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I have read pricing guides etc and since I haven't been in business for years and years its kinda hard to plug the numbers in to the formula. Anyways I'm just having a hard time pricing a wedding. They contacted me yesterday...they are getting married in Jasper Alberta on New Years Eve. So for me that is 3 hours of driving there. So 6 hours total. I was thinking offer them 9 hours or so with a CD. They want to know my experience. And really for weddings I only have done a wedding and a half. So not much experience. I would like to get more experience...rather then saying a price and them not booking. But at the same time making a little bit. I have a feeling even if I said $900 they may think that it is too much for a photographer that has hardly taken any wedding pictures. Your help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

ashar
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    I would look at what other more experienced photographers are charging and charge somewhere around the lowest price, reflecting your lack of experience. While it would be nice to make some money on it, I would be happier to cover my costs and gain experience rather than charging more and disappointing the customer. – ElendilTheTall Mar 26 '14 at 10:11
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    I think you are somewhat confused about what you're asking here. The client clearly wants someone with experience, which you obviously don't have so that's another issues altogether but it looks like you're asking if you could temp them in by offering the right price? you could do that, but need to be honest. It also looks like you're going to charge an hourly rate with 6 out of 9 going on travel. If you are charging $900 for 3 hours photography then that's a lot for someone inexperienced. I wouldn't even dream of doing a wedding 3hrs drive away anyway. – connersz Mar 26 '14 at 10:27
  • Pricing is a very localized thing, but, as a photographer who does weddings professionally, if you quoted $900 at your proclaimed experience level, I would laugh you to the door. If I was taking you as a second shooter, I'd offer you maybe $400 at your current experience level if I was feeling generous. Probably more like $250 unless you have a really good portfolio and gear. If you are actually doing touch up and such on the images for the CD, then maybe $500 unless your portfolio is amazing. – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 16:10
  • No I wasn't going to photograph them for only 3 hours...I was thinking 9 hours of photography. That won't be worth the drive for only 3 hours. I want to be honest. I'm going to tell them straight up how many I have done. @connersz – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 20:05
  • Of course I would be editing the photos. At the same time I have gotten advise from other photographers...and they said don't under sell it b/c do you want to be doing weddings for X amount of dollars in the future.
    I pound myself into the ground a lot. But I know a photographer that is closer to the location and her work I would say is not even the same quality. But she's probably more weddings. And the amount I want to charge is not even close to the amount she charges. A lot of ppl don't recognize what quality is or what makes a good photo. I'm not the worse or the best. @AJHenderson     – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 20:08
  • @Ahnika - your photography may be bad, but you have almost no experience at all doing weddings. That is why you are not worth what a wedding photographer would normally be paid. Weddings are a unique beast. There are many crappy photographers out there that are not worth what they charge too. If you've only done one wedding, start cheap and work your way up. Start around $500 to $600 (depending on how many touched up photos you plan to deliver) and then go up by $100 or $150 per wedding until you get a few under your belt and reach the price point you want (and can get jobs at). – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 20:19
  • @AJHenderson probably will be editing 200 or so thats about how many I did for my sisters. They wanted to pay me even though I didn't feel worthy. They paid for my photoshop which was $800 or so. I like use Lightroom though. I did a reception for free for someone too. But I'd like to do the wedding for my portfolio. – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 20:30
  • @Ahnika - do you have any portfolio online? – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 20:39
  • Yes I do...I need to update some of my pictures. A lot I was just starting out with LR and would like them edited differently. It's www.pinkrainphotography.ca Most of my work is on my blog. Please don't be too critical. I've came a long way if you look through my blog posts. I'll always keep growing I guess. Still feel like I trying to find my style in editing. @AJHenderson – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 21:06
  • I have learnt a lot more in editing in LR since my first photos on my website were posted. Lots I cringe at how I edited them. And last year started shooting in raw. @AJHenderson – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 21:09
  • @ashar - ok, $900 with editing isn't a bad price probably. I was not expecting that quality of work. I might suggest a hair cheaper since you are still pretty new to weddings in general, but you'd certainly be worth at least $35 an hour as a second shooter, add in some travel and your editing time and you're looking at probably $750 to $850 would be where I'd personally price it and then I'd try to work up to around probably $1500 to $1800 with editing as you get more experience, but that's based on local pricing around where I am. – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 21:22
  • @ashar - just realized I made a typo in one of my earlier comments, I did not mean to say "your photography may be bad" I meant to say it "may not be bad". The point of the rest of the comment is still accurate though. Weddings are very different from traditional shoots and there is a heavy emphasis on making sure you don't miss a critical shot. Even if you can take the best shots in the world, if you miss a critical one, you ruin someone's wedding day. – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 21:28
  • Thanks so much @AJHenderson I find pricing so hard...I have read things like Easy as Pie etc. Watched videos. I have been charging $200 for a family/maternity/newborn sessions. I am learning, growing but thinking of uping my price to $250 with CD. Newborn photography is so much work...and same with weddings. Well families too when you get the kids in there that your trying to entertain. lol. More time I spent on the computer after editing them! The thing is since its in the winter it will be mostly indoors. I hate using flash but I'll have too. I don't feel I'm the best with that! – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 21:31
  • Ya I know it happened on my sisters wedding day. It was just dumb on my behalf. Good thing my sister was down below. That's why it would be good to have a second shooter. I wouldn't be able to pay them or very little. About the typo I didn't even notice! @AJHenderson – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 21:33
  • @ashar yeah my general recommendation is to start by shadowing to learn weddings. A rare few can start right in, but it is super risky. – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 22:56
  • @ashar - btw, if you want to jump in chat some time, you should now have high enough rep to be able to. – AJ Henderson Mar 26 '14 at 23:28
  • @ashar Just bear in mind that you're going to be doing a 15hr day including travelling and editing will take several hours on top as you already know. If you are also giving prints or an album etc. then that is going to further eat into that pot. I live in the UK and know the conversion from $ to £ and probably wouldn't get out of bed for that kind of pay. Just make sure you don't end up with a bad deal just because you want to start out in weddings. I think that's what the other photographers were probably trying to say. – connersz Mar 27 '14 at 09:15

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This client wants to purchase a professional photographers work. The key question to ask yourself here is if you can deliver professional work. If the answer is yes, then you should get paid to do so. Some of the factors to consider are not in your question, so Is this a "shoot and burn" wedding. Are you simply providing what falls out of your camera? Or are you providing color balanced and possibly retouched digital files? Will there be an overnight stay if the couple ask you to work longer? Is that included in your contract? Is overtime? Do they pay a 50% retainer to hold the day?

If the later is the case then you need to plan for those hours of post process work in your pricing. So many new Wedding photographers these days are willing to work for less than minimum wage, and that is hurting this industry.

So first be sure of your abilities, then charge a fair price. If your skills are not there yet, you have some months to work on them. How are your lighting skills, your posing skills? It's amazing to me that some skilled photographers that are clearly selling good work are charging little or will sell it for a pat on the head and an attaboy.

Figure out your time, then make sure your at least getting 25.00 an hour. Your clients will be spending allot of money on this special day. So make sure you can deliver your art, and remember that years down the road if their house catches fire and their standing outside wondering if they can go back in for valuables, their wedding pictures will be on the top of the list, nothing else they buy this day will be so valuable to them. So yes you have a great responsibility, but do not believe for a minute that it's not a valuable commodity to sell a customer. When you give them the price. Give it with confidence, and then shut up and wait. You don't need to explain it. Don't be desperate, or you will be taken advantage of.

Nothingtoseehere
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  • @Ahnika my pleasure. Think of it like this: Which stores do you purchase from? You do so because you like their brand. You pay their prices, without question. This is your brand. – Nothingtoseehere Mar 26 '14 at 20:15
  • I know some are cheap. A guy I use to work with asked me to shoot his wedding. For a whole day I offered to do it for pretty cheap. But he went and found someone even cheaper. Like this person is probably just inquiring. Of course I'm going to be honest in my experience. But time is money. I don't want to be doing wedding for X amount from now on. This pricing this is what I struggle with the most. And I really need to have my prices typed up and figured out. I've read some of Easy as Pie pricing and other pricing stuff. @R Hall – ashar Mar 26 '14 at 20:22
  • @ashar There will always be cheaper. Do you want to have to be the cheapest in order to shoot? If you are the cheapest, is your work worth more? If your work is worth more, don't be the cheapest. Get what your work is worth. If your brand is not Walmart, then don't compete with Walmart. – Nothingtoseehere Mar 28 '14 at 15:56