1- The photographers experience, 2 – What’s included in the photo package and 3 – your unique wedding details (location, size, complexity).
The Problem With Average
There are loads of web pages that will give you an average price for a wedding photographer in various areas of the country. The problem with these averages is that they take into account all weddings, big and small and all wedding photographers, at all skill levels. Those with little or no experience, all the way up to photographers with decades of experience. Photographers that are in high demand vs. low demand. Weddings that may only need 1 hour of intimate coverage vs. 12 hour full day multi-venue weddings. Wedding packages with extra products and extra sessions vs. no products or extra sessions.
There is such a wide variety in the cost of wedding photography because it is custom to every wedding and to every couple, depending on what you value and what you want included in your photography coverage.
The Wedding Photography 10% Myth
Some wedding websites and professionals suggest using 10% of your budget on your wedding photographer. We feel this is strange advice because, in reality, photography can be way more or way less, depending on the scope of your wedding, what you are prioritizing and what photo services you want included in your coverage. Our advice is to make a list of all of your priorities at your wedding and build your budgets around those. If you prioritise flowers over everything else, that should receive the highest percentage, same goes for food, entertainment, photography and everything else. There is no one size that fits all because every wedding and couple are unique.
You will also be continuously making adjustments throughout your planning based on what you find. You will be constantly reevaluating your overall budget and re-prioritizing things. If you find “the cake”, “the DJ” or “the photographer” that you absolutely love, what you’ve planed to spend on each category will almost certainly change throughout the entire planning process – and that’s ok!
How Much do Wedding Photographers Cost?
It varies, a lot. The average cost of a wedding photographer can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on many factors. While you can most likely expect to spend somewhere between \$3,000 – \$4,500 for most photographers that have a solid level of experience, here are the top factors that will affect how much you will pay for your wedding photographer:
Skill Level and Experience of the Photographer
A more experienced and skilled photographer is likely to charge more for their services. An experienced photographer has done it all and seen it all and can give you the best advice on what works and what doesn’t. More experience also means they’ve been to a larger variety of wedding venues, learned from tough situations and had to find solutions to weather problems, timeline changes and equipment issues. All of this experience allows them to adapt to any situation, delivering the consistent results you expect. This peace of mind for a couple planning their wedding is priceless and is highly valued.
Location of the Wedding
The cost of a wedding photographer will vary depending on where you live and what the average photographer’s rate is in your area. You will generally pay more in a big cities like New York and in cities which host a lot of weddings, such as Orlando, than you would in a small town The more competitive the market, the higher the average cost of a wedding photographer.
Length of coverage
How long you want your photographer to be at your wedding is a major factor in how much your wedding photography will cost. Some photographers charge by the hour, while others offer packages that include a certain number of hours of coverage. If you are having an intimate micro-wedding and only need an hour of coverage, that will cost much less than a 12 hour wedding day.
How Much Should I spend on Wedding Photos?
Many photographers offer additional products and services, such as engagement sessions, albums, prints, canvas, etc.. which will add to the total cost. Also, there is a wide variety of products available to photographers from low quality to archival quality. Photographers who offer a higher archival quality level of products, that will stand the test of time, will come at a higher cost than those that don’t.
Why do wedding photographers cost what they do?
Wedding photographers generally cost more than a family photographer or other types of photographers. This is usually because weddings are significantly more complex and require a much higher skill level in terms of both photography, planning and logistics.
Unlike most other types of photography, a wedding only happens once and it can not be re-shot on another day. This requires a much higher skill level, to deliver consistent results, in any and all conditions. This level of expertise has a higher demand. As with most everything, you tend to get what you pay for and wedding photography costs are no different.
Questions to ask your prospective photographers, to evaluate what you're really getting:
- How many weddings have you photographed?
- How many weddings do you photograph a year?
- What is your level of experience with weddings similar to mine?
- How many full weddings can I see of weddings like mine or at my wedding venue?
- What is the variety of lighting and environmental conditions you are experienced shooting in?
- How do you adapt to weather, scheduling, or equipment issues?
- How many hours are included in your wedding packages?
- What products and services are included in your packages and what is additional?
- What is the quality level of the products you offer?
- How many photographers will be at my wedding?
- What is your turn around time? When will I receive my wedding images?
- How often can I contact you with questions before the wedding?
- Are you able to help us blend the best photo schedule into our wedding day?
Orlando Wedding Photographer Prices
Orlando is a hot spot for weddings! Not only for the locals but for the large amount of destination weddings that take place here. Couples come from all over the country and around the world to Central Florida to have their weddings.
With the awesome year round weather, attractions, entertainment, resorts, theme parks and stunning wedding venues, Orlando is truly a prime location for weddings and there is a lot of demand for all types of wedding services, including photography.
Who Will Be Your Wedding Photographer?
We hope we’ve cleared up some of the confusion around the average price for a wedding photographer and why the type and size of your wedding will determine where you fall in the wide range of costs for wedding photographers.
If you are looking for a photographer or have any questions about weddings, please reach out, we’d love to hear from you!
