How Much Did You Pay Your Wedding Photographer?

AED 8,500 for 10 hours x2 photographers I am in the wrong business - thats a massive monthly wage if say doing 2 weddings a week. I had to add a comment about this Clairehdp :) Yes this price does sound like a lot, but take that figure and divide it by 2 (2 photographers). Then say you book 3-4 weddings a month. That's 4250 x 4 (if you are fully booked!) = 17000. Then start subtracting. Subtract the trade licence fee and desk fees a photographer pays every month (the legal ones, I am) - 2850AED, subtract website and SEO fees, about 2000AED a month, marketing material - business cards, pamphlets, cd covers, prints, frames, etc etc, about 1500AED, continual gear costs - if you are a professional your gear averages around 40-60000AED and you are always buying more lights, reflectors, batteries, props, laptops, hard drives, screens, memory cards ETC ETC. If I average gear costs a month, I pay about 3000AED a month into all that. That leaves about 7500AED profit. That does not include assistant fees, take another 2 grand off. Take off about 2-3 months of wedding bookings over the summer where you don't earn an income because everyone has gone away. That leaves you with enough money to cover rent and food. It's really tough being a photographer, it's not glam at all. It's hard work, long hours, late nights, no paid holidays, no paid sick leave, no benefits. It's dedication and hours and hours of marketing and tests and emails and phone calls. I've been a photographer for over 10 years, so I know what it's all about. You will know a professional when you meet one, and it's that that you need to pay that money for :) There are a lot of chancers out there and people who think they are photographers because they went and bought themselves a 5D Mark II, but the proof is in the pudding. The portfolio says it all. Anyone still wanting to be a photographer out there? :) well said! and there are so many illegal/cowboy photographers in this town.... <em>edited by kelly1814 on 21/11/2012</em>

I have no idea what they charge but the wedding photos from Ugly Duckling Photography is stunning AED 8,500 for 10 hours x2 photographers I am in the wrong business - thats a massive monthly wage if say doing 2 weddings a week. To be fair they will have to do prep work, take brief, it's usually a long, demanding day, and then there's all the post production work on the images afterwards...rather them than me! Have passed all this to my colleague - who is now an EW convert!

i KNEW you ladies would be fabulous! Coffee mate - did this include an initial briefing meeting or did that cost extra?

hello - thank you so much for your feedback! Melrish website looks great, if you wouldn't mind asking about rates, that would be most kind of you.