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.

The 10% Rule for Wedding Photography

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.

What to Consider When Pricing

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. 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. 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):

• 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.
• Top Photographers: most of these guys collect fees that can range from $3,000 to $6,000. They don’t really need it at all being established names on the industry.

Prices by Continents

Wedding photography prices are truly different across 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.