Good afternoon,


Every wedding photographer has his beginning and he did not start out as " high-end or high-paid photographer ' at once. He worked his craft in time and then made his name in this industry.

Question:

How much did you charge your client on your first "paid" wedding assignment?

is it film or digital?

and what year was that?

Every wedding photographer has his beginning and he did not start out as " high-end or high-paid photographer ' at once. He worked his craft in time and then made his name in this industry.


I don't totally agree with this. I always believe that if you want to enter the business, you must know already what market segment you want to serve. It is very difficult to move to a higher segment if you become known already.

In answer to your question, my first ever package booked was P60K for photo and video back then at Year 2000. I outsourced the video service from someone. However, months before the wedding, I talked to my bride if she's willing to enter a seperate contract with my video guy. My package was reduced to P40K for photo-only service.

Although I've increased my price over the years, but I never move to another market segment. Those increases were driven by increase in prices of materials.

My P0.00002 :)

Dino

with all due respect po Sir Dino, not all wedding photographers started with "business" or "due renumeration" in mind. some aren't even photographers to begin with. like me!hehehe

when i did my first wedding gig in 2002, i did it for a friend. even used a film camera (my dad's old Canon A-1) then. i was already a hobbyist but not really a pro photographer. my friend gave me (i didnt' ask for it) P500! (i let them buy the film i used) hahaha

i'm not really a pro still, as i don't have regular gigs and such, but for now, i charge 10k service only per wedding if anyone comes around asking. just quite right for me. (for now)

i'm based in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, btw. ;)

my 2 cents.

Hi Ryan, if you're paid to cover a wedding then you're a pro already.

Is P10K for service only high or just right for most people in your town?

P10K here in Manila seems low for full time photographers but maybe high enough for part-timers or freelance photographers.

although i generally agree with sir dino, the problem here is that there is no clear segmentation. The whole photograph thing is value driven. There is clearly no demographic that would be a clear target. In general terms of course you cannot sell a 100k package to a couple that together earns less than minimum wage. A bit of an exaggeration but you get what i mean.

There would be those rich enough to buy the 100k package but just dont value it that much so theyd settle for the 20-30k. There would be those who would save up for it even cutting back on other "non-eesential" things (which are also value driven),

WHat i suggest is make your costing. List down everything, each shutter click each trip taken, all the costs to service that client. Then add what we might call your "happiness hurdle" meaning what percentage over costs are you happy to take home. In business they usually call this weighted average cost of capital. This is what is needed to be surpassed to make the endeavor profitable given the fact that money has costs tied with it (interest from debt or returns asked for by the capital givers).

This way you never charge what is less than your costs which is obviously not healthy.

What you can do is to create packages that would make each and every gig profitable. You can structure it an a way that whatever gig you take, if you count on a per time basis you make the same amount of money (theoretically possible but of course there are those events that if you book would mean youll miss out on more profitable ones).

Hi Ryan, if you're paid to cover a wedding then you're a pro already.

Is P10K for service only high or just right for most people in your town?

P10K here in Manila seems low for full time photographers but maybe high enough for part-timers or freelance photographers.

actually it is somewhere in the middle. btw, 10k is only basic,professional fee, no-album package po. di pa naman kasi "in" sa dito sa amin ang album kasi masyado daw mahal. people here in bohol tend to regard photography as secondary. most would rather pay 20K for flowers, 60K for the venue, 20k for the cake, or another 20 k for the dress...but would pay lesser for photography.

and another thing, wedding photography in our place has not yet changed a lot. in favor pa rin mostly sa traditional photography. most people would expect 15k for both video and photo.

although i generally agree with sir dino, the problem here is that there is no clear segmentation. The whole photograph thing is value driven. There is clearly no demographic that would be a clear target. In general terms of course you cannot sell a 100k package to a couple that together earns less than minimum wage. A bit of an exaggeration but you get what i mean.

There would be those rich enough to buy the 100k package but just dont value it that much so theyd settle for the 20-30k. There would be those who would save up for it even cutting back on other "non-eesential" things (which are also value driven),

WHat i suggest is make your costing. List down everything, each shutter click each trip taken, all the costs to service that client. Then add what we might call your "happiness hurdle" meaning what percentage over costs are you happy to take home. In business they usually call this weighted average cost of capital. This is what is needed to be surpassed to make the endeavor profitable given the fact that money has costs tied with it (interest from debt or returns asked for by the capital givers).

This way you never charge what is less than your costs which is obviously not healthy.

What you can do is to create packages that would make each and every gig profitable. You can structure it an a way that whatever gig you take, if you count on a per time basis you make the same amount of money (theoretically possible but of course there are those events that if you book would mean youll miss out on more profitable ones).

i agree. like here in bohol nga, most people (apart from the few who can afford) really can't afford higher priced packages. kaya, we slimfit our packages to what clients would readily pay for.

secondly, i think value/regard for wedding photography is not that high here. thus, i think more information and ad campaigns should be done. so people would accept prices and packages more readily. :)

This is my "guess-timates" as a professional photographer here in Manila about market segment.

5K - 20K low-end couple (for typical employees)
>20K - 35K budget couple (from typical employee to supervisors)
>35K - 50K mid-end couple (Managers and SME owners)
>50K - 75K high end couple (Office executives to Medium -scale business owners)
>75K and above - ultra high end (Big business owners and office executives)

Price are for photo-video package with album and VHS or DVD output.

Can you guys correct my guess-timates?

what do you mean with VHS or DVD po? sa video po ba yan or photo lng?

more or less same rates lng po dito sa bohol...it's just that, there are quite a few mid to high end clients. (or di kaya i'm just not marketing myself well?hehehe)

photo-video package na yan.

Most photogs here offer the P35K-50K package (at least, those who participate in mall bridal fairs). Some market that belong here gets pulled down by those photogs offering P20K-35K. This is the time they complain.

Would you believe that I have a wedding coverage of 3 to 4 times a week with a digital package of only 10k photo + video DVD format, 22 pages Digital album using my Nikon D70s With free 11x14 canvas wedding portrait? Most of my clients are in a low profile and they could not afford to pay more that 10k. But they are happy with me, dahil for 10k naranasan nila and digital wedding na mayaman lang ang may kaya. And I do also a free photo shoot on kasalang bayan anywhere in Quezon City. I’m not intent to offend other photographers, ang akin laang ay magbigay nang kasiyahan sa mga magpakasal na kulang sa budget at mairaos lang ang kanilang kasal.

sir dino i think your guesstimates are a lil conservative. =)

sir allan. i dont think you are offending anyone. Thats your niche thats your market. If what youre doing is still profitable for you then more power to you sir. If not, then youre prolly doing it for other reasons and yet again more power to you sir.

Would you believe that I have a wedding coverage of 3 to 4 times a week with a digital package of only 10k photo + video DVD format, 22 pages Digital album using my Nikon D70s With free 11x14 canvas wedding portrait? Most of my clients are in a low profile and they could not afford to pay more that 10k. But they are happy with me, dahil for 10k naranasan nila and digital wedding na mayaman lang ang may kaya. And I do also a free photo shoot on kasalang bayan anywhere in Quezon City. I’m not intent to offend other photographers, ang akin laang ay magbigay nang kasiyahan sa mga magpakasal na kulang sa budget at mairaos lang ang kanilang kasal.

wow! ambaba naman yata sir? is this rate for all of your clients who come to you? or only for a chosen few? meron pa po bang natitira pra sa inyo?

very interesting really. :)

wow! ambaba naman yata sir? is this rate for all of your clients who come to you? or only for a chosen few? meron pa po bang natitira pra sa inyo?

very interesting really. :)

Siguro mga 3k ang natira. kami lang nang family ko ang gagawa ng album at ako lang ang maglayout sa PS ng mga photo my wife ang videographer at sya din ang editor kami lang din ang mag print ng photo using my photolab (noritsu) wala kaming jobout sa amin lahat.

I used to have that attitude where people come to me and ask for lower price to cover a wedding. They usually say "simpleng wedding lang to, pwede bang discount?". Back then I would be glad to have the price reduced (even 20-30% off) because I thought these couple are really on a tight budget and that's all they can afford. Well comes wedding day, they have fresh flowers, cover seats for all seats at the reception with 300+ guests. It happened to me several times. I learned my lesson. It is you who worked so hard thinking you made your client happy because you have provided them good service at an affordable price. But at the end I felt I've been fooled.

Never under-estimate your talent and skills.

I used to have that attitude where people come to me and ask for lower price to cover a wedding. They usually say "simpleng wedding lang to, pwede bang discount?". Back then I would be glad to have the price reduced (even 20-30% off) because I thought these couple are really on a tight budget and that's all they can afford. Well comes wedding day, they have fresh flowers, cover seats for all seats at the reception with 300+ guests. It happened to me several times. I learned my lesson. It is you who worked so hard thinking you made your client happy because you have provided them good service at an affordable price. But at the end I felt I've been fooled.

Never under-estimate your talent and skills.

This happened to me too, but for a Golden Wedding. Ganyang-ganyan ang sinabi, "simpleng wedding lang to para lang mairaos yung sa matatanda, pwede bang discount?" Mabait ako saka naisip ko golden anniversary lang naman eh so sige bigay 25% discount. Came wedding day, en-grande! Grabe!

Come to think of it, it doesn't really matter whether it's a first-time wedding or an anniversary wedding. You still have to be there for the preps, the ceremony and the reception. You spend the same time in the coverage and the same time processing the photos.

Would you believe that I have a wedding coverage of 3 to 4 times a week with a digital package of only 10k photo + video DVD format, 22 pages Digital album using my Nikon D70s With free 11x14 canvas wedding portrait? Most of my clients are in a low profile and they could not afford to pay more that 10k. But they are happy with me, dahil for 10k naranasan nila and digital wedding na mayaman lang ang may kaya. And I do also a free photo shoot on kasalang bayan anywhere in Quezon City. I’m not intent to offend other photographers, ang akin laang ay magbigay nang kasiyahan sa mga magpakasal na kulang sa budget at mairaos lang ang kanilang kasal.

Allan, may I ask your permission to use your business costing and structure to be analyzed here online?

Based on your info, I believe it can be done and you would still be happy with it.

I want to undestand how you do it. This will mean I will be exposing your business and financial structure for the benefit of all readers.

Hoping you would agree.

Marvin, I think we already hijacked your thread. We are out of topic already. Mods, what should we do here? :)

15k photo-video year 2002 ..with 5r prints(100pictures ) and vcd no album...using the old d30 canon digital camera..

I used to have that attitude where people come to me and ask for lower price to cover a wedding. They usually say "simpleng wedding lang to, pwede bang discount?". Back then I would be glad to have the price reduced (even 20-30% off) because I thought these couple are really on a tight budget and that's all they can afford. Well comes wedding day, they have fresh flowers, cover seats for all seats at the reception with 300+ guests. It happened to me several times. I learned my lesson. It is you who worked so hard thinking you made your client happy because you have provided them good service at an affordable price. But at the end I felt I've been fooled.

Never under-estimate your talent and skills.

In my 10k wedding wala pa naman ang nangyaring ganon, talagang out of budget sila sa akin pa nga ang wedding gown at damit ng groom that they rent for as low as 150 at kami na rin ang nag ayos sa hair and make-up sa bride for only 800 and even the flower arrangements and bouquet of bride sa amin na rin for the flower package of 3.500. my supplier of flowers is dangwa. at kong gusto pa nila nang bridal car, i have my white corolla for only 1,000+300 for the driver. we can also recomend our tie-up wedding caterer for their reception for only 80 per head. so talagang affordable. but this is limited only to tight budget client. they can't deny infront of me dahil they are relatives or guest of my previous client.

Wow Allan, that's a really, really tightly-budgeted package.

My first paid wedding was as a backup photographer and I was paid P12,000 (services only) for it. I think I was using my F5/F100 setup back then. I charged P35,000 (photo services with album, video separate) for my first full wedding and I think I used a D1x and an F5 for it. It was my first digital wedding and I regret not having anticipated the white balance issue when the videographer appeared with a make-shift light. Aaarrggghhhh!

I had to master manual on-the-fly WB adjustments with the D1x and I swear that that was about the most stressful part of my brief career into wedding photography. Add to it the rubber and battery issues of the D1x and I just about gave up on Nikon (can you imagine spending 240T for gear that isn't perfect?)!!

As I got more confident with my gear (slowly transitioned to the later generation Nikons - D100, D2H, D70) my price went higher and it stopped at 55T when frustration with the slow-pace of better Nikon equipment plus the workload in my day job forced me to choose one over the other.

I was lucky to have shot with Lito Sy, Patrick Uy, and Jaime Tee - and they have been unselfished in sharing their stories and experiences. During my formative years as a wedding photographer, I also looked up to EBE, Dino Lara and Fol Rana as my inspiration and I have to say that these 6 local wedding photographers helped me realize that I *can* be a wedding photographer.

I've sortova been in hiatus for the past 2 years and I'm working on a mini-comeback as my workload in my day job has become manageable. Thanks for starting this thread and we can this can be a really serious discussion on how to actually make a living off it.

I also agree with the earlier post that there are market segments and it's up to us to choose whether we want to be in the Patrick Uy- or name-your-most-expensive-wedding-photographer-here segment or not. And it's best not to cross them (by changing prices) as business usually comes via word-of-mouth.

I hope to be in the Tier 2 or Tier 3 segment again soon. :)

This is my "guess-timates" as a professional photographer here in Manila about market segment.

5K - 20K low-end couple (for typical employees)
>20K - 35K budget couple (from typical employee to supervisors)
>35K - 50K mid-end couple (Managers and SME owners)
>50K - 75K high end couple (Office executives to Medium -scale business owners)
>75K and above - ultra high end (Big business owners and office executives)

Price are for photo-video package with album and VHS or DVD output.

Can you guys correct my guess-timates?

I don't work in the Philippine market, but man, those prices seem awfully low.

Nick, anything divided by 50 is low! I understand that in the US/Canada, starting prices are like $1500 right? I should just jet over and be your assistant - do you do weddings or have plans to do so? haha

LOL. I don't do weddings. But my colleagues at the agency freelances and charges $2000 just for services. Photo Packages start at $5k.

LOL. I don't do weddings. But my colleagues at the agency freelances and charges $2000 just for services. Packages starts at $5k.
no wonder some filipinos getting married who are abroad-based are hiring professional photographer here paying full package and round-trip ticket.... and how much cheaper as compared to $5k :)




.....sounds like the gray market thread :Grin:

Wow Allan, that's a really, really tightly-budgeted package.

My first paid wedding was as a backup photographer and I was paid P12,000 (services only) for it. I think I was using my F5/F100 setup back then. I charged P35,000 (photo services with album, video separate) for my first full wedding and I think I used a D1x and an F5 for it. It was my first digital wedding and I regret not having anticipated the white balance issue when the videographer appeared with a make-shift light. Aaarrggghhhh!

I had to master manual on-the-fly WB adjustments with the D1x and I swear that that was about the most stressful part of my brief career into wedding photography. Add to it the rubber and battery issues of the D1x and I just about gave up on Nikon (can you imagine spending 240T for gear that isn't perfect?)!!

As I got more confident with my gear (slowly transitioned to the later generation Nikons - D100, D2H, D70) my price went higher and it stopped at 55T when frustration with the slow-pace of better Nikon equipment plus the workload in my day job forced me to choose one over the other.

I was lucky to have shot with Lito Sy, Patrick Uy, and Jaime Tee - and they have been unselfished in sharing their stories and experiences. During my formative years as a wedding photographer, I also looked up to EBE, Dino Lara and Fol Rana as my inspiration and I have to say that these 6 local wedding photographers helped me realize that I *can* be a wedding photographer.

I've sortova been in hiatus for the past 2 years and I'm working on a mini-comeback as my workload in my day job has become manageable. Thanks for starting this thread and we can this can be a really serious discussion on how to actually make a living off it.

I also agree with the earlier post that there are market segments and it's up to us to choose whether we want to be in the Patrick Uy- or name-your-most-expensive-wedding-photographer-here segment or not. And it's best not to cross them (by changing prices) as business usually comes via word-of-mouth.

I hope to be in the Tier 2 or Tier 3 segment again soon. :)

hmm... a very interesting insight jerry. would benefit to learn more from you as I got a full-time day job as well. :)

Allan, may I ask your permission to use your business costing and structure to be analyzed here online?

Based on your info, I believe it can be done and you would still be happy with it.

I want to undestand how you do it. This will mean I will be exposing your business and financial structure for the benefit of all readers.

Hoping you would agree.

"permission granted" I'll give you a breakdown of my 10k (pang masa wedding pakage)

A). Equiptments (gear)
1). (one) Camera - Nikon D70s - up to 300 shots only jpeg format file to reduce post production, of couse it's me the photographer & graphic artist.
2). (one) Video - in this event we only use digital 8 sony with monopod to prevent hand shake. covered from start to the end of wedding with my wife videographer & Editor
3). (one) Video lights - with lightman paid 200/event.
4). Reflectors - with utility man paid 200/event.
B.) Package & Freebies
1). Digital Album 8x10 22 pages - If the bases is Wizen album price, it only cost 2,500/each less 30% photographers price. and for the 8x10 prints - If the bases is photoline or Y2K it cost 40 each x 22 = 880+200 for the double adhesive tape for album mounting.
2). 11x14 canvas wedding portrait with special frame - 11x14 print is 90 and canvas clothe is 200, and 350 for the frame. (take note: it is much cheaper if we do the framing) dahil we have a lot of retaso.
3). DVD disc for video - we use only CDR King products and for the costumers proof on their shots, I let them come to me to see on my monitor to choose.
( we include personalized DVD disc & Case printing) - cost only 10 pesos for disc and 20 for case we use HP deskjet 1280 printer.
In this pang masa wedding package, only 4 persons required. me photographer, my wife videographer and 2 persons for the light and reflectors.

For the 10k we earned a clean 3k bawas na sa services ko and my wife and 2 persons help us and all other expenses.
And for my other wedding package, feel free to explore my website on my services page.

Allan, thanks for the unselfish sharing, it shows that less can be more if we were to all work/live within frugal means. May I ask how many labor hours total per person, for example, how many hours for the event and how many hours sa post-processing?

Given that I have a day job, my rule-of-thumb is not to charge less than 1,500 per hour of my time - but that's only because I don't get jobs everyday. I'm interested how others on this forum "rate" themselves.

Given that I have a day job, my rule-of-thumb is not to charge less than 1,500 per hour of my time - but that's only because I don't get jobs everyday. I'm interested how others on this forum "rate" themselves.

When I freelances, my quoted price is based on estimated hours of work multiplied by what I feel I'm worth hourly.

But sometimes I work for free for friends, so long as the output is non-commercial.

In my computation, your variable cost is only P3500. That means you have P6500 to cover your utilities, rentals, depreciation, prof fees, etc.

These are my initial comments.

a) the P200/event pay for utility person is too low. I think it should be at least the daily minimum wage.
b) for P10K package, I think Wyzen album and prints is a big giveaway. Try to explore Picturebook at Goodwill Bookstore. I think it cost only P1500 for 20page album, print included. Even if you offer 30-page or even 40page, it would still come out cheaper.
c) What is the average earning per wedding on re-prints?
d) How much time you spend on production? (layout, print, binding) Can you finish 4 weddings a day?
e) If you're covering 3-4 weddings a week, you're earning P18K-P24K per week to pay your bills and living expenses.

Thank you very much for sharing. I really appreciate it. My workflow is very inefficient when compared to yours. :)

But sometimes I work for free for friends, so long as the output is non-commercial.

Me too, I always work for free for friends. And most of the time, it's the most creative output I do. :)

Allan, thanks for the unselfish sharing, it shows that less can be more if we were to all work/live within frugal means. May I ask how many labor hours total per person, for example, how many hours for the event and how many hours sa post-processing?

Given that I have a day job, my rule-of-thumb is not to charge less than 1,500 per hour of my time - but that's only because I don't get jobs everyday. I'm interested how others on this forum "rate" themselves.

Post processing cost you lot of hours to complete from raw to jpeg thats why on low-end package i dont shot raw. and the total hours for this event is max of 10 hrs. include the 2 hrs before schedule. and for the album layout, i can finnish 3 albums 22 pages in one night starting from 8 pm til 1 am. I usualy sleep 2 am every day and woke up 9 am.

@ dino - 200/event service fee for utility is not too bad for them, cause aside from 200 service fee I paid them monthly of 6.000 and a stay-in worker with a free board and lodging. they are also my school photographer they are came from the province without any knowledge about photography.

Thanks Allan. Few more questions.

a) Do you experience bad debts? How's the payment terms?
b) Do you still give discounts? Do you have packages above P10K?
c) What's your image quality settings? small? Do you archive each weddings?

OT: I might be meeting with Kodak to discuss the financial plan of wedding photographers. Lately, printers have been complaining re bad debts from wedding photogs. Your financial plan proves that even at very low package, it is still viable. I will also be using these info in my next wedding photography workshop.

Thanks Allan. Few more questions.

a) Do you experience bad debts? How's the payment terms?
b) Do you still give discounts? Do you have packages above P10K?
c) What's your image quality settings? small? Do you archive each weddings?

OT: I might be meeting with Kodak to discuss the financial plan of wedding photographers. Lately, printers have been complaining re bad debts from wedding photogs. Your financial plan proves that even at very low package, it is still viable. I will also be using these info in my next wedding photography workshop.

a) Ever since I do this business I never experience any bad debts, I let them (my client) pay 50% downpayment and the balance will be paid first hour on the wedding day based on signed contract.
b) 10k package is not covered for discounts it's already been adjusted to fit their budget. I have a package above 10k but instead of giving discounts, I offered them some freebies like for example a free signature frame, or 25 pcs. invitation cards, or additional bible type album or whatever freebies to catch their attention so that the price is still remain as is.
c) Shooting jpeg or raw I prefer to use large image quality. I only archive weddings with a package of more than 20k, below that I never do even on all their shots I give to the couple burned on a CD but I kept some selected shots for presentation porposes to future client.

I will also be using these info in my next wedding photography workshop.

Chief, how much do you charge po and when's the approximate sched? tia

No schedule yet but probably around March or April. The last workshop I did at OWG was at P8,500 for 2 day workshop.

Would you believe that I have a wedding coverage of 3 to 4 times a week with a digital package of only 10k photo + video DVD format, 22 pages Digital album using my Nikon D70s With free 11x14 canvas wedding portrait? Most of my clients are in a low profile and they could not afford to pay more that 10k. But they are happy with me, dahil for 10k naranasan nila and digital wedding na mayaman lang ang may kaya. And I do also a free photo shoot on kasalang bayan anywhere in Quezon City. I’m not intent to offend other photographers, ang akin laang ay magbigay nang kasiyahan sa mga magpakasal na kulang sa budget at mairaos lang ang kanilang kasal.

Hi allan, sorry to ask pero may kinikita ka pa ba nun? super baba ng package mo :Shock:

Wow Allan, that's a really, really tightly-budgeted package.

My first paid wedding was as a backup photographer and I was paid P12,000 (services only) for it. I think I was using my F5/F100 setup back then. I charged P35,000 (photo services with album, video separate) for my first full wedding and I think I used a D1x and an F5 for it. It was my first digital wedding and I regret not having anticipated the white balance issue when the videographer appeared with a make-shift light. Aaarrggghhhh!

I had to master manual on-the-fly WB adjustments with the D1x and I swear that that was about the most stressful part of my brief career into wedding photography. Add to it the rubber and battery issues of the D1x and I just about gave up on Nikon (can you imagine spending 240T for gear that isn't perfect?)!!

As I got more confident with my gear (slowly transitioned to the later generation Nikons - D100, D2H, D70) my price went higher and it stopped at 55T when frustration with the slow-pace of better Nikon equipment plus the workload in my day job forced me to choose one over the other.

I was lucky to have shot with Lito Sy, Patrick Uy, and Jaime Tee - and they have been unselfished in sharing their stories and experiences. During my formative years as a wedding photographer, I also looked up to EBE, Dino Lara and Fol Rana as my inspiration and I have to say that these 6 local wedding photographers helped me realize that I *can* be a wedding photographer.

I've sortova been in hiatus for the past 2 years and I'm working on a mini-comeback as my workload in my day job has become manageable. Thanks for starting this thread and we can this can be a really serious discussion on how to actually make a living off it.

I also agree with the earlier post that there are market segments and it's up to us to choose whether we want to be in the Patrick Uy- or name-your-most-expensive-wedding-photographer-here segment or not. And it's best not to cross them (by changing prices) as business usually comes via word-of-mouth.

I hope to be in the Tier 2 or Tier 3 segment again soon. :)

Hi Jerry,

nice experience you have there. may I ask, how were you able to shoot with the big time photogs like Lito Sy, Jaime Tee, etc.
Me and my husband have plans to become wedding photogs and we want a very solid foundation of it.
Just hoping that we might be lucky enough to also shoot with them.. hehe :D

Good afternoon,


thanks for your replies and insights...

now i realize na may mga 1st wedding shoot na talagang mataas na ang bayad agad.

I thought that to became a professional wedding photographer is like climbing a corporate ladder.

You must start as :(example only)

cadet engineer --> like VA in wedding photography (above minimum wage)
engineer 1 --> amateur wedding photographer (wedding once a month 10k per wedding)
engineer 2 --> wedding photographer stage 2 ( weding 2-3x a month 25k per wedding)

engineer 3 --> wedding photographer stage 3 (high end 50-70k)

specialist --> wedding photographer specialist (100k above)


that's why I ask:

Sa 1st wedding shoot ba kailangan nandun ka na sa range na 50-70k bracket if your market is the mid to high end?

Hindi ba kahit mid to high end ang target market mo, if you are just starting kailangan below the market average ang price mo (kasi nagsisimula ka pa lang)as you build your portdolio?

Tanong lang po.

Hi Jerry,

nice experience you have there. may I ask, how were you able to shoot with the big time photogs like Lito Sy, Jaime Tee, etc.
Me and my husband have plans to become wedding photogs and we want a very solid foundation of it.
Just hoping that we might be lucky enough to also shoot with them.. hehe :D

Hi Tracy,

Most of their customers were friends or relatives and they simply happened to have hired me as well to backup the Big Boys (can you imagine that?) for, I guess, a different perspective. And syempre, I go all out of my way naman to be cute and charming and play sensei-student hehehe.

They're all very accommodating and unselfish in sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Like Patrick, I asked him what's more important - to be creative or to be technically-adept - his answer was that I gotta have my technical skills down pat and they should be second nature to me na so that I can focus on being creative during a fast-paced shoot.

Good luck to your endeavour!

Hi allan, sorry to ask pero may kinikita ka pa ba nun? super baba ng package mo :Shock:

Hello Tracy, not only 10k we have also 5k wedding package but still we earned. Everybody think it’s not viable, but we do it. I’ll give you a break down of 5k wedding package.
a) Digital photos – 200 shots stored on CD only no album (large image format) using D70s. – 1-photographer 6,000/month+200 service fee/event. + 10 pesos for CD.
b) Video Coverage – 1-hour duration DVD copy edited on non-linear – editing + DVD disc cost 800 + 1-light man & 1-video man - 6,000/month+200 service fee/event.
In this event only 3 persons required – photogs –200/event, videogs – 200/event, lightman -200/event, for the total of 600.

600+800 editing with DVDdisc+10 for Photo CD = P1, 410.00
P5, 000.00 less 1,410.00 = P3.590 my earnings/event.

In my own opinion I prefer to market in low-end or mid-end rather than high end. At low end you have coverage of almost everyday or even 2x a day. The point is how much you earned for the whole month. Ok let’s talk about high paid wedding coverage, let’s say 80k, but you have it only one per two months or maybe 3 months at mahirap pang singilin kung bayaran ka man cross check pa, where as on the low and med- end they pay on time at walang remaining balance at di pa mariklamo, they will listen to you while some of the high-end you will listen to them. (This is only my own opinion based on my experience of the high-end)

Allan, thanks for sharing. Most photographers won't do this.

I see a lot of maturity in how you do your business. You're very much focused on your target market. :)

Hindi ba kahit mid to high end ang target market mo, if you are just starting kailangan below the market average ang price mo (kasi nagsisimula ka pa lang)as you build your portdolio?

Tanong lang po.

Don't compete on price alone. As a newbie, you have the advantage over us pro photographers of offering fresh angles. Concentrate on that rather then lowering your price and do the things we do.

cadet engineer --> like VA in wedding photography (above minimum wage)
engineer 1 --> amateur wedding photographer (wedding once a month 10k per wedding)
engineer 2 --> wedding photographer stage 2 ( weding 2-3x a month 25k per wedding)

engineer 3 --> wedding photographer stage 3 (high end 50-70k)

specialist --> wedding photographer specialist (100k above)




You can also think this way. In WPPP (Wedding and Portrait Photographers of the Philippines), we conduct a quarterly contest. Within members, some cater to low end, some in mid-end and some high-end. Some cater cross market like from mid end to high end. But in photo contest, we are equal. The market segment we serve is "not" necessarily important in our skills.

High end photographers are not necessarily better photographers than low-end photographers.

I have lots of friends who got sisters celebrating their debut into the society. I got P3000 on my first commissioned work, not bad for me though because I'm using a DSLR that I borrowed from a friend and I'm not yet a pro. :) I'm some sorta hobbyist back then. Parang wedding din ang shots dun minus the groom and we skip the cathedral part.

Right now, I'm experimenting on weddings but I am still a Photo Editor for the local wedding photographers and I enjoy it. I get to tag along and shoot photos for my own experimentations. There's the food also--it's almost always great. Maybe it's because it's free.:Grin:

I love editing photos for storybooks,and this is what I currently do. I'm still saving up for a Nikon D200 (it's the camera that I could more or less realistically afford with my student allowance savings right now) and maybe, just maybe, when I get my own camera, I'd get the shots that I so want to do that the local photographers in our area don't do yet. They're still adjusting kasi they're mostly old na and still adjusting from old school.

I'm from Cagayan de Oro City by the way.

my 1st wedding paid 18t ,8x10 magnetic album & vcd non-linear edit for video.