Ah, the age-old question: “How much does it cost to hire a photographer for an event?” I must be honest though, before I started working as a photographer, I often wondered the same thing.
I like to keep things simple, so I have my pricing structure listed clearly and transparently on my event photography page.
As a freelancer I regularly survey my competitors to ensure that my services are priced correctly for my place in the market. I’m often shocked at the discrepancies in prices, so I can only imagine how confusing it must be for a client or customer.
How much does it cost to hire a photographer for an event – working out our prices
Every freelancer will have a different methodology for working out their prices, but hopefully they will have decided their rates based on similar factors:
- Contact time with the client
- Editing time
- Backup procedure time and storage costs
- Travel costs and travel time
- Other direct costs
- Cost of renewing equipment
- Software subscriptions, hosting costs, insurances, marketing, etc.
- Quality of output
Everyone has to start somewhere
It’s true that there is a photographer available for every budget. There are a number of Facebook groups in which customers can state their budget and there will usually be someone that is willing to work within that.
For people or companies operating on the lower end of the scale, that does of course throw up a few questions:
- Can they work to a brief?
- Are they insured?
- Will they provide a contract that protects both parties?
- Do they have a data backup procedure in place?
- Do they know how to operate in a professional environment?
- Do they have enough experience to understand your needs fully?
- Are they using suitable equipment?
- Do they have enough experience to understand whether or not they have suitable equipment?
- Do they have a backup plan in the case of equipment failure?
- Are they able to manage unexpected interruptions?
- Can they interact with guests in a professional manner?
Quality over budget
If you want to be sure of high-quality photos delivered to brief, it’s important to ensure that you budget for a professional photographer. This therefore changes the question. Rather than asking “How much does it cost to hire a photographer for an event?”, a better question might be “How can I ensure that I engage a photographer that can meet my requirements?”
This, of course, starts with communication.
Want to discuss your photography needs? Let’s talk.
