Jason's Blog

Why Wedding Photographers are So Expensive…

jgallusphoto — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:37:19 +0000

The following is something that I came across today from another photographer’s blog. It includes a post from a Craigslist ad, and then her replies to several of the comments that were made in the post. I know when Brides are searching for a photographer for their wedding, budget can sometimes be a major factor with who they choose. However, there’s the old saying “you get what you pay for” – for a reason. With some of my past experiences, I’ve been sadly shocked that many Brides have shared with me, that their friends who were married prior to them would not recommend the photographer they used. Upon further questioning, it becomes more clear that it was due to them thinking they would get a “good deal”. But, when it all boils down to it, everything that is invested for such a beautiful occasion – it’s the great photography that you’ll have to visually remember everything about that day.

Please enjoy this excerpt and hopefully understand why $3500 isn’t such an outrageous price for Wedding Photography, as is suggested by this blogger. Some great food for thought!

Anderson Wedding

ATTN: Wedding Photographers

WHY is finding an amazing wedding photographer so difficult? :/

I am a Bride who is getting married this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly talented, fun photographer.

WHY because the word “WEDDING” is involved photographers think they can change you $ 3,000.00 for wedding photos? Oh, because no bride is going to go without so they are going to pay it, because they HAVE to. They are ripping people off for all they have! Why when you want to get married it costs you AT LEAST 15 grand after all is said-and-done? Its such CRAP!! I love all you $ 3,000.00 photographers out there but i think your prices are WACK. All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them.. and thats owrth 3 GRAND!!! You’re making so much money its crazy. I just wish people would be more realistic. I mean the “average” persons salary for 1 freaking month is somewhere around 3 grand. (Thats making 19$ an hour) So you’re going to take someones WHOLE MONTH paycheck for one flippen day of photos? Just because you CAN!!?????? So that maybe they will not be able to feed themselves or pay any other bills they have, right? It makes me SICK!

I know im speaking for more than just myself right now. Alot of brides out there think the same thing. & I bet all you fancy photographers wont even read this. oh-well. Maybe there are cheaper photographers that will read this and LOVE to take my photos

Now before I go into my perspective….I want to address two things. First, I value difference in opinion…..I don’t expect everyone in the world to think that us wedding photographers are worth what we charge. I respect that. What I don’t respect, is someone who has NO idea what they are talking about, ranting about how I make my money and discrediting the amount of work that REALLY goes into it. Second, I am in no way “complaining about how much work I have to do” or “crying about how hard I have it”. Not at all! I LOVE my job. I am simply re-claiming some respect for the craft and explaining some things that some people aren’t aware of.

Piece for piece, here is my response:

WHY because the word “WEDDING” is involved photographers think they can change you $ 3,000.00 for wedding photos?

Because, weddings aren’t just every other day. YOU as a bride, should know this.

I wake up the morning after every wedding, feeling like I got ran over by a train…..weddings hold a much higher level of stress than just an everyday shoot. You get one chance to capture it. You have to have the right equipment to get the job done, and not to mention backups….in case those fail. Anonymous Craigslist bride…do yourself a favor and please do not discredit your wedding day this way. The word “WEDDING” means a great deal actually. So yes, we are entitled to charge more for this highly stressful service, because it is a wedding! But it is quite silly to label this to photographers only. It goes for every wedding service! I mean unless you regularly spend hundreds of dollars on a single bouquet of flowers or $1500 for a dress?

I love all you $ 3,000.00 photographers out there but i think your prices are WACK.

You know what I think is wack? The cost of my rent! Oh and my car insurance…..ooh and not to mention, my phone bill! But guess what? I still have to pay them! And I do it with my camera. I think maybe you forgot that this is my career. Not just something I do for fun, that I can charge next to nothing for. Each photographer’s prices are derived from a specific formula that involves their cost of running business and cost of living. Believe it or not, we don’t just say “Ooh a wedding! I think I will charge……hmmmm…..$5000!” We are trying to survive, just like you. The high priced photographers cost more for a reason. And if they were charging the prices you seem to be pining for, they wouldn’t be able to stay in business.

All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them.. and thats owrth 3 GRAND!!!

This is just silly. Craigslist bride…..if you really think that is all we are doing….please oh please just go to Costco and buy your cousin a Canon Rebel and let him do the job! Since ALL we do is hang out, shoot a few pics, then edit them….piece of cake! Cousin Kevin will do just fine!!! You’ll even get to keep the camera after….SCORE!

I mean the “average” persons salary for 1 freaking month is somewhere around 3 grand.

Keyword is SALARY. We are not on salary. That one wedding that we “make so much money on” might have to feed us through the slow winter season when we have NO weddings. There is no financial security in this field. We either have the bookings or we don’t. And even when we don’t, the bill collectors still come for theirs!

Also….have you ever considered how much of that $3000 really becomes ours? After taxes and the HEFTY chunk the IRS takes from business owners… that income is nowhere near what you think it is. Then there is business insurance, websites, advertising, editing software, the thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and the costs of maintaining it. The list goes on and on. And then the cost of our time…..we blog, edit, email, process orders, shoot engagement sessions, market, etc. There is so much more time to shooting a wedding than actually just being there on that wedding day. We work our booties off to give you a great experience and photos for a lifetime. A business is like a baby….it constantly needs your attention and care!

Also, this “average person” probably works a 9-5 during the week, then is free to enjoy their weekends with their family. Well we also work that 9-5, doing all of the inside work I mentioned. Then on the weekends….we are at your wedding, still working! Don’t get me wrong, I love being at your wedding. Seriously, some of the best times of my life are when I am shooting my awesome brides and grooms. But please, just respect our time and be mindful of these hurtful things you’ve said about how little we are worth.

And finally…..

You’re making so much money its crazy.

Sweet!!! This is great news!!!! Craigslist Bride, if you are reading this, please email me!!!! Cause I know I should totally be rich by now….with all these weddings I’ve shot. But I just can’t seem to figure out where all of that money went….hmmm….can you help me find it? You seem to know more about my finances than I do!

Moral to the story is. You do not have to value me at $3500+ if you don’t want to. But you DO need to know the facts before you can judge my lifestyle and my financial situation. Being a wedding photographer has been the BEST thing to happen to me….and I hope I can do it all the way until retirement! But it has also taken every ounce of myself to keep it going. It is a lot of work and to see myself and other photographers degraded by statements like the above, is frustrating. We have put years and large amounts of money into mastering our craft, becoming better artists, and learning!

You don’t have to agree with it….but at least respect it.

Dom’s Senior Portrait Session

jgallusphoto — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:16:57 +0000

Watching friend’s children grow up always seems to be something that happens far too quickly. Such is the case of my great friend Shandell. We’ve been friends since our early teens. So, I’ve known Dom Kramer even before he was born. Now, he will be graduating at the end of this school year from Minneapolis schools. It’s hard to believe that he’s already old enough for this – and even harder to believe that I’m getting as old as I am! Haha!

I had a fantastic time photographing Dom’s senior portait session and it was a real treat to see the reactions at his viewing session last night. The video link is a teaser of some of the images from his session. Enjoy! .

Celebrating Summer with Children’s Portrait Special!

jgallusphoto — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:55:00 +0000

It seems like over the past few days we’ve been thrust into summer with temperatures in the 90′s and higher humidity. I know for some, it’s a much welcome change. For myself, I do enjoy it to a point, but am thankful to have AC to step into as needed. Along with this incredible summer weather, many families are beginning to welcome summer breaks with their children wrapping up the 2010/2011 school year. I have to say that I’ve enjoyed driving school bus again this past year and the the students on the routes I was assigned made my job much easier than many might fear. No doubt there are lots of fun times ahead for summer to be planned! Family vacations, all varieties of summer camps and other programs as well as getting to spend more time together. Why not include in those plans a portrait session for your children?

From now until July 15th, special times are being set aside for a FREE mini-session with exclusive package pricing for this event. Children change so quickly from year to year and even month to month. Bring their siblings, friends or even pets for a few frames of fun! Call to schedule your appointment and for further information at 612-790-7048.

Spring and the New

jgallusphoto — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:28:13 +0000

Well, as you can tell – much like relationships of eyes and stomachs, my intentions were much better than my follow through in keeping things up here.

This time of year has a way of getting many of us excited and inspired with the stronger warmth of the sun and longer days with disappearing snowbanks. I’m in the middle of enjoying several days off from the bus driving gig with the Wayzata schools spring break. I think everyone was looking forward and needing some days off – especially the kids! This has afforded me some time to catch up with the long list of things I need to do here in the studio and in my office with preparations for a busy summer.

A couple of weeks ago I was riding high with excitement as I had the opportunity to purchase a long time desired lens – the Canon 85mm F1.2. I then had the opportunity to photograph my niece shortly afterward. I’m accompanying this post with one of my favorite images from the session. She’s such a blast to photograph and spend time with!

Pretty serious for a 9 year old!

I’ve had the great opportunity to photograph Autumn several times. It might just be me, but I think she’s got gorgeous eyes! She’s working on getting into some more modeling opportunities, so we’ll see how things develop. I know I’m encouraging her to continue with it!

As I started saying before, this time of year is an exciting time of renewal. With that, I’m looking forward to renewing my efforts to being much more regular with my postings on this blog. Best wishes to everyone with their renewed efforts, whatever they will be with this spring time weather!

Some of this and some of that!

jgallusphoto — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 03:46:31 +0000

Unfortunately it has been FAR too long since I’ve posted anything here. It was my goal when I first started this blog that I would be regular with making updates and keep on top of things. I am renewing my efforts!

It’s not that I haven’t been busy with clients and what not this fall – it’s been a really great time of year and now we’re well into the wintry season and the holidays! With my love of snow, I’m really enjoying this year particularly. Especially with our recent blizzard a couple of days ago where we got around 16 inches of snow. It’s just beautiful – although the sub-zero cold temps that have followed I could do without.

Along with having a continued steady fall of portrait work, I’ve also returned after a 5 year hiatus to driving school bus part-time. It’s been a lot of fun to spend time around a variety of children again. I certainly have my moments of challenges – but that’s usually with other drivers on the road – rather than the students themselves. I’m working to revise my focus with my photography business, and I think that this avenue of work will certainly play very well with that. Stay tuned for more! I’m planning to get things caught up over the school break at the end of the year, so I shall have more to post. Until then, best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

My Home away from Home…

jgallusphoto — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:27:11 +0000

The expression “Time flies while you’re having fun” sure fits my past couple of weeks. I’ve been having a great summer photographing high school seniors from all over the Minneapolis metro area. I also just had the opportunity for a quick road trip out to one of my favorite places in the U.S. – Montana! Unfortunately, it was so quick that I barely had anytime to photograph the amazing scenery I encountered.

This summer celebrates my 10 year Anniversary from attending the Summer Intensive program at The Rocky Mountain School of Photography. So this quick road trip held a very special place for me. Being able to return to what really began this amazing career that I’ve been able to achieve. It still ranks as one of the best times of my life! To spend the whole summer immersed in photography and everyone else around me there for the same reason and just as hungry to learn as I was. It’s created some amazing friendships that are stronger than ever to this day. That experience will be something I’ll never forget!

One of the many highlights of spending time in Montana that summer 10 years ago was ending an incredible day of learning with an amazing sunset that seemed to last for hours. I fortunately had my camera with me on one of those evenings during my trip and I grabbed a quick shot. Troy and I were with our friend Donald as he was going to hurry to give us a tour of where he boards his horse Rex before it got too dark. The shot that I’m able to share with you was taken just as we pulled up to the stable. The light around us at that time of day was some of the most beautiful light I’ve got to experience in a long time. It certainly took me back to the joy I had experienced at RMSP and why I’ll always treasure every trip I take to Montana.

Reflections of Pure Joy near Pine Creek, MT

Senior Session of Marcos from Hill Murray HS

jgallusphoto — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:19:31 +0000

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of photographing a mini-session of Marcos – as a spokes model for 2011 Senior Class. He’s going to be a senior at Hill Murray High School – northeastern part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. We had a fantastic time in the studio and also captured a couple of images with some misty weather outdoors. I’ve posted a couple of the images from his session. Check out a few more images from his session as well as the other images I’ve captured for the 2011 Senior Class at my Facebook Page. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1352628&id=1288054231#!/album.php?aid=66085&id=1288054231 While you’re there - add me as a friend if you haven’t already done so! Continuing to book sessions – so call to schedule yours soon! 612.790.7048.

Let the Senior Portrait fun begin!

jgallusphoto — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:44:52 +0000

I’ve been looking forward to the 2011 high school portrait season for a while now and Saturday was my first session with Kazra. Kazra is back for a couple of weeks visiting from Arizona – and wow did we have fun! We started out the session in Fargo and then make our way back to the Pelican Rapids area – stopping along the way to capitalize on some great locations.

It’s certainly not too late to call and schedule your senior portrait session! Take advantage of scheduling during prime times – before they all book up! Call now at 612.790.7048 to start off your senior year with an amazing custom portrait session! You can also book your session online when it’s convenient for you – check it out!

12 Hour Sale Today!

jgallusphoto — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:55:21 +0000

I’m excited for this day to finally be here! I’ve had a couple of rough patches with preparations for this postcard getting mailed, but I it should all work out well today. I’m kicking off the 2011 High School Senior Portrait season with a fantastic sale today! Take advantage of some great pricing with your session, especially if you book it before the end of the month. Call early to get your preferred time scheduled. Try not to let this cool and rainy weather deter you. We still have plenty of terrific summer weather ahead!

It’s super easy! Check out the sessions to see which one (or more) you like best. Have a credit card ready. Call 612.790.7048. It’s THAT easy! Don’t Hesitate! This sale will be over before you know it!

To get a better view of the above piece, visit my website at www.jgallusphotography.com . Under “THE EXPERIENCE” tab you will find a tab labeled “Promotions”. Click on that to see it in full size.

I’ve finally arrived!

jgallusphoto — Mon, 24 May 2010 05:32:54 +0000

I’ve finally made it to the land of the blog! I have to say that it’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for quite sometime, but as with life – there’s always something that comes along and unfortunately has been one distraction after another with finally getting around to creating a blog. Please be patient with me as I embark on this blogging journey. It’s going to be yet another one of those new experiences that I begin with apprehension, but yet am excited to move forward with! Thanks for accompanying me!

The last bit of encouragement to start a blog has come with having a new website. I’m so excited to finally be ready to launch it! It’s been a long time coming and I can only hope that it’s going to boost my confidence and business as time goes by. Looking at the clock right now, I’m seeing 12:30am. It’s been a great, yet long weekend and tomorrow is a new day full of things to get done. Until next time, best wishes!