High Cost of Wedding Photography For A Few Hours Work

I recently had a conversation with a client regarding wedding photographer’s hourly rate. This client felt that wedding photographers were grossly overstating their value for just a few hours’ work.
As the average person who works a “9-5” every day and becoming more proficient at their task, they expect to be rewarded for their expertise and so do photographers, but with major differences.
For someone working in an office, your employer will provide everything that is needed for optimal operation of the office and that will include the computers and necessary software.
As a photographer, we must supply everything that is needed to do our job. Our cameras and lenses are top of the line. We must be able to capture every significant moment of your wedding day perfectly, no matter how poor the lighting may be because you expect your photographs to be a fair representation of what you are seeing. In addition to cameras and lenses, we must purchase flashes, memory cards, batteries, backup devices, etc.
Prior to your wedding day, we must make sure that all equipment is in proper working order and all batteries are charged and ready to use. We will visit the house of worship if that’s being used, scout nearby park for photographs and also visit your reception venue. There are agreements (some may require amendments) . If your photographs are being presented online, a wedding gallery must be prepared for you.
Once your wedding day is over, your photographs need sorting and editing. This process is now being done on computers. We must therefore own a computer, monitor, printer, wi-fi, high speed internet, editing software and also acquire the skills needed to operate these via classes and workshops.
So, in order to have your day appearing to be just a few hours’ work, there is a lot that goes on before and after your wedding in order to give you the kind of photographs and album that will last a lifetime.