Welcome to the second part of the my Kate Parker Wedding series on wedding photography! Recently, we asked several photographers why wedding photography can seem so expensive- and they had a lot to say! The first factor that we covered was Education and Experience so be sure to check out part 1. In this post, we’ll talk about the second factor that plays into photography costs – Advertising and Marketing.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
What’s the use of being a super talented photographer if no one knows about you? Back in the day, photographers could simply produce a pamphlet to advertise their services. However, in today’s electronic world, photographers must pursue many different avenues of marketing to be competitive.  Savvy brides will do a lot of research to find the perfect photographer, and Massachusetts and Rhode Island wedding photographer, Sarah Fantom relates this:
“Most couples are looking at vendor websites or doing an online search when planning a wedding, especially during the beginning stages. Making sure that my website comes up during this seach process is so very important! Keeping up with today’s marketing resources is almost a full time job in itself, between blogging, Facebook, websites, and actual print advertising. You must be doing it all day!”
The costs of online advertising can be phenomenal. For example, one of the most important ways for photographers to represent themselves are to have their own websites. According to Savannah wedding photographer, Scott Hopkins, creating a custom website can easily approach $10,000. Wow! In addition to personal websites, photographers pay to be represented on other wedding websites.  Vermont wedding photographer, Kathleen Porter, of North Photography, expresses this when she asks:
“How did you find this great professional photographer?  On the fabulous bridal website that has so many great ideas?  There are a lot of wonderful places to advertise, but the really nice ones cost a fair bit. That is why they are so nice! And we professionals are proud to be a part of their pages.”
In addition to online marketing, photographers still use many forms of print advertising as well. In addition to being featured in bridal publications, they must also produce other materials to hand out. For example, Chicago wedding photographer, Shang Chen says:
“The materials that you take with you after our initial meeting including business cards and other printed resources cost lots of time and money to produce.”
So, the next time you’re admiring a professional photographer’s work , but balking at the price of their services, just keep in mind all of the money it costs them to market their work. While most would prefer to just focus on their art, they must participate in the advertising part of the business so that you can find them, hire them, and allow them to capture you looking more fabulous than ever on your special day!
image above by Sarah Fantom Photography
my Kate Parker Weddings State and Budget: MA and RI $50-80k
image above by Scott Hopkins Photographer
my Kate Parker Weddings State and Budget: Savannah $25-50k, $50-80k
image above by North Photography
my Kate Parker Weddings State and Budget: VT $25-50k
image above by Shang Chen Photography
my Kate Parker Weddings State and Budget: Chicago under $25k
The photographers above are all members of my Kate Parker Wedding, your online wedding resource guide geared towards directing couples to quality vendors based on their price range and state.
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Being in business as a wedding photographer is definitely far more costly than most people realize. When you’re a full-time wedding photographer, it’s a full-time job and I spend at least 40 hours a week doing my job, even in New England’s “off season.”
But I think that wedding photography is like most other businesses — what we charge is directly related to supply and demand, and not the cost of being in business. I tell people that every vendor and every venue has a “stock price.” That is, a perceived value among clients. Some venues and vendors have lower expenses but they’re able to charge more because they’re more in demand for whatever reasons, and vice versa. I actually try not to pass along my expenses to clients or to think about what I charge in those terms. I focus on perceived value and demand. Just a thought…