Why are wedding photographers so expensive?! I've heard this asked by people who have gone on to hire cheap photographers only to proceed to legal proceedings later. So, what is a reasonable price for a wedding photographer?

Well, professional photography is more than just turning up, taking photos and going home. Wedding photographers invest in and insure costly camera and lighting equipment. They also need to invest in the right software to edit and finish quality wedding imagery.

You might think thousands of dollars spent for one day is too high a cost of wedding photography. The truth is, quality imagery being enjoyed over your and future lifetimes is really a very low outlay. People are fine spending thousands on a bar tab (which is literally money down the drain) but then balk at a quote if it's over a thousand dollars for photography. This has always confused me!

The other thing to keep in mind is that they typically will need to spend the hour culling and editing images for every hour a photographer shoots. Shooting one photo takes a second. Let's assume editing each photo takes one minute (give or take). If you have 800 photos to process, this could mean 800 divided by 60 = 13 hours. This is only time for editing - we also need to factor in backing up files to multiple storage devices, culling, exporting, uploading etc.

So, are wedding photographers worth it?

Well, let's lay it all out. You've spent hours planning this special day, making sure you have all the right food, drinks, the right celebrant, the right music etc. At the end of this day, all those things disappear. Celebrants go home after the ceremony, DJs pack up, and the music fades away, food gets disposed of. The only thing left is the memories. Some of these will linger in your mind, some won't. Some you might have missed. A photographer works hard to capture all the moments. You only get one shot at this, so you might as well go with someone who will provide professional imagery. It's an investment, not a cost.

There is more to professional photography than just the camera. Photographers have a trained eye and can acutely tune into good lighting (or create it).

Also, let's not forget that you don't want a jerk taking photos regardless of the photographer's skills. I've heard horror stories of brides in tears because their photographer rides them like a gym instructor. Please! You want to invest in someone who will contribute to the ambience of a fun and respectful evening.