Do Wedding Photographers Charge Too Much?

I keep a very tight record on expenses and accounts receivable. There are two good reasons to do this. One; it’s how you run a business. Two; it’s how you should run a business. I could look at any year, but since 2014 is coming to a close, let’s take a look at our expenses this year. I am going to break down the expenses into categories, the same way the IRS does.

A disclaimer; every business is unique and we are not suggesting we are representative of all wedding photographers. We only aim to illustrate some of the expenses and challenges that most wedding photographers face. In 2014, as a photography company, we spent:

Bridal Meetings with Photographer | and Mom and Dad

Photography Meeting Weddings are obviously expensive, we all know that. Often times the photographer is one of the biggest bills on the wedding day – accounting for 10-15% of the total wedding budget. That means that the average wedding photographer is asking for a 2500-3500 dollar check. That’s a lot of …

Make it about the Work First

MAKE IT ABOUT THE WORK FIRST

Sometimes we forget that we are more than brands. Sure, we are Pabst Photo, but we are also just people. We interact with others. We are selling more than photography, more than art even. We are selling ourselves. Not in the dirty way. :-) Jamie and I are people and almost every time, we become friends with our clients. We share such a special day with our couples. It is such a unique experience. We are grateful every time we get to shoot a wedding. It truly is a privilege to share in their day. When we have satisfied clients it does feel amazing. Sure, there’s money involved, but hearing from a bride/groom about how happy they are with their photos feels pretty incredible.

The Woes of Owning a Business | Photography

The Business side of Photography Starting, owning, and operating a small business is hard work. For those outside looking in, it might seem glamorous at times. It is not. There is this impression that you get to make your own hours, work from home often, and do what you love to …

Chicago Wedding Photographer Prices

What do most people spend on a Wedding Photographer? The average bride spends 8-12% of the wedding budget on the photographer. Does that sound reasonable to you? The average cost of a wedding in the Chicago area is between $35,000 and $45,000 – so, if we assume the stats are …

06 Don’t Compare Your Chapter 1 to Someone Else’s Chapter 20 | Wedding Photography

I intend to keep this short and sweet. As always, the Photography Business Journal series on Pabst Photo is as much for me to document my ups and downs with owning a business as it is for any reader. I came across the quote – in the title – and it resonated with me and how I think about Pabst Photo. It’s very dangerous to look at another photographer and the success they may be having that you don’t. However, we never look the other way and see how far we have come or see how much further along we …

05 | I hate Posing Photography and Shoot Only Natural Light

Wedding Photography | Photojournalism | Posing and Natural Light The title of this blog post is meant to be ridiculous. I would NEVER say that. I think that photographers that say such things are photographers that only know how to shoot natural light. They don’t know how to pose a couple or a bride and groom. If they don’t know how to shoot flash – well – it’s easier to say, “I’m a natural light photographer,” than it is to learn flash-photography. Similarly, if a photographer says they never pose a couple, they just shoot the day as it unfolds …

04 | Looking at other Photographers | Reference Imagery

Other Photographers Work It’s amazing how many wannabe photographers I meet – especially online and in forums – that are truly self depreciating. Websites like Digital Photography School are full of these types. So many photographers, especially those starting out look at the work of others and drool. They convince …

03 | Photographers Laid Off | Sun Times | What it means?

You’ve probably heard about the 28 full time photographers that were recently laid off by the Chicago Sun-Times. I want to talk about it in a different light than most of the news; I’ve heard a lot of Armageddon-like chatter from the photography industry and I’m not buying it. What I hear Photographers Saying There are many who think that the photographer is being further marginalized as cameras get better and better and phones like the Galaxy S4 and iPhone5 sport incredibly good cameras that people have on them at nearly all times. The concept of crowd sourced news and journalism imagery is ever increasing; especially …

02 | Free Photography Services | Getting Started

Offering free photography services sounds terrible, but we have to keep a long term perspective on this endeavour. When I started my wedding videography company I was terrified. I truly didn’t know if I could do it. I had purchased a professional video camera at the cost of 2000 dollars while working as an architect in Chicago, IL. It was a lot of money, but it was money I had. I purchased the camera as a toy as much as anything – I thought I would tinker in short films with friends. I soon realized that I did love shooting …

01 | Building a Photography Business

I wish I had started something like this years ago when I was beginning in the wedding industry. If nothing else to remind myself how hard it is to start and maintain your own business. I’m not sure if this ‘journal series’ is aimed at other people starting their photography business or it’s selfishly for me to look back at someday. I’ve thought about writing posts like this in the past, but always thought it was too late – but I finally decided that was foolish and it’s never too late to start something. The same goes for starting a …