Why do photographers charge so much?

Everyone has seen at least one person post online to wedding groups: “looking for affordable photographer,” “wanting photographer who doesn’t cost an arm and a leg,” “need wedding photographer for $500,” “on extreme budget, looking for cheap photographer.”

As a professional wedding photographer, I don’t reply to these posts. Why? I see my time and expertise valued at a certain amount. Sure, I could bring in all the nickels and dimes and eventually I’ll be making the big bucks. But there’s a lot of things to consider when taking on such an honor of capturing someone’s wedding day. ​

Here’s what I consider. 

• The years it has taken to hone my craft to be of a certain technical skill level
• The thousands of dollars spent on my lens and camera bodies
• The hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars I’ve invested in my computer and editing software, plus offsite backup for unforeseen disasters
• The time away from my daughter driving to and from sessions/weddings, plus the time at the actual session/wedding
• The hours upon hours it takes to cull (let’s say) 3,000 images to the most amazing photos of around 1,200 and editing them
• The time I take to get to know my couples through meeting in person, emailing and phone calls
• Plus, I save 30% of all payments for taxes (that would be thousands of dollars at the end of the year to keep the IRS happy)

So the next time you’re trying to cut a deal with a photographer (wedding or not), just take a moment and consider what you’re really paying them for. Are they a hobby photographer or are they really valuing their time by the amount they charge? I have nothing against photographers who want to work with people on extreme budgets, because those people aren’t my ideal clients. My ideal client would understand the time, energy, skill, and dedication to photography and respect that by investing in preserving their memories.