How much do you charge for actual day wedding

[singscott]

OK guys we always hate people undercharge and killing the wedding market. Let us be tureful and see what real market rate people are really charging. Please base the charges for a whole day actual wedding creative service, with 300 shots and materials for the 300 shots like 4R photo, cd to reprints and photo albums. Then we can show how many are undercharging or are we over charging.

[SniperD]

:smilie: :smilie: Good luck with the response

[Adam Goi]

F.O.C. only to a selected few ...

[singscott]

It for the good

[Ivan11]

For me, normally i don't do the printing. I will cover the whole day event from pre-makeup to end of entire dinner. Photos ranging from 300-400. Burn into disc, one original folder and one edited folder and give to the couple. Very close friend i only charge $200, other than that is $400 .

[catchlights]

The market norm is between $500 to $900, you can charge whatever figure you like (not restrict to the figure I mention here), base on you skill, name, creativity, etc.. as long you still able to find customers (high price), or stay profitable (low price).

So how you define undercharging or overcharging? If offering the same thing, can a photographer who charge $1200.00 for a wedding day shoot, say whoever charge less than this is undercharging? Or vice versa?

[Petf69]

interesting topic....I'm sure those new joiners looking for a ROM/Wedding photographer would be very interested in this thread......

[singscott]

Originally Posted by catchlights The market norm is between $500 to $900, you can charge whatever figure you like (not restrict to the figure I mention here), base on you skill, name, creativity, etc.. as long you still able to find customers (high price), or stay profitable (low price). So how you define undercharging or overcharging? If offering the same thing, can a photographer who charge $1200.00 for a wedding day shoot, say whoever charge less than this is undercharging? Or vice versa?

I totally agree but there must be a minium limit as photographer we should charge. I alway tell the couple who said I overcharge and they have come across photographers charge $200 or $500 for x amount of services and material. I tell to get a compact PS and ten rolls of film. As that are cheaper and after the wedding they still can bring the new camera for their honeymoon So what is the bear minium we as artiste of this art should we charge Then this poll will help us to gauge.

[ParkertR]

im new to this too... covered 3 weddings so far! first 2 were free :P the third one i covered was for $350 which included 250 photos burned on cd, edited and unedited... they paid for the prints.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by singscott I totally agree but there must be a minium limit as photographer we should charge. I alway tell the couple who said I overcharge and they have come across photographers charge $200 or $500 for x amount of services and material. I tell to get a compact PS and ten rolls of film. As that are cheaper and after the wedding they still can bring the new camera for their honeymoon So what is the bear minium we as artiste of this art should we charge Then this poll will help us to gauge.

Sometime customers will try to deceive you and hope to get some discount, but anyway, if you don’t want to take the assignment, need not to explain anything to them, just say thanks for their enquiry and wish them well good enough liao.

Some photographers want to charge so low due whatever reason is beyond our control. And it happen all the time, we just have to live with this.

[ortega]

Maybe the question should be
"How much do you charge for your service only"
everything else has a cost.

Another question is did anyone factor the cost of equipment
and mintaining it.
The cost of running the equipment.
The cost of transportation
The cost of upgrading (heehee)

[singscott]

What you (catchlight) say might be ture. But there newbie to the trade and those who are spoliting the market but doesn't know it. It might be enlighting to them to know they can charge more then what they think is the bear minium. Hell I like know what kind to rate most of us is charging then where handling client I can use this knowledge to gauge how to sell to them better. It will work for all. It how we use this knowlegde I am worring

[singscott]

Originally Posted by ortega Maybe the question should be "How much do you charge for your service only" everything else has a cost. Another question is did anyone factor the cost of equipment and mintaining it. The cost of running the equipment. The cost of transportation The cost of upgrading (heehee)

In client eye there alway how much you are going to give them. Never how well you are going to service or creative you are The cost my friend is alway on us unless we annoyed them by telling them that

[singscott]

Originally Posted by SniperD :smilie: :smilie: Good luck with the response

Man I hated it when you are right. 170 viewing only 14 poll. Alot of by stander, very little want to contribut to help their own asses.

[2100]

Originally Posted by singscott Man I hated it when you are right. 170 viewing only 14 poll. Alot of by stander, very little want to contribut to help their own asses.

No lar, a lot of us hitting refresh on the thread coz gan cheong on the result. haha

I think SniperD meant something else....like the accuracy of the poll etc....heh.

[ortega]

Originally Posted by singscott In client eye there alway how much you are going to give them. Never how well you are going to service or creative you are The cost my friend is alway on us unless we annoyed them by telling them that

in my eye, I am selling them a service, my time, equipment rental and skill in using it. everything else I leave it up to them to DIY. If their eye and my eye cannot meet thenboth of us better look somewhere else.

I do not accept jobs that only ask for price and does not care what I can offer. In the end you will not enjoy the shoot and spoil someone's wedding and your reputation.

Always enjoy the shoot.

[singscott]

Originally Posted by ortega in my eye, I am selling them a service, my time, equipment rental and skill in using it. everything else I leave it up to them to DIY. If their eye and my eye cannot meet thenboth of us better look somewhere else. I do not accept jobs that only ask for price and does not care what I can offer. In the end you will not enjoy the shoot and spoil someone's wedding and your reputation. Always enjoy the shoot.

Agree only our Bl**ding couple client thinks the same

[jOhO]

Originally Posted by ortega in my eye, I am selling them a service, my time, equipment rental and skill in using it. everything else I leave it up to them to DIY. If their eye and my eye cannot meet thenboth of us better look somewhere else. I do not accept jobs that only ask for price and does not care what I can offer. In the end you will not enjoy the shoot and spoil someone's wedding and your reputation. Always enjoy the shoot.

Well it depends, in an ideal world, your view would be most respectable! but unfortunately alot of potential clients do that. first email, ask me how much.

i would think the most important question to ask is whether i'm available on the date, but some fail to gimme the date, just ask how much.

all this is REGARDLESS of whether they've seen my work or not.

maybe speaking from the point of view of a couple, and many of them/us (as couples) have to work within a certain budget for not only photography, but for the rest of the day. so if they allocate say 800 for AD photography, they will round up all photogs that fall in their budget and choose the best from that shortlist, hence the initial question of "how much?". not many pple have the luxury of shortlisting thru calibre of the photog, which could cost much more (4 figures at least for pros). of course if the shortlist a photog that they LOVE so much, and CHEAP.. well good for them!

fortunately for me, my rates fall within the budget of quite a large number of people that enquire for my services. of course there are also many that complain too expensive and/or bargain, but i guess from there it's just negatiations and stuff.

no perfect world here, but we make do lar. at least i do. i mean if we're doing it for passion, then we can afford to reject shoots, as you do, but if it's your ricebowl, sometimes, well, real world decisions have to be made.

personally, my story is that it's half passion half ricebowl. the income i make from freelancing is quite mandatory to my financial needs.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by singscott What you (catchlight) say might be ture. But there newbie to the trade and those who are spoliting the market but doesn't know it. It might be enlighting to them to know they can charge more then what they think is the bear minium. Hell I like know what kind to rate most of us is charging then where handling client I can use this knowledge to gauge how to sell to them better. It will work for all. It how we use this knowlegde I am worring

Some photographers don’t want to charge high, worry about losing customers, you go to femalebridesonline, see those very active threads you will understand. (So and so very cheap and very good)

So why bother about the minimum amount? No matter what, some joker will try to charge $10 cheaper than you. The bottom line is to stay profitable, or else increase your productivity.

[kweehonjin]

One either sells on quality/style or on price....

Sell based on price and they will always be someone cheaper than you.

Sell based on quality and if the prospective client likes your stuff, price is usually not an issue...