How to calculate a budget for a wedding photographer?

A lot of people are getting married, and many of them want a great memory of that special day with a beautiful set of wedding pictures. Not many of them take a moment to consider the best budget for a wedding photographer but I am wondered about to share the average wedding photographer cost, and I manage to gather some knowledge of this.

I scooped out a lot of pages from the internet by searching the destination wedding photography cost around the Europe and Worldwide. I went for the hard settings because a lot of couples love to get married on weekends. While a lot of professionals offer excellent wedding photography packages, we also needed a fixed configuration on these prices. The following figures are a registry of the services provided by photographers on their services alone. No physical albums, no posters, no pre-wedding sessions, just the barebones services.

What to consider when pricing?

First of all, let discuss the aforementioned unwritten rule about wedding photography prices. The cost of a photographer on any given wedding event regardless of its size should be around 10% of the budget. That means that if the budget for your wedding is of $50,000, you will need to set aside $5000 for the photography services alone. With this in mind, you will be able to check the diverse types of wedding photography packages you can get. Make sure to do complete and thorough research. All of them offer different services, and there are things that you probably won’t need.

Remember that this is something that has to be discussed with your partner. Photographers are very flexible with the moments you want to shoot, but you need to let them known in advance what you need. With the budget in place, you can make the call if you want a registry of every event of the day. You can also have him take pictures of specific or unusual moments of the ceremony, but before you will have to go over with him about the details of your day to make sure he informed about everything. Talk with your photographer regarding the delivery of the photos after the service, a lot of couples like the traditional physical album, while others love keeping things digital.

Price by the skill level

Photographer level of professionalism determines the rates. Some beginners have a real talent for it but the little time they have don’t allow them to charge that much. Many intermediate rising stars have been in the business a little bit longer, but they keep their costs competitive as they grow their clientele.

Average photographers usually have an online presence, and they offer a series of clean-cut services that are very easy to understand. Top-quality photographers are the ones with the most substantial rates, but their work has a unique approach that makes them stand out from the rest. Most of the times, these professionals are so well-known that they merely rely on their reputation to get by.

The price range for these categories on average goes this way:

Beginners: they charge anything between $500 and $1000. Most of the times these are young guys for whom phtography is a second job. They work with limited equipment, and while they may have some skills, they still have a lot to learn.

Intermediate: they will charge between $1000 and $1500. They have been in the game longer than the beginners, and they know the perks of their business and have proper work tools and professional equipment.

Professionals: these pros can charge from $1,500 to $3,000. They have consolidated experience, a lot of clients in their portfolio and unique style. Since they are looking to rise above their competitors, they do a lot of social media strategies to stand out.

Top Photographers: most of these guys collect fees that can range from $3,000 to $6,000. They may or may not have a presence on the internet. They don’t really need it at all being established names on the industry. They can take care of their own logistics, and you won’t have to worry about anything on their end once you have paid for their services.

Prices by continents

Wedding photography prices are truly different across the world. Many of them concur that there is no set metrics for the cost of their work worldwide. The good news is that it is not hard to figure out the average costs of basic wedding photography packages around the world. In the USA there is a very competitive market, and the average price of a professional photographer is of $3,000.

In the European Union, there is a lot more diversity on the costs depending on the country. It is safe to say that the overall cost of photography services range from €1,300 to €2,500. For example my wedding photography services in South of France, could cost around €2100 In Asia and South America, the prices go down quite a bit more, ranging from $800 to $1500.

Based on my own experience and learning, you can check average wedding photography price in: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA and Canada.

The best way to get a good idea about the budget for a wedding photographer is to contact your photographer of choice and arrange a skype or phone meeting with him. Ask all the questions you need, regardless of your perceptions. Don’t leave anything to chance. If you are planning a destination wedding, make sure to let him know all the details about it. In the end, you and your partner will have a clear idea about your strategy as well as how much money you can spend.