Why are there so many wedding photographers?
If you are seeking a wedding photographer, especially if you are asking online, chances are you’ve stumbled onto some, OMG, there are SO many of us out there in the wedding marketplace!
Today, we’re going to explore the reasons why and how to seek out the best one that fits your wedding day needs.
But first, let’s learn a little more about what they are and what they do for you and your wedding day.
What is a Wedding Photographer?
In a nutshell, a wedding photographer is someone that specializes in wedding images, and they come in a variety of styles, prices and experiences too.
Some will be full-time professionals while others may operate part-time during the year while working a full-time job.
There are no standards across the board for someone to be a professional within the industry, although many are apart of various organizations like the Professional Photographers of America or PPA.
As far as pricing, you’ll find a huge range of people on the marketplace, from just a couple hundred bucks to more than $10,000 for services and what you will find most times is that the more expensive the wedding vendor, the better overall experience and quality of service you will receive in the process.
According to theKnot.com and WeddingWire, the average price a couple pays for a wedding photo pro is in the range of $2,400.
Goals of a Wedding Photographer?
The overall goal is a photographer is to encapsulate memories through the eye of a camera lens for the couple.
Let’s face it, most of us are not great at remembering things in the past, so we use photography and videography in order to relive the days of past.
Their main job is to capture the reflection of the day in a way that it appears better than you can remember and many of them do just that.
Purpose of Wedding Photographer
Capture the special moments of the wedding day
Provide a wonderful experience to couples
Why are there so many wedding photographers?
In the United States, there are roughly 119,000 photographers according to DataUSA. This is because of a couple reasons, first cheap technology.
As tech becomes cheaper and cheaper, it’s more obtainable for the people that use them.
For as little as $400, you can get an entry level camera and lenses.
While it’s meant for learning, some people use very inexpensive gear to try and do weddings, most fail at quality and that aesthetic most people seek.
Mid Range Camera Costs
Many-many, years ago when I started in the business, a camera would easily cost $10,000 on the cheap side, only take 36 images and everything analog.
Today, a good mid-range camera costs a couple thousand bucks and lenses more so, but its much more obtainable in 2020 than it was in 1999.
Because of this, many people jump on the bandwagon trying to get their share of the wedding business. Some succeed and many fail after the first 3-5 years of operation.
While many may become good behind the camera lens, many fail at operating as a business. In fact, only about 50% of all businesses make it the first 3 years and the number dwindles to 23% once it reaches five years.
That goes back to competition and there being more wedding photographers than venues in many regions of the US.
That’s great for couples getting married, not so for vendors trying to make a living.
Washington DC Vendors by the Numbers
Price your product too high and you’ll push away potential customers, too low and you won’t be able to turn a profit. Figuring this out is easier said than done if you don’t have anything to go off of.
However, it’s no less essential to ensuring your business’ success.
In the figure above, you can see that photographers outweigh videographers and even the number of wedding venues in that region, Northern Virginia.
That same technology, the digital era, is also combining gearsets between photographers and videographers.
Today, most times when you see someone at a wedding with a high-end camera, they could be either one.
Many times I will get mistaken for a photographer when I’m shooting video along side my wife Carole, as she’s taking the pictures.
You’ll start to see wedding photographers dabble in video in order to get an advantage, in fact, 6% of wedding photographers try video, but of those 6%, only 9% stick with it.
Many stop after a couple years because they quickly realize its more work than the job of a photo professional or they’re simply not equipped to handle both with the large added expense.
Best Strategy for Finding the Right Wedding Photographer?
There are some key steps you can take to help narrow a photographer of weddings.
First, NEVER assume that what others are paying is what you should be paying too. In fact, as I’ve stated many times, look to your own wedding budget to get your price range.
Use this online tool to get a starting range, a low, medium and high of what you should expect to pay instead.
Once you have your budget range set in place, you need to seek out those within that range.
Once of the best ways you can do that is through Facebook, but there is a method to doing it the right way.
Be as specific are possible when seeking out wedding vendors.
For example, don’t say something like this:
“ISO a wedding photographer for my wedding. Looking for someone light and airy and I’m on a tight budget.”
When you do this, you will get literally everything under the sun, from the $300 guy to the $10,000 girl.
Make sure that you have your specific wedding date, venue or at least a general location and the price range that you’re seeking with a 5-10% variance from that budget number.
Instead say it this way.
“ISO a light and airy wedding photographer for our June 22nd, 2022 wedding in Blacksburg, VA. We’re looking for someone with a great personality and our budget is $2,220-$2,600. We prefer someone with at least 5 years experience or more.”
That will weed out newer photogs, those that cost less or more than your range and it will also help narrow it down to the location, availability of that vendor and of course the style.
Just remember, the more specific you are, the faster you will find the person or company you are seeking.
Secret Wedding Tip
If you want to save some money, consider finding your wedding photographer/videographer in a neighboring market. For example, if you live in the Northern Virginia region, look for a professional in the Roanoke marketplace or even Central Virginia.
That’s because Roanoke and Central VA is cheaper then NOVA, even with a travel fee, you can often times save money by booking vendors from a lower cost of living marketplace.
One of the reasons we do a lot of work in various regions is because of just that, the lower costs. You can get the same level or service, sometimes better than if you were to book locally. Just something to consider.
