What does a wedding photographer make?
I assume they work a lot more each wedding than just the 8 hours on the day.
Question Asked: 21/11/2018
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
Most Helpful Response
(12) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
Answered by: 6 Experts
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hey love!
So most people dont realise whats behind it all, but if you want good quality then your better off paying slightly higher i say.
If my clients ask i like to break it down for them so you need to include how you found out about me (advertising cost a bit) word of mouth doesnt which is great.
i also have "extras" on my packages so
cumstom usb in a cumstom box to keep safe,
i usually supply a couple of prints around a4 size
and even a glass print in my full day.
and some travel allowance to cover gettting to and from.
most of us have insurance cover on our gear so that might be like 5-10 dollars a wedding to cover it over the year.
computer space to sort your memories for 5-7years incase something terrible happens
on the day and editing time added together i usually divided that by all costs
so for example a very basic for me might be:
package price full day cover of aprox 10hrs $ 2250
advert say $50 every client booking (added in package)
travel allowance on car depends on distance $ 250
additions in total $ 350
TOTAL $ 2850
now to divide the full day, 10 hours & divide by 34
editing say 24 hours over a few days.
TOTAL $83.82
this is an estimate on a per hour charge for full day then and most of the clients go oh ok thats really cheap! on average i assum most of us would take home 1/3 to half of what we charge. but that just depends on each individual photgrpaher and what they offer really if they only supply you the images online then they would be banking a bit more then half of what they'd charge.
hope this has helpful
(26) · Cairns, Palm Cove & Port Douglas
Posted: 16/01/2019
Beautiful memories! ;)
Hi,
Any photo shoot whether it is wedding, portrait, family, baby, boudoir.... takes more time than just the shoot time on the day. There is preparation, pre shoot consultations and planning, the shoot day and then post production and designing, creating and ordering products (if required). What a great question.... thanks for asking it!!
Post-processing sometimes accounts for around 3 times as much time as the actual day itself, it's huge. There are so many details and nuances that if done right, you (counterintuitively) don't notice, all plays a part. I hope that answers your question.
Hi
Post production editing takes a lot of time and can double and even triple the time spent at the ceremony
Cheers Felicity
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You're right that the day itself is only part of it. For us, a typical eight hour wedding turns into a lot more once you add the planning calls and run sheet, the travel, the actual shooting, and then the editing. The culling and editing alone usually runs three or four times longer than the hours we're with you, because every image gets worked on individually rather than batch processed. We edit everything in-house, so it's our eyes on your photos from start to finish, never sent offshore or handed to a stranger overseas.
As for what a photographer actually makes, the headline package price is not take home pay. Out of it comes gear and lens replacement, backups and insurance, second shooters, advertising, software subscriptions, long term storage of your files, and tax. By the time all of that is accounted for, the hourly rate ends up far more modest than people assume, especially once you spread it across the quiet winter months when fewer weddings come through.
If you're comparing quotes, my honest tip is to look past the price per hour and ask what's included in the editing and how files are handled and stored, because that's where the real difference in quality and reliability sits. A higher quote often just means more of the work is being done properly behind the scenes, where, done well, you never actually notice it.