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South Bend, Indiana Wedding Photography | Wedding Photography Pricing Resource

Well now that we have your attention, I want to state that I was once a $500 wedding photographer so this is not me hating on the low budget bride or photographer. This blog post is about all the factors a professional should consider when creating their prices and to give our fellow photographers a few resources on why what you charge is SO important.

As for our clients that blogstalk us, or a potential client that is reading this, I still encourage you to continue reading. You may see your wedding photography in a different light.

When I was pregnant with Bryce in 2007, Chris and I decided that we wanted to go into business together as wedding photographers. I would spend EVERY lunch hour trying to come up with pricing that I felt comfortable asking my clients to pay. I had two weddings already under my belt, but I had grown as a photographer and my style had changed enough so that those images were not a true representation of my skills. Though I knew that I was worth more, the question still remained: what is a “fair” price?

One day, Chris found a blog where a photographer told his readers that he started at $500 and that would include a proof book and DVD slideshow. Hence, our first pricing structure was then born. This worked really well for our first year, but it wasn’t enough to run a business. Over the last few years, I’ve learned the basics of what it takes to run a business, but when I read Jodie Otte’s guest post on the MCP Actions blog I realized there was so much more.

Another great resource posted on the MCP Actions blog is from Stacy Reeves. She posted a FREE pricing guide that she put together with the help of several other professional photographers (the basis from our upcoming pricing revision). It’s very time consuming, but it makes you look at every aspect of the pricing process. However, it is so worth it.

One last resource I would recommend is Alicia Caine’s Easy as Pie Cookbook. Alicia is such an amazing woman that I would highly recommend following her work and success. She is a mother of four, with one on the way, and her drive completely inspires me. Oh, and by the way, as if running a business and chasing after 4 kids isn’t enough to admire her for, she also home schools her children. She’s a woman after my own heart.

So, why scrutinize your pricing? Most photographers do not take into account how valuable their time is before and after the event. Second, photographers way under estimate the actual costs of running a business. Lastly, what segmant of the market are you marketing your brand towards?

I will be going into further detail over the next couple weeks on my thoughts for each of these points. If you have questions or would like me to ellaborate on anything within this series, please comment below.

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Buchanan, Michigan Portrait Photography | Casey O’Sullivan

Laura contacted me to see if I was interested in photographing the March of Dimes’ ambassador babies for their Chef’s Auction at the Palais Royale. She had this awesome idea to have images of the each child photographed professionally and then printed as large storyboards to place around the event. After I sorted out the details with Laura and Denise, we started to talk about Larua’s son, Casey. I very much enjoyed hearing Laura talk about the jokes he likes to tell and how she couldn’t wait for him to entertain me.

When the day came for me to photograph his session, he was exactly the way I had envisioned; silly, funny, and oh so outgoing. It was so easy to get a genuine laugh out of him that he really made my job seem effortless. He would laugh at himself, dance, or tell me crazy stories and jokes that I would never have thought of. I enjoyed photographing this little boy and can’t wait to do it again.

PS. Happy Birthday Laura!!!

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Niles, Michigan Newborn Photography | Baby Keston

In 1999, two amazing people were married. Since I was just starting out my adventure into middle school, I didn’t have the pleasure of being their wedding photographer. I did, however, have the opportunity to hear their story of how instead of going on a big trip (away from the cold Southwest Michigan fall/winter) they had this remarkable little boy.

Although this little trooper was 28 days old, he was still very small, perfect, and still able to fold into the fetal position. He allowed me to poke him and interrupt his slumber many times, but fell asleep pretty quickly so I could capture his beautiful little face so peacefully. After all, I have never met a mother that did not enjoy watching their newborn sleeping, soaking in the fact their little baby had finally arrived.

It was a complete and utter honor to have photographed this couple’s very first child. Their reactions and emotions during the session alone were so amazing that I very quickly realized that this little boy is one in a million.

This is by far one of my favorite images from the session, maybe even one of my favorites that I’ve ever photographed.

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South Bend, Indiana, Fun Photography | Bryce Whitcomb

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South Bend Wedding Photography | Bride’s Choice Award 2010 Winner

Thank you to all of our 2009 Brides. I am so honored to have been a part of your special day. Today, I give you many thanks for being the amazing couples that you are and voting us as a winner of Wedding Wire.com’s Bride’s Choice Awards 2010. This is such an honor for both Chris and I as we are now ranked with the top 5% of wedding vendors nationwide.

Dear Katie,
Congratulations! We are excited to announce that Guided Light Photography, LLC has been chosen to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards^™ 2010. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.

The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which means your past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected you to receive this honor.

WeddingWire would like to commend you for your excellent service and dedication to the wedding industry.

Best,
The WeddingWire Team

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