I've had a couple of interesting questions come up lately, and I think it's a good time to do a little bit of a breakdown comparing myself to your traditional wedding photographer. I'm not your a-typical wedding photographer. I vary in a few key areas, that ultimately save you money. A lot of money. How much? Ask and you shall!
1. I do not own/rent a studio/office. I've had a few people over the last year or so inquire as to why I do meetings at a local Starbucks rather than a personal studio. The primary reason is, I only do wedding photography. Since weddings don't happen in photo studios or offices (usually), I don't see a glaring need to have one. Second, a studio costs money. Let's be conservative and say I find a decent space for $1000/month. I'd have to do what every business does to cover their costs: increase prices. So, saying I do about 4 weddings a month, that would have to be at least $250 on top of every wedding I do. So, I look at it this way, I can have a studio and then charge that much more, or I can meet people at a Starbucks and they can pay an extra $4 to enjoy a hot latte. Even if I had a studio, I couldn't compete in the latte department.
2. I don't do print work. I'm not sure when/how the photography world got married to the print world, but in my eyes they're two entirely separate concepts. Photography is an art. Printing is more of a science. It's all about adjusting technical settings right to get a print out that looks how the artist took the shot. Printers can cause variations of brightness, color, sharpness, etc. So I recommend taking your wedding photos to your printer of choice. One you like and trust to do a good job with your photos. Plus, if I had to pay for print equipment, we'd be talking about a $10,000 investment for the appropriate printers, and we'll be conservative and say ink would cost $2000 for the first year to make an even $12,000 cost for the year. There's another $250 on top of your wedding photography price for a piece of equipment I would almost need a degree in how to run. Now we're at $500 over my prices.
3. I don't bring a staff with me. I'm typically a one-man show. In the event of a particularly large wedding (200 or more people in a large venue), I may hire an additional photographer or an assistant for a fee on top of my normal rates. However, I've had a few people lately ask me about how many people I bring for a smaller affair (100 people or less). And the answer to that is: One. Me. I typically hoist two cameras around my neck (yes, it gets heavy); one with a telephoto lens, and one with a wide angle lens. With that combination, I can be pretty much anywhere and still manage to catch pretty much anything. I've been doing this long and frequently enough to have a clear understanding of where I need to be and when and how to find the optimal points to shoot from. Now, let's assume I hire ONE photographer/assistant. Again, we'll be conservative and say I pay this person $500/week. That's $12.50/hour and probably on the light side for a good photo assistant. Doing a wedding every week, that means I have to add $500 to my fees. We'll ignore my tax and insurance consequences associated with this. Now we're at $1000 over my current fees.
So let's do a quick break down:1. I don't have a studio because it means at least $250 out of your pocket.
2. I don't have a print shop because it means at least another $250 out of your pocket.
3. I don't have a staff with me because it means at least $500 per additional person out of your pocket.
That brings us to $1000 over my normal wedding photography rates. And, believe me, that's being very conservative with all of my potential costs. Now here's the most important question. Do any of those three things bring much value to you, the client? And the short answer is: No. None of these items have any impact on the quality of my service or my photography, which is the main point I want to make here. If you choose me, you're paying for your photography, if you're choosing a lot of other wedding photographers, you're paying for photography in addition to the three high ticket items above. I love what I do, and I'm committed to bringing you the best quality wedding photography without bogging you down with high prices due to high overhead that's not even truly necessary. However, if the other items are important to you, then go for it! The last thing I ever want to be is the photographer you "settled with." Go with whatever makes you most comfortable! I'm not a high pressure kind of guy, so if you find someone you think is better suited to you, then I won't be offended. After all, everyone has different tastes in art. And everyone also has different views on money and expenses. Do what works for you!
The choice is yours!
