The Truth Behind Cheap Wedding Photographers
I’ve seen a lot of things in my day as a wedding professional, but the constant thing that has popped up for me as a vendor, even 20+ years ago are cheap wedding photographers.
Today, I want to explore them a bit, explain the truths behind why they exist and the criteria for seeking one over a mid-range photographer.
What is Considered a Cheap Wedding Photographer?
Years ago, when I first entered the wedding industry, a cheap wedding photographer was someone under $2,500.
Today, that number is under $1,000. According to theKnot, the national average price of a mid-range photographer is $2,400.
Generally speaking, you’ll find these common elements in a cheaper amateur trying to turn professional.
They lack the professional quality gear they need (many will use low-end educational camera systems like the Nikon D3200)
They lack the experience to operate a business or understand weddings
They are trying to wedge themselves into the marketplace and undercut the price just to make a sale
The Budget photographers make up roughly 32% of the marketplace, but only get about 14% of the business. That means a lot of them are not doing anything on a given weekend.
Wedding Photography Marketplace
Wedding Gear
When it comes to the gear, a novice will look at two cameras and think they are similar to each other.
In the image above can you tell which is the entry-level camera and which is the mid-range camera? If you guessed the Canon as the entry-level you’re correct, the complete kit with basic lenses runs right at $500 while the Sony A7iii body alone runs roughly $2,000.
Lower-end systems tend to be built for learning how they work, practice and education. They lack the technology, speed, and often the capability to take several fast bursts in focus during a first-kiss for example.
An average professional in the wedding business will bring with them somewhere in the neighborhood of $10,000-$30,000 worth of gear to the wedding as to where a cheaper photographer may bring $1,000-$3,000.
Cheaper gear doesn’t make them bad at what they do, but they will be limited in low-light situations, fast things like your first-dance, first-kiss, exit, and the like.
Experience in Business and Weddings
There are three types of people in the wedding industry.
Those that are great at their product or service, those that are great at business, and those that are both.
Time is usually the factor when it comes to weeding them out as running a business and being good at it tends to be the factor in longevity in our industry.
Now, just about everyone in the industry had to start out somewhere, BUT, most start out as a second shooter if you will, they’ll be doing some images at the wedding, but their main job is to help backup the main photographer with whatever they need.
They’re Trying to Build a Portfolio
Sometimes if someone just jumps out on their own, they may try to undercut everyone by offering an extremely cheap rate. Many will say that they are hurting the industry by lowering their standards and pricing, that’s true to a point, but that also separates the amateurs from the pros too.
Building a portfolio may include doing a few weddings for free or a reduced rate.
I’m not saying that’s bad, but again, the normal route is to work under someone to learn the business and get experience. Working under someone also helps build that portfolio so when they do go out on their own, they have something to show couples.
Why Are They So Cheap to Begin With?
Well, it’s a mix of technology that is very affordable in 2021 (compared to 20 years ago) and well as just trying to wedge themselves into the marketplace.
The mindset of someone offering cheaper photos is simple: “offer them cheaper just to get the job”.
Hey, I’m a business owner, I get it.
The truth is those that offer such affordable rates are hurting themselves, sadly.
By the time you take to edit everything, pay your insurance, hopefully, you're a real business and you pay taxes, marketing like ads, set aside some to replace your gear, you’re not truly making any money.
Here is a calculator that I developed to help show you what a wedding photographer could be made by you booking them. Simply plug in the price, how long they’ll be working the wedding and it will give you an approximate hourly rate they’ll be making.
On the calculator below, adjust to these pieces of criteria:
$500
1 photographer
10-hours at the wedding
Someone that charges $500 and works 10 hours at the wedding will be making about $7 per hour.
Oh, you thought it was $50 an hour because $500 divided by 10 is $50?
Oh, no, you see, there is a LOT more than just 10 hours at the wedding.
Editing takes roughly 2-3 hours per hour spent at the wedding, then you have insurance, taxes, marketing, replacement gear costs, and the list literally goes onward.
$500 at 10 hours at the wedding means the person’s making about $7 per hour, minimum wage.
Are Cheap Wedding Photographers Good?
Yes, depending on their skills, level of experience, and the like too.
My friend Nicole Colwell is a luxury-end wedding photographer, but she didn’t start way in the industry.
When she got married about 7 years ago, she paid a LOT of money for the wedding photographer and wasn’t happy with the results so she picked up a camera and did it better than the tog she hired. She started at the bottom and quickly worked her way up into $10,000 weddings.
On the flip side, I know photographers that charge $700 for their services, always have and always will, they are happy in the space they’re in and that’s also perfectly fine.
They don’t offer anything special and they are just another photographer competing for your business. The images they offer are, eh, well, images.
Sadly, they never grew as Nicole did.
So, yes, depending on the person and what they are trying to achieve, they can be good, but it’s a dice roll truthfully.
Are Wedding Photographers Over-Saturated in the Marketplace?
Yes, they are.
As I’ve stated many times on the blog, Wedding Wire usually offers great data on this.
For most regions, there are far more wedding photographers than there are venues, DJs, florists, and catering companies combined.
But, why?
Take the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. There are 1.7 wedding photographers for EVERY wedding venue in that market, which is very saturated to be working in, let alone make a living.
Well, again this boils down to a couple of things, technology, the affordability of it in 2021 as well as the demand for the marketplace.
Many people that get into the business believe that they can make a living by taking images and some will, but most will not. It’s either a side hustle or a short-term gig because they don’t understand how to take good images or if they do, run a business properly.
Anyone with $500 can run out to Best Buy and purchase a low-end camera kit and look like they know what they are doing.
It’s not just the gear, it’s understanding your lighting, what ISO, lens stop (called t-stop or f-stop), frame rates, rule of thirds, composition, bokeh, key lights and fill lights, flashes, and the list goes onward.
It’s also understanding the couple that you’re working with and being able to be a good communicator, have a fun personality, and know what you're doing.
Pro’s of Hiring a Cheaper Wedding Photographer
Believe it or not, there are a couple of benefits to hiring someone newer and cheaper in the industry.
Couples on a tight budget
Those with shorter wedding days like elopements or micro-weddings
The main benefit is the cost, they will save you money by going cheaper. Since they don’t tend to have a wealth of experience taking wedding images, this may be a good option for you should you have a micro wedding or elopement.
However, there are more con’s than pros to hiring someone on the low-end.
Con’s of Hiring a Cheaper Wedding Photographer
Most will not have the equipment to deal with low-light situations, think about your first dance, your wedding reception, or your exit.
Take a look at Robinson Usagani and their wedding images from 2004. They made a huge mistake hiring a photographer at a wedding show and the images turned out badly, mostly because the guy [photographer]didn’t know what he was doing.
Their wedding photographer didn’t make use of the venue and the artistic side of what they could have done. Instead, they focused on just taking the images, and from the example above, you can see things didn’t turn out very well.
Tips on Hiring a Good Wedding Photographer
Regardless of the price, there are some things that you can do in order to find a good wedding photographer.
First, research.
Visit their website, see images, look for a couple of recent galleries that you can thumb through. You don’t need to see 1,000 images from a wedding, but showing a good handful will give you a good sense of what they are capable of doing and what real-world work they have done in the process.
Look for reviews online. Google and Wedding Wire offer some of the best reviews about what vendors are really like. Facebook is somewhat skewed as you can remove bad reviews from the page, so I don’t recommend using them as that social proof if you will.
Connect with them and meet somehow. Maybe in person or video chat, at a very minimum, set up a call with them on the phone.
Second, well…. more research.
Make sure they have a good contract with the basics down. That will include dates, locations, times, what services they will provide, and what you will get.
Also, make sure that both parties are covered in the event there is a schedule change or cancellation.
Make sure both parties sign it and that you have a copy.
