I have been getting lots of wedding requests. I LOVE it. I love weddings and I love being creative with them! I am negotiating a wedding with the nicest lady on Earth...her son is getting married and I had photographed her two daughters' weddings years ago. I've also done their family photos... I just love their family.
There is a difference in what I charge now and what I charged for her daughters' weddings years ago. She, so politely, asked if I could speak to why there is such a difference in rates between photographers in the industry - Why some are really low and some are higher. There didn't seem to be a standard to grab a hold of.
I am so glad she asked! Here is my answer:
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Hi!
I'm really, really glad you asked. 
I would be happy to give some insight into this... I might use this answer as my next blog post.
When photographers first start, they have no idea what to charge...really. They base their figures of what they charge by their friend who is starting the same time, or started a year before...assuming they know what THEY are doing. They look at what the actual job costs them... "an 8x10 print costs me 'A' - I charge 'B'... B minus A equals profit. Photography is an industry with such a low bar for entry. They get a camera for Christmas, or buy one for under $1,000 - friends tell them they take great pictures and suddenly they are dreaming of a photography business. They don't really consider profits and costs because most of them have another source of income...usually a husband with a good job. I can't knock this...it's how I started 9 years ago...lol. I got in the industry about 5 years before the huge influx of "shuttermoms" (I actually really hate that term)...and I have been very glad I did.
After the honeymoon stage of starting their business, there's another stage. Reality. They are charging what they think is market value. They are working and running off their feet because they are cheap. Staying up past midnight every night to try to keep up with the workflow and editing...and they realize they aren't actually making money at the end of the year. If they are turning a profit...working at Walmart would have given them more and saved them from a lot of stress. They have no money for classes or workshops because they aren't making a profit, and they probably haven't heard of any associations. They also tend to overphotoshop their images to fix their mistakes because they are new. Their posing is not-natural and their lighting is amateur.
After reality sets in and they realize they are losing themselves to the business and they don't know their family any more...they either a) get out and do something else, or b) get smart.
Those that get out have left their mark on the industry because they have had a hand in further devaluing it and the ones who stay as career photographers are left holding the bag, so to speak because the public now perceives that it is normal to pay $100 for a disc of pictures, including the session or $300 for a day of wedding coverage. (Not to mention the lack of quality that is produced for the public - that they see as "stunning" - thank you Facebook. The mastery of photography is largely going by the wayside)
The ones that get smart decide they are going to take this "photography thing" seriously and they raise their game...before they realize they have to raise their prices. They get trained, they go to workshops, they learn everything they can. They finally begin to realize the symphony of things that craft a good image. They also learn the real investment they must part with because they learn their consumer level SLR and lens that they got for Christmas isn't good enough to produce professional quality imagery for paying clients. They realize they must invest in proper gear and proper glass. The next thing they do, as a business person is crunch their numbers. We are a business as real as the next so we are not immune from having to do income statements, cash flow projections, calculate our cost of goods sold, and all of the other business-related things we "right-brainers" have to learn how to calculate to realize what we are actually bringing in and where it is going. Inexpensive photographers simply have not run their numbers and have not considered their business' sustainability - or are married to a dentist that doesn't care that part of his income is going into the black-hole that is his wife's photography business - lol. I've heard this story 1000 times from beginning photographers... I tell them they are saving up to buy a pair of shoes, not building a business. I tell them to run their numbers!
Photography as a business is obscenely expensive. Our gear, lenses, computer, software....this list is long! Cameras need to be replaced, etc.. On top of all the expensive gear, we have the actual cost of doing business....licensing, insurance, taxes, websites, marketing, etc.
Whew... add on top of THAT...lol... when you get to the place where I am at...I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on workshops, classes, mentoring, etc. I keep current in my industry by going to conventions and symposiums each year. I am an accredited member of the Professional Photographers of Canada, which is the governing body of professional photography in Canada. I don't just rely on Facebook accolades...print judges validate my work. I compete my images...when I do that... I am learning. I never want to stop learning. I always think that everything that I have done that has brought me to the skill level that I have to this point is benefiting my next client, my next wedding, etc. It is all for them.
In reality, being awarded "Portrait Photographer of the Year-2012" and bringing home 20% of the Province's Best in Class awards this year was in reality a culmination of 9 years of learning, tens of thousands of dollars in education and loads invested in equipment.
All this work was all done for your son and his fiancee to ensure their memories are recorded the best that they possibly can be (on a day that can't be re-done) so on their 50th wedding anniversary, they can pull out this album, of beautiful, timeless, imagery and proudly show it to your great grandchildren.
I'm so glad you asked this! The Lethbridge area is OBSCENELY devalued. If I lowered my rates to most photographers here, I would, in reality, be paying them to photograph their weddings. the right people are finding me and hiring me - for which I am extremely grateful. I'm at the age where I don't need to be buying myself a job and I want my business sustainable so I can continue to do what I love and create gorgeous imagery for couples for years to come.
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