I’ll never remember where I heard this quote, but I recently heard, “Cost is what you pay, value is what you get.” And boy did that strike a cord. Yes, this is a “job” and as workers we need to get paid, so there is a cost involved. But the VALUE you receive on the other side is often priceless.
It’s difficult to explain in a simple pricing document what you are receiving for the thousands of dollars you’re about to spend. You see things like $4,800 for 10 hours (or $480/hour) and may feel that’s pricey for an hourly rate. But the other side of this one simple element is that for every hour of shooting there are also 3 hours of editing. Now it’s more like $120/hour. That may still seem pricey considering hourly wages in various professions. This does not even take into consideration the cost of gear, website and gallery hosting, taxes, marketing etc. That’s just the cost of doing business.
But here’s where the real value comes in.
Let’s assume you love your photographer’s shooting and editing style (why you’re on their site to begin with) and assuming you love their personality if you’ve already met or shared a phone call and you’ll know you’ll be comfortable with them in your face for 10 hours… if you don’t, go ahead and move on, this is minimum requirement.
What else is at stake?
How many years of wedding experience do they actually have, and why does this matter? I just had a newbie photographer message me saying she’s shooting her first wedding in a couple weeks and said she has an extra battery and an extra SD card, then asked what else she might need? Where do I even begin???? First of all, you need a camera with 2 card slots so it’s shooting to one and backing up everything to a second to mitigate corruption. Second, an actual second camera with same feature in case the first one gets dropped or otherwise broken at any point. This is minimal. You need light stands and flashes for indoor shooting. You need your laptop so you can further back up the images to another location before you leave the premises. Not a requirement, but a real pro will also have extra umbrellas and waterproof covers for their gear in case of rain (not to mention a knowledge of HOW to shoot in the rain or snow). They’ll have flat lay backgrounds for all the pretty details and an extra wooden hanger for the wedding dress. This is simple standard.
More importantly, they’ll have experience from hundreds of wedding timelines turned into chaos when makeup goes over time and they’ll be able to pivot on a dime to adjust any and all portraits to catch everything back up so you walk down the aisle on time. They’ll have so much experience working with people, they’ll just intuitively know when a special moment is about to happen and be ready to capture it. (think private chat with dad causing one tear to roll down his cheek, or grandma whispering something sassy to mom causing a riotous laugher to follow). They will be acutely aware of the sunset timing, and if that timing needs to be adjusted due to the sun “setting early” behind a mountain, building or trees. They know to stand in as your bodyguard if you’re getting overwhelmed by your guests and gently pull you aside “for more photos” simply to give you space to breathe. I could go on and on really. There is SO much more to it than just owning a fancy camera.
Let’s talk delivery time.
The first wedding I shot almost 2 decades ago took me SIXTEEN weeks to deliver because I did not know how to edit well yet, I was in school and had another job. Industry standard for most pros these days is 6-8 weeks. I personally guarantee 2 weeks but typically get it done in 7 days. Not to mention Day-Of Teasers to enjoy before you even make it to the dance floor. ;)
So is the VALUE worth the COST? You tell me. If you’re ready to have a conversation you can message me HERE! Can’t wait to hear all about your vision for the big day!
