Dummies’ Guide to Destination Wedding Photographer Costs
Picture this: you are in the beautiful haven that is Capri, far from your hometown, surrounded by family and friends and drinking that terrible jetlag away. In the evenings, you not only get to skinny-dip in the sea but also indulge in traditional cuisines you haven’t tried before with excellent wine pairings. While today you wine and dine, tomorrow you will be surrounded by the same amazing batch as you and your loved one exchange vows. You won’t have to leave in a huff either as the destination is also excellent for honeymoons.
Now, all you need is a great Italian destination wedding photographer to capture and freeze these happy moments. What should you be looking for in a great destination wedding photographer? Experience is certainly one of the most important factors to consider when hiring a wedding photographer. Destination weddings are unique in that they should capture more than just the beautiful couple. You didn’t pay so much only to have your photographer leave out the best parts of your destination.
The cost is also a factor to consider when hiring your preferred person. So, how much wedding photographer cost or charge for his services? It varies from person to person, and from destination to another. On average, a wedding photographer will cost 10-15% of your total wedding budget. This is also to say that they will charge between $2,000 and $10,000, depending on experience, destination, and other offerings. This cost is typically for the wedding day, but there could be other charges that come with a destination wedding.
Consideration when Pricing Wedding Photography
Several things are factored in when arriving at the cost of a wedding photographer cost per hour or daily.
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Time and Travel
A destination wedding is mostly in incredible places and unless you and the photographer live there, there will be reasonable travel to cover. The cost is usually on the host and so a photographer will include it in their quotation.
As for time, a typical wedding shoot is six hours long but you may choose to have daily unlimited coverage, which will certainly cost more. The downside of having your photographer covering you for a limited number of hours is that they may not have enough time.
A wedding photographer’s average cost will also factor in assistants. If the project is too big, they may not be able to comprehensively cover it alone and so they will bring assistants along. This cost will be included in the quotation, which is how you end with a cost.
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Albums and Editing
A wedding photographer’s work does not end in the field. Matter of fact, editing is where the majority if work is and so this will be a large part of the cost. Wedding albums are also quite popular and so the cost will go up if you want one to accompany your wedding.
For a start price, you will still get decent coverage and amazing photos, but they will be limited in number as the photographer could be working with a 6-hour window. They are also likely to be working alone at the price, and so the quantity of photos. The quality will still be excellent.
What to Consider when Hiring a Professional Wedding Photographer?
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Are they Experienced?
First, you want someone with years of experience in photography to bring their A-game into your wedding. The longer they have been in the business, the better their work as they have experience working with different styles of photography. You also want to be sure that you like their style, which you can only tell by insisting to see previous work. An experienced destination wedding photographer is comfortable being in remote areas and so they will easily blend in to capture the most of the destination and the wedding.
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Is their Work Vouched for?
Magazines and renowned blogs are ideal for reference. They are so keen on who they publish and so anyone who makes the cut is unique. You also w ant to check with friends and family who have worked with destination photographers before for their recommendations and insight. Also, this era of digital marketing means that any photographer worth their salt has an online presence, from a website to a vibrant Instagram.
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Are they Friendly?
Wedding photography demands lots of interaction and so you want to work with someone who is friendly and easy to talk to during your wedding. Do they look like someone you want to hang out with? Do they ease your mind so you are able to strike a pose when required?
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Seen their Portfolio?
With websites and social media, anyone should have a portfolio and you should insist on seeing it before you hire. Do you like their edits in those photos? Do you think you will like those edits years from now? If yes, then you just found your wedding photographer.
The Work behind the Scenes
A wedding photographer’s work starts after the wedding and so the average photographer cost for a wedding heavily relies on how much they will do post production. They will spend hours and hours to editing and retouching your photos to be sure that they are as close to perfect as possible. If it is within the budget, they will produce a custom wedding album after they have edited the photos as a keepsake. Through editing, they will capture the emotions of the day and deliver the ideal package.
You only Get Married Once – or not…
Now, we are back at Capri, with the sun setting perfectly beyond the hills, signifying the end of yet another beautiful day. Wouldn’t you want this to be captured by an experienced Italian destination wedding photographer who knows the ins and outs of the country like the back of their hand? It could help even more of they have been in the business for over 20 years and have mastered and perfected several techniques of photography. Expensive they may be, but you only get to do this once. Do it right!
