With these easy steps start charging $10,000 a wedding

Many photographers dream of charging premium rates for their services, but making the leap from being a $3,000 to a $10,000 wedding photographer involves more than just hiking up prices. If you compare images side by side of different photographers, you often won’t see a significant difference in image quality. This can be quite confusing for many people, but you need to understand that the price difference is often in the overall experience and the peripherals, not in the quality of photographs.

In this video, Luke Cleland explains the main differences between different budget photographers, and tells us how you can increase your prices without losing clients.

Supply and demand

Luke recommends increasing your prices incrementally. Start off at a price point that still feels like a lot, but don’t just stay there for years on end. Years of experience merit a price increase, and when you’re fully booked months in advance, you know that’s a good time to increase your prices. The key is to not start out too low, you still need to find that sweet spot and not undercharge at the outset.

Build the right connections

Like all things business, success in wedding photography isn’t just about skill; it’s about building relationships. Networking with planners and vendors is crucial. Even if you start with no connections, prioritize delivering an excellent service, which fosters referrals and opens doors to higher-paying opportunities. You’ll also need to network hard for clients willing to pay higher amounts.

The people who book $10,000 wedding photographers aren’t the same people who book a $1500 wedding photographer. This is why raising your prices bit by bit can be a bad idea because your target market isn’t the same. Generally, you’ll find buyers for any budget if you know how to market to them. This is why car companies will often have different brands under one umbrella that sell essentially the same cars. It’s the peripherals and trimmings that make a luxury brand, not the nuts and bolts of the product.

Price signals quality

While this doesn’t necessarily ring true, it’s an age old concept that does have some foundation. People generally associate higher prices with higher quality. However, you actually do have to deliver that higher quality. Apple products are famous for their sleek packaging and ease of use. If you’re selling albums and prints, then think hard about the presentation.

I’ll say it again: You are selling a luxury product, and you need to deliver a luxury product and service. This means going the extra mile in terms of client communication and delivery from the first touch point right up until the end, and then some.

Develop your brand

You have to think beyond just being a service provider. You aren’t there just to take photos of your client’s wedding. What else can you provide? You need to offer a ‘one of a kind’ experience. At this level, you need to present yourself as a creative director offering a unique, luxury experience. A strong brand that tells a compelling story can make clients see your work as irreplaceable.

Keep growing

Continually improving on the client experience and your overall product is always essential. Like with anything photography-related, you also need to be consistent. At these price points, you cannot have an ‘off’ day. This is perhaps one reason why many photographers don’t want to charge these types of fees – at this point it’s a lot less about photography and more about the overall client experience plus your brand.

For some, this can feel overwhelming and doesn’t sit well with their values. I personally would not feel comfortable charging so much for a wedding since I know that I cannot and do not want to create the added value around my work that those fees command. It might seem silly, but I’d prefer to deliver great, consistent photographs and have happy clients than contort myself into a pretzel to command extortionately high fees and have all that extra stress. It’s a personal choice and one I’m at peace with. However, if you do wish to turn your wedding photography into a luxury brand, it is within reach and something you are perfectly entitled to do!

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