How much would you expect to pay for wedding photography?

I'm starting a photography business & am trying to get a feel of how I should do my pricing. I want to be reasonably priced, but not cheap.

Also, I'm wanting to do some pro bono work for a couple weddings to get my name out there and add to my portfolio. What kind of places might I be able to advertise this?

Where are you located?

You could advertise on Craigslist.com. You could also start a website and see how you can promote it on wedding sites.

Do you have family or friends who are getting married or planning any types of family parties? What about the upcoming holidays? Just start taking pics at every event you go to and build an online portfolio.

Good luck to ya!

Edit...well i was hoping you were closer to where I live, I would have used you! But I do think your best bet is to just spread the word to family, friends and coworkers that you are willing to offer your services for free and on websites that many people look to for vendors or people who offer services like brides.com and theknot.com. Maybe you can just take some friends one day and go to cool sites and take group pictures or pretend engagement pictures.

The price will depend i guess on what you plan to provide.
I have a suggestion for you though. Whatever price you choose, please provide all day service!!
I found it very frustrating when searching for my photographer that some people only do so many hours and then cut you off. As a bride i dont want to worry about time restraint and whether or not i am going to owe you more money for staying later then agreed. Ok done venting about that.

As an example i am a budgeting bride, and i was able to find a photographer that is going to be with me all day, i get a booklet of 100 photos with 10 touch ups (aka. black and whites, black and white with some color etc.) and i get the full rights and all photos taken on CD. All this for $850.00. There is no extra charge for traveling and the best part is, is the guys is really nice and personable. Not standoffish, and was all about what i wanted. I really prefer to do a mix of traditional photos and the candid moments..
I hope this info helps. And best of luck to you.


PS: a suggestion for getting your name out there. I am a member on theknot.com and one of the girls on there is an up and coming photographer, she was offering free sessions and photos for two months to build up her portfolio. if you are in the us, you can try something like that.

In Central Missouri the prices really vary....from as little as 100 bucks (only for wedding, no pre-wedding or post-wedding pictures) up to 5,000 at a local Photography shop that is there all day long snapping pictures. I paid around $7-800 for my pictures (I can't remember exactly, sorry!), and the person did some touch-ups on them, and I got to keep all of my proofs (but no CD). Good luck, hope this helped!

I would think initially you should charge towards the less expensive end of a price range, then, as you get better, more skilled, etc., you can start charging more.

An idea would be to pass yourself off as a prospective bride, and "shop" photographers in your area to see what they charge and for what services. Or, have a friend do it for you, if you're concerned about having them recognize you in the future. That will give you a pretty good idea of the ball park price range in your area, and then you need to be at the bottom end of it, since you're just starting out. You need to find out what the going rate is in your area. I can tell you about what a photographer will charge in my area, but I live in Kansas City, and that's not much good to you where you are, you know?

I live in Indiana, and it seems that most pricing around here starts at around $2000.00 (unfortunately for all us not-so-rich brides!) I would strongly suggest you find a base price that seems relevant to your area, and create a build-your-own-package system, which I would have absolutely loved to find. Give base pricing based on a half day and full day for example, list several services you can also provide (ie. coffeetable books, prints, albums) and say all the bride has to do is check which ones are important to her and you will give her a cutomized quote! I would have loved this, and in fact I called around until I found a photographer who was willing to customize for me. I would create a website and see if you can advertise on theknot, brides.com, perfectweddingguide.com, etc. For the free services, advertise this on your website, and you can advertise your site on myspace and craigslist for free. Also try bridal boards on the above listed websites! good luck!

I am lucky enough to have an uncle that has done photography since I was a child so he will be shooting my wedding, but I did check out some photographers and for a decent one it's about $1000. You can spend a lot more than that though on a photographer. To get your name out I would attend bridal shows in your area and offer your service that way.

We paid about $1000, which included before (posed) and during the ceremony, candid reception photos, a CD, and a book of proofs. I was a bit disappointed there was not at least one 8 x 10 included in the price and the book of proofs were itty bitty so it was not something you could really show someone (or even tell what you wanted to order if you were going to order prints from him).

The one thing he did do that helped both him and me was to get everyone's email at the reception. He then sent a link to a page on collages.net to all my friends and relatives with the photos on them. People could order prints directly from him (so people were not hounding me for pics) and he picked up extra money that way.