Wednesday, 20th January, 2010 · 11:49 pm
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The Future of Wedding Photography

I had a brief email exchange with another professional photographer today.

He had been approached about photographing a wedding, and the bride had laughed in his face when he had told her his package prices. Thing is, he isn’t the most expensive photographer I know – by a long chalk. Nevertheless the bride turned on him, saying that a well-known photographer in Cork city was offering wedding coverage and an album for €800.

That’s an astonishing figure when you analyze it.

VAT on wedding photography in Ireland is charged at 13.5%, so just under €100 goes straight to the state, leaving €704.85 to cover travel, equipment, office overheads, insurance, and the album (including printing). That’s not even setting anything aside for labour or photographic ability. The latter is something too few photographers consider important enough to charge for, and sadly too few clients rate enough to pay for.

The income tax people will want their share of that €704.85 as well.

Now, you can’t really blame the bride in all of this. €800 including VAT is a pretty attractive proposition from where she is sitting. For the moment anyway. Whether it looks so good after the wedding album has been delivered is another matter altogether.

After all, the only way someone can deliver wedding photography and an album for that kind of money is by cutting corners. Using a pretty big blade.

There is a race towards the bottom in photography at the moment. Photographers themselves are not blameless in this. For many, it will end in tears.

Sometimes I really wonder whether this is the future of wedding photography:

The Future of Wedding Photography

Is this the future of wedding photography? (c) Roger Overall 2010

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  • http://www.laughing-lion-design.com Jennifer Farley

    Hi Roger
    I’m not a professional photographer but I agree with you about the race to the bottom. I’m a graphic and web designer and at this point I’m nearly afraid to tell people how much my design work costs. When you work in a creative field people think the reward is that you love your work, not that you may have to pay a mortgage or live a normal life with all its expenses. I’m hoping to find clients who value the work required but it’s hard! Good luck with it.

    p.s. I’m a keen amateur photographer and really like your blog

  • Roger Overall

    Thank you for your compliments Jennifer.

    I have no great wisdom to share, but I am gradually learning that if you have a distinct style that clearly sets you apart, people will pay what you ask.

    If you search for the right kind of client, who values your work and who will pay you what you are worth, you will find them. The trick is identifying them in the first place. I’ve started to make some headway on this and it is paying off. All I can say is keep the faith in yourself and your work, connect with your true core values and your style will out, making it easier to find the right clients – and making it easier for them to find you.

    Best of luck.