How should I price my first paid wedding photography job?

Asked 1/21/2011

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2 answers

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I’ve photographed three weddings before, including two as the primary photographer, but I haven’t been paid for wedding work yet. I’ve now been asked to shoot a wedding for money and I’m trying to figure out a fair price.

What’s a sensible way to set a rate for a first paid wedding? I’d like to cover my time and expenses, but I don’t plan to become a full-time wedding photographer or subscribe to a pricing service. Should I base my quote on my own costs, what other photographers in the area charge, the couple’s budget, or some combination of these? Also, how much should package details like hours covered, albums, and prints affect the price?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

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NOTE: To some extent my answer is 'US-centric' being as I've never had to price my photography in another country. If you're not in the US, your mileage may vary.

Never, ever base your price on what other photographers in your area are charging. You have no way of knowing what their expenses are, and thus you have no way of knowing what their profit margin is. You can price yourself according to your competition and easily end up making zero profit, or even losing money, because the numbers that your competition uses will not take into account your expenses, your cost of goods sold, the value of your time, etc.! Do the math instead. It's not that hard, and that way you'll at the very least know what your time is worth.

The key with pricing for retail photography is to build in enough cushion to cover your time, expenses, taxes, and profit. There are lots of 'slow and accurate' ways of doing this which I highly recommend you use if you're going to be doing lots of retail photography (because slow and accurate does a better job of taking time, expenses, and taxes into account and by doing that you generally end up with a more accurate appraisal of what your profit will be, and the ability to adjust your pricing accordingly). If you're not planning on doing a lot of retail photography there is a "quick n' dirty" formula that you can use in order to make sure you are more-or-less covering the basics:

( T + G ) * P = Quoted Price

T = The cost of your time: how many hours you expect to spend working multiplied by how much your time is worth. Make sure to consider all the hours you will work... Taking pictures, editing pictures, making albums, ordering prints, etc. This is an 'all inclusive' number, and not taking into account all the time you will spend is the fastest way to screw yourself and ensure you lose money on the quote, so make sure to factor in everything and then add a margin, just in case.

G = The wholesale cost of your goods: simple addition of all the goods you are planning on offering your client, and any out-of-pocket expenses (hotel, batteries, etc.) plus the sales tax rate on retail goods, if you are required to pay sales taxes in your jurisdiction.

P = The profit you expect to make: This number should be no smaller than 3, and (unless your client is uber-wealthy) shouldn't exceed 4. These are 'generally accepted ballpark' numbers that are often used for 'quick estimation.' Technically speaking you can throw in whatever number you want, but if you go less than 3 (here in the US) you run the risk of not being able to cover the income tax hit (you are paying your taxes, right?)

I've been shooting weddings and portrait photography for more than 15 years now, and I find that my 'quick and dirty' calculations get me within 10% of my 'slow and accurate' calculations without exception for anything less than about $10,000 in total fees.

Originally by user2838. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2838

15y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Start by calculating your own costs rather than copying another photographer’s price. Work out your time for shooting, travel, editing, meetings, delivery, and any album/print costs, then add profit. That gives you a minimum sustainable price.

It can still help to check local photographers’ pricing as a market reference, but use it only to see where your quote fits—not as the basis for your numbers, since you don’t know their expenses or margins.

Be very clear about what is included. Wedding pricing depends heavily on coverage length and deliverables: a few hours is very different from a full-day wedding, and albums, large prints, and other products should be priced in separately or defined in the package. Set expectations for exactly which parts of the day you’ll cover.

You can also consider the couple’s overall wedding budget as a reality check, but your quote still needs to cover your costs and time.

In short: calculate your minimum based on expenses and labor, compare it with the local market, and quote a package with clearly defined hours and deliverables.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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