Photography Packages: What You Are Buying
Photography quotes are structurally different from each other, which makes comparison harder than it looks. A cheaper quote might represent worse value than a more expensive one once the deliverables are understood.
Shooting Time vs Total Time
Ten hours of wedding coverage represents only a fraction of a photographer's total time on your booking. Post-shoot editing for a wedding typically adds another 15 to 25 hours. This explains why hourly rates appear high compared with some other professions — the visible hours are a minority of the total work.
Editing
Culling, colour grading, exposure correction and consistent style application are real work. A photographer delivering 500 edited images has typically spent 8 to 15 hours in post-processing. Packages with very large numbers of images at low prices generally mean minimal editing. Many photographers prefer to deliver 350 carefully edited images than 700 lightly processed ones.
Image Licensing
Delivered images come with a personal use licence — print and share for personal purposes. Commercial use requires a separate licence. For businesses using images in paid advertising or national campaigns, usage fees apply on top of shooting rates. Clarify in writing before the shoot.
Albums
A professionally produced fine art album with lay-flat binding is a materially different product from a photobook ordered through an online printing service. Professional albums cost £400 to £800 but last decades and are regularly looked at. Digital files on a hard drive are rarely viewed regularly — a printed object is more persistent.
Second Photographers
A second photographer covers simultaneous events (groom's preparations while lead is with the bride) and reduces gaps in coverage. Typically adds £200 to £500 to a package cost. Worth it for large weddings or venues with multiple simultaneous spaces.
