The information provided below is a ‘guide’ on current wedding photography pricing across the UK and what to expect for the different levels of investment. It is by no means definitive and of course there will always be exceptions to the rule.
We fully understand that couples will have varied priorities and budgets for their photography, and will often have vastly differing expectations of what is available for that investment. If you’re ‘new’ to this and have no starting framework with regards to selecting your wedding photographer, we feel it’s vital to inform you of what you can expect for different levels of investment.
Most of the couples we speak to irrespective of budget, have two things in common. They want the very best photography of their day possible, and they only want to trust this vital task to a professional and full-time wedding photographer. Without doubt, for the 30 couples each year who book me, this investment is not ‘cheap’. It is however less ‘expensive’ than getting this important decision wrong!
Photography in the UK is unregulated and the market is flooded with 1,000′s of poor quality wedding photographers. It’s vital to remember that just because you ‘pay’ someone to photograph your wedding, you shouldn’t assume that you’ll end up with ‘professional’ results. This guide is designed to help you with your choice, inform you of what to expect as a result of that choice, and hopefully will go someway to explain why full-time, professional wedding photographers in the UK must charge commercially sustainable rates in order to stay in business:
Category 1: The amateur wedding photographer – Expect to pay from free to £500
A mixture of hobbyists looking to generate some pocket money to cover the cost of their equipment, together with student photographers, a few part-timers and family members/friends. These people are unlikely to be insured, unlikely to pay tax and NI on their photography income and unlikely to be around if (when,) things go wrong.
Due to no or limited wedding photography experience, the quality of photography is likely to be low at best, poor or even ruined at worst. These photographers are likely to supply images on CD’s with little or nothing available in the way printed products or display options. Any albums offered will be poor quality items available from the high street and low-cost Internet printers. Expect at most, a simple/poor website with only a mobile phone number as their method of contact. These photographers are unlikely to have any insurance and limited/no back up equipment.
Category 2: The part-time wedding photographer – Expect to pay from £500 to £995
A mixture of part-time ‘new’ wedding photographers looking to break into the local market and establish themselves, together with full-time non-specialist ‘general’ photographers (Jack of all-trades,) who maybe struggling in other areas of photography. Again, it’s unlikely to find these people with business insurance and most will have ‘other types of employment’ to supplement their less than commercially sustainable rates.
The quality of photography is likely to be average at best, with little in the way of uniqueness to set it apart from the 100′s or 1,000′s of other photographers out there. Some printed products, albums and display options are likely to be available, but the quality is likely to be low to average at best. Any albums supplied are likely to be designed using template software and by the album companies themselves, meaning that your album will look exactly the same as the next one.
Most will have a simple website that seems to focus on many different and often ‘un-connected’ areas of photography, with a mobile phone number likely to be the only method of contact. Expect them to have limited or no insurance and limited or no back-up equipment if things go wrong. These photographers are unlikely to restrict the number of bookings taken for each year, meaning that long waiting times and poor service quality are usually a feature of their business.
Category 3: The Full-time, professional wedding photographer – Expect to invest from £1,000 to £3,000
These people are experienced and dedicated portrait photographers who photograph weddings as a full-time occupation. They run their small business as a photographer and are likely to be paying full business rates, full business insurance, tax and NI on their income and have to cover the less than cheap costs of running a small business, solely from the turnover they produce.
The quality of the photography is likely to be high, with unique ‘signature‘ shots and a personal photographic style that is distinguishable from the next photographer in the same category.
The quality of albums and display products available from these photographers is likely to be extremely high, with most of these photographers using the same few high-end album supply companies from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Albums are likely to be uniquely designed by the photographer themselves (not the album company,) ensuring that your album will be personal and completely unique to you and your day.
Most will have professional looking websites that focus only on wedding and portrait photography. They are also likely to have dedicated ‘wedding studios’ either as part of their homes, or in high street locations. They are likely to be fully insured and carry with them back-up equipment (and indeed back-ups for their back-ups.) The level of service and attention to detail from these photographers is likely to be high, as they will limit the number of weddings photographed each year in order to maintain their high standards and level of service.
Category 4: The Celebrity wedding photographer – Expect to invest from £3,000 to £10,000
These few talented individuals are able to virtually ‘name their price’ for their wedding photography services. Photographing royalty and the rich and famous world-wide with highly uniue photographic styles.
Their albums and display products will be sourced from the same companies as the category 3 photographers above. Expect them to have studios in London, New York and/or Paris, and teams of employees and assistants helping them with their wedding ‘productions.’
I’m commissioned to capture weddings across the UK and beyond from our South Wales base on the M4 corridor. If you’re looking for an award-winning ‘category 3′ photographer, please check my availability here for your date.
If you’re a full-time, professional wedding photographer and would like to use the information on this page on your own website, please feel free to contact us. In exchange for an author credit, we will will send you the full post by email for use on your site.