Cost of Wedding Photography in Seattle

What is the cost of wedding photography in Seattle? What you might think of before investing in your wedding day imagery. It is all up to you on what the budget is for your wedding. You decide what is important to you, and if photography is not important to you then this post about the cost of wedding photography might be concern to you. If photography is the slightest bit important to you, I urge you to continue reading.

Wedding photography is generally 10-20% of a wedding budget. The average wedding in the area is $30,000. I can tell you a competent wedding photographer in the Seattle area is going to charge at least $3500 for standard wedding day coverage plus the print release. More involved weddings with more coverage will cost more. Please take note, wedding coverage is not just the day of the wedding. The time spent on each wedding exceeds the day of the wedding. Every wedding photographer has different expenses, but I can say we all do have them.

The average wedding takes me about 50-80 hours from the time of inquiry to the final pick up of images or album. You probably want your photographer to be alert, on toe, and ready for anything. You don’t want a photographer that has to book weddings every weekend and is exhausted a burnt out that by the time the wedding comes along they are dragging. No, you want your photographer to bounce up and be ready and nibble for any moment.

There are wedding photographers starting out that are amazing. I see them and am floored with their talent. There are others that have not quite mastered the core fundamentals. We all start somewhere. The one thing I would be cautious of is their lack of experience. There are many things that can go wrong from start to finish. Having a seasoned wedding photographer is key to a fluid wedding day.

A photographer who has been in the wedding industry for at least 5 years is going to know what can happen. They will be prepared with how to handle almost everything that comes their way. They have seen almost so many things over the years. I can say that having worked in the wedding industry for 14 years I know what is possible. I am efficient, calm and deft in my response. Any thing that happens off the timeline or plan is important, but how I react, how a good photographer will act is key.

Finding the Right Balance

Vendors with experience are worth having the best experience on the wedding day. Your photographer’s personality is very important. Ask how will my photographer fit in with my family? What vibe do you get from this person? A photographer that can read social cues is extremely important.

Do they seem able to handle a busy event and deliver a beautiful product? What is that worth to you? If you have any questions please consult a wedding planner or feel free to reach out to me. I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

Please check out my investment page to see the average investments for my collections.

What is the cost of wedding photography in Seattle? Having said this so far, $3500 should deliver something solid. You might be able to get away with spending a little less if you remove some options. If you need more coverage you might end up closer to $5000 for wedding photography coverage. Adding on albums and engagement sessions will increase your cost.

I understand that weddings are expensive. Talented and seasoned photographers can make the simplest venue look amazing.

The old adage “When life gives you lemons make lemonade.” This is true with venues. A beautiful scenic venue makes it easy to produce outstanding images. More challenging venues push me as an artist. I think to myself, How can I out perform any other set of images created in this space? How can I turn a backyard wedding into something amazing?

Find a photographer who can turn a challenging aspect into a magic. A photographer comfortable in all lighting scenarios is crucial. You might be planning a bright airy outdoor wedding, but what if weather changes those plans and you end up inside a dark barn.

A photographer that doesn’t know how to work with dark venues is going to struggle. Ask me about my back up plan to not having light.

Adaptability is a Valuable Asset

In 2012 I shot a small wedding in Veil, Colorado, and the ceremony was scheduled to be during daylight hours. It started to snow heavily and some guests were delayed arriving to the resort. With such a small wedding we had to wait on these guests. Our outdoor wedding remained outdoors, but now an outdoor night ceremony. Between the hour delay and snow our light had disappeared.

If the ceremony had been inside that would have been a really easy fix. Capturing this ceremony with heavy snowfall was a bit more challenging, yet because I have photographed and studied other scenarios like this so I knew what to do.

It is times like these that strengthen my abilities as a wedding photographer. I am confident of the obstacles that might come my way and I want my couples to feel assured in my abilities.

A dependable photographer in the Seattle area will cost between $3000-$7000.

Take a minute to hop over to the blog and browse some posts about wedding planning. I have some articles on dark venues. If you are planning on a darker venue or a winter wedding this is a MUST read for you.

If you came in questioning the cost of wedding photography in Seattle I hope I clarified the topic. Therefore when you hire a professional wedding photographer, most importantly you hiring a someone knowledgable in this industry.