Wedding photographers never used to get much respect in the past either from customers or other professionals. But recent times give them wide recognition for their multi faceted talents. During a wedding day they serve as architectural photographers documenting locations, as a portrait photographer flattering the day’s important players, as product photographer shooting a close up of even the rings and as a photojournalist telling a story under pressure with pictures. One indication of wedding photographers’ new status is that they are given more and more work outside their geographic bases.  Another point is that they earn more money than before. So now it becomes imperative that these photographers are given some extra attention.

An article, that caused a stir among professional photographers, appeared in a website. The article included the names of the ten most overpaid jobs in the US. The top ones are CEOs of failing companies, washed-up artistes working out the remaining years of big contracts and mutual fund managers. But the most surprise entry was the wedding photographer at the 10th spot.

The article read, ‘Wedding photographers typically charge $2000 to $5000 to shoot a wedding, only a one day assignment plus initial client-meeting and processing time. Still many photographers mope through the job bumping guests on their way without apology with an attitude they are just doing this for the money. Of course they have to cover equipment and film development costs. Even then several who shoot two wedding each weekend in the May-October season, can make $75,000 to 100,000 in six months.

But it is true that much of their work is mediocre. There exists a belief that the public cannot afford a wedding photographer’s services, only big very rich corporations can hire him/her because the public deals with the bottom-feeders, almost by definition. It is not as bad in photography, but dealing with the public is a big negative for many professionals who are prepared to work for big professional buyers like ad agencies, editors etc who know what custom photography costs and who you need not educate every time they hire you. On the contrary the public has a total indomitable prejudice that the photography is affordable, an attitude they might have attained from the drug store print prices.

In the early 90s lots of studios and photographers went out of business and the ones who were left had to do it with a lot of difficulty. But today, no doubt, most wedding photographers clear anything like $100K. There is no reason to think that a wedding is a one-day assignment. Actually weddings are tough works. A wedding photographer works under a lot of pressure like a sled dog, has to educate and coddle his/her clients and has to bear a certain amount of contempt from the subjects. It is highly doubtful whether most photographers will mope through their assignments except the ones selected by the real cheapskates, perhaps. If many accomplished professional photographers refuse to accept weddings, it is not a mere accident. They honestly think that a decent wedding involves too intensive labor and doubt they could do the work profitably for anything less than about $4K /wedding. 

The professional photographers struck back saying it is truer that most wedding photographers are underpaid because most clients do not know the real cost of their work and are always trying to underestimate the job. The wedding shooting is so tedious that several photographers hate to do it. It is too bad to be a lesser-paid photographer without having work for 50 hours a week and with clients who fail to appreciate the work done by the wedding photographer.