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BIRMINGHAM, AL + BEYOND | [email protected]

Believe it or not, it costs a lot of money to run a small business. Professional photographers invest a lot of what they make back into their businesses. Just a few of these carrying costs include insurance, taxes, licenses, marketing, and continuing education. Camera equipment is a major expense, with camera bodies, lenses, and lighting priced at thousands of dollars (and of course, you have to have a backup set too!). Also, 30% of what photographers charge is handed over to Uncle Sam when it's time to pay income taxes, so by the time they cover that and all of their other expenses, they're looking at a profit of about 30% of what they charge, which means they earn about $1000 for a $3000 wedding on average. Of course, I can't speak for every photographer out there, but this is what I've found to be true about running a (legal!) business.

Furthermore, a photographer's job doesn't begin when they show up to shoot and end when they drive away from the reception. They also spend a lot of time responding to emails, meeting with clients, editing, mailing off products, designing albums, etc. By the time it's all said and done, I put at least 40 hours of work into a single wedding. But it's so worth it!

Business Expenses & Time

Well, there are a TON of different answers to that question, but in an effort to help you make sense of why professional wedding photographers charge what they do, I thought I'd list just a few of the many things you're paying for when you hire one.

People always ask me, "Why is wedding photography SO expensive?"