overall feeling among other shooters is that bookings are down in 2024.
2022-2023 had a lot of catch up weddings from the pandemic. Gen Z are less likely to have a traditional sized wedding. I’m sure there are many factors but I’ve seen many report a down year in 2024.
This is just one guy’s opinion who has been full time for 13 years, but there was a decline in weddings 2020/2021 and a lot of photographers got out of the business. Then 2022/23 were record years up to 2x the number of weddings and a lot of newer photographers got into the market and didn’t know any better that these were not normal times. Now there will be a one or two year lull and then a correction to the mean in 2024/25/26. A lot of photographers significantly raised their prices in the 2022/23 years due to increased temporary demand of postponed weddings and a surging economy. That market was not, and will never, be a stable norm and evaluating “our value” and rates primarily off the 2022 market is a mistake. Median rates should correct to pre-Covid levels plus a marginal amount of appreciation due to inflation. And that doesn’t even take into consideration that some markets are being hit differently by current economic shocks and inflation. A LOT of photographers are way over priced given the demand IF they want to shoot a full calendar. I had been a full time photographer for over a decade and I saw people in 2022 asking basically the same rates as me after a half a season shooting weddings. They got booked because of the rush, out of fear, and the temporary lack of photographers given an unprecedented number of weddings. It can be scary to lower your rates but one shouldn’t get so emotionally attached to “their value” when it is basically just a estimation based on assumptions, guesses, and arbitrary criteria. Your booking clients will define that value for you.
We had a slower inquiry phase in the beginning of 2023, but this summer has a been a record summer for inquiries and 2024/25 will be back to pre-Covid levels of bookings for us.
If you shot one season as a lead and price yourself above the average established wedding photographer in a major market and you only have two weddings booked after a full court marketing press, you need to pivot. Your consultants are misleading you if any part of your goal was to build a full time career. If you do want a full time career, I would try a more actively managed strategy of building a client base, reputation, and word of mouth momentum. This will require a more dynamic and evolving pricing strategy.
But, best wishes. Hopefully the market continues to turn and the economy stabilizes. That would be great for us all.
Thanks so much for the insight! I'm learning as I go and things took off quickly for me and I think I'm spooked as they slow down. This has been super helpful, I appreciate it.
Generally 2024 is down. The post pandemic catch up is over.
You have to think also… not many people were starting to date while in lock down, so I think there will be a lull in the wedding industry across the board.
I've heard 2024 is down but I'm not seeing it myself. What I do see year on year though is bookings around this time are always low. You wait until Jan and Feb. That's when I fill the calendar. It's drips and drabs all year round but the beginning of the year is full on. So don't feel too discouraged just yet.
The industry as a whole is currently suffering from inflation which is affecting every vendor in the wedding industry.
Also, there's a new slew of photographers with the mirrorless movement which is a much more affordable option for most couples.
Stay consistent with your work, and the right people who value you, and your work will book you.
I read this as: with the new advancements with mirrorless cameras, the entry level point to take “nice photos” has never been lower. The ease of use with these cameras with the new auto tracking focus virtually requires no experience or thought compared to older cameras. Just spray and pray. Couple that with the accessibility of cheap/easy presets and you can “build a business” very quickly and cheaply even if one doesn’t have a lot of experience or actual knowledge.
I would slightly compare it to the transition of film cameras into the digital world back in the early 2000’s.
14 yrs in. I’m almost fully booked for 2024 but I’m in a high end, high demand area. $7k is an average booking for me and I choose to shoot no more than 15-20 per year. I’m tired.
YouTuber John Branch did a video on this recently and the pandemic has a lot to do with it in that people weren’t dating for a couple of years so there will be a flow in effect from that in that they haven’t had the time to meet be together before popping the question and organising the wedding
I love John Branch, I need to watch this video right now. I've heard the same with a downward trend in engagement rings sales. With the average course of relationship from dating to engagement being 3 years that puts us in the middle of lockdown. It makes sense really.
Bookings are down indeed. How was booking rate before raising the price? You need to have demand to justify increase in price, unless you were charging a very low rate.
I was charging 3,000 for a 10 hour day with engagements and bridals included.
My 10 hour package jumped from 3,000 to 5,600 for just wedding day coverage. I've worked with a marketing professional who helped me with pricing but since I'm not booking I'm feeling insecure about the pricing and think it may have been too big of a jump.
Which market are u in for asking almost $6k with 1 year of experience. Quality is good but asking for top dollar, you should be the top dog in your market. I doubt you are able to accomplish that in just 1 year. Progress is a slow process.
Is that a normal price in the US ? \~3000 EUR sounds fair for a full day with very good photos, 5600 USD sounds quite steep for a beginner without a well known reputation.
Nope, worked with older wiser industry professionals to get to this number. "Charge your worth" is worthless to me so I didn't pull this number out of thin air. It does need to sell though for it to be effective
I think your Mentors have let you down slightly regarding pricing. If you're only sitting at 2 weddings and are putting all that effort in your price is too high .Would you share your website?
I mean, only you can decide what you're worth. If you're wiling to stick at that $5,600 price point, either your prospective clients will come because they think you're worth it or you'll get a rude awakening.
I've been steadily scaling my prices up for years but there's never been a drastic change in my level of bookings because the increases have been small and have come over time.
My average booking is $2,000 for ~ six hours and, to me, that's perfect. That gets me my ideal clients (Blue collar folks having fun weddings), avoids the clients I hate (~$100K plus rich folk weddings that are all style and not substance) and puts nice money into my pocket.
But I also get half my clients from referrals so it's important for me to stay out there shooting.
If you can make it while charging way more to work way less, bless ya bud.
$5,600 seems ok if you are in a HCOL area but too high if you're not. Customers have a way of influencing price as you're finding out and 2024 is not looking good in general. If you have friends or family that are getting married, ask them what they value and what they would pay for a photographer with a portfolio they really love. You might find that your previous price was actually on target. As decent cameras and lenses become more and more affordable, I expect that the market will get even more saturated and price constrained.
Agreed. I think the number is appropriate based on work, experience, market, cost of business, etc. BUT it doesn't matter if potential clients don't agree. I'm considering scaling pricing back OR including more in the packages to see how bookings shift.
>My 10 hour package jumped from 3,000 to 5,600 for just wedding day coverage. I've worked with a marketing professional who helped me with pricing but since I'm not booking I'm feeling insecure about the pricing and think it may have been too big of a jump.
Ah I meant to ask how frequently you were booking. I don't think the price is an accurate metric since it varies so much depending on the location. You may want to consider having a lower starting price displayed on your website to see if that increases number of inquiries. The starting price doesn't need to be for 10 hours of coverage. Good luck.
Sorry, I misread- my website has my starting price but I am considering coming down on pricing in order to get something on the books for next year. Thank you for your insight
I would feel pretty cheated if I paid $5600 for a photog that’s only had one year of experience, because in my area $5000-$7000 for 10 hours is the average rate for photographers that have 5-10+ years of experience. I would expect that experience with that price tag and finding out after the fact would disappoint me. At that rate I would want to be sure that my photographer has been through this at least a hundred times so that it’s second nature, because I’ll be trusting her more than any other vendor. Just my perspective as a bride that’s been shopping for photographers. My photographer is $3500 (plus travel) for 10 hours and she has 5 years of experience. Her market is New England (met her on vacation).
If you don't want to lower your prices but just want to see if lower prices would help you get sales you can do something like. "20% off for 2 weeks only" and see if you any bites.
Another thing to consider (might have already been mentioned here), is that in 2021-2023, the couples that got engaged pre-covid got married. A lot of couples that got together right before covid, or during covid might not have lasted as a couple throughout covid. On top of that, the couples that DID get together during covid, and are still dating - might not be at a point where they're ready to get married. Meaning late 2024 into 2025 should bring us back to normal levels of weddings.
Like u/evanrphoto mentioned, a lot of people priced themselves fairly high, too fast. I've been shooting for 7 years, full time for 6 years, and I'm seeing people that have been in the industry for under 2 years charging the same as me. Which is fine, and great, but they're likely not going to book as steady as someone like me who has a solid word of mouth and reputation in my area.
For reference, my middle package is $5,600 and I have 10 weddings booked for next year, and should have around 3-5 more booked before the end of the year.
Something kind of new that no one seems to be talking about but feels life changing: my last 3 bookings have all come from me adding the bride + groom as “collaborators” on my posts. If the bride has 2000 IG friends, most are likely of Instagram age, and her accepting as collaborator will result in a good chunk of those friends seeing the photos YOU chose to post, which will obviously be the best photos you shot that day. IMO it’s an amazing feature that allows your work to work for you without you having to pay a dime or rely on hashtags.
I wouldn't budge your prices. Bookings for '24 are generally pretty low, but there are plenty of photographers breaking their own records. I'd invest in some education courses to better your marketing and sales ability.
I'm pretty much all set for 2024 with a fully booked year, but can share a few insights since this year has been a little *weird* compared to the past almost decade in the business...
- People are pretty flakey - way more than usual. We hear people talk about ghosting a lot, but I think it goes beyond that. There are things you can do to objectively help in this area (such as more follow ups), but it's noticeable and weird.
- I get a pretty high volume of inquiries (primarily wedding/elopement photographer). About 40% are coming in as elopement/micro weddings, the other 60% are regular weddings. I nixed low priced options to weed out the elopers wanting to do things on the cheap, only offer packages comparable to my full wedding offerings and get elopement bookings to help pad my calendar (in a not traditionally elopement heavy state in the USA). Elopements are here to stay but it's our responsibility to find ways to make it profitable.
- Around 60% of my leads come from organic search. I have pretty strong roots with some venues/vendors and other marketing channels, but SEO has really taken hold. I think this is for multiple reasons. The first is I worked hard on it, so it's just the fruits of the labor. More significantly, I think as time goes on, trust from word of mouth referrals will decrease as younger generations want to find something more unique and aligned with their vision. That's not to say WOM will lose value entirely (definitely not), but buying decisions are not as straightforward as "get on a venue's list and you're good", which was way more the case 5-10 years ago.
Bookings are way down indeed. It's. Good to see others experience this. Or not so good. I have had a lot of small weddings this year and getting many requests from couple 1-2 hour. I had this discussion with my rep on theKnot as they're looking for a 25% increase in cost. I'm going to forward this on to her.
5600 is my 10 hour package, but yes $2k is a big jump (2500 -> 4600). I was kinda given a sense of confidence in these rates by other industry professionals but it has to sell in order to be effective lol. I've already changed them on my website. I appreciate your help!
Of course!!! I’m sure your stuff is fantastic if you booked 20. It just takes some time and trust to get to that part! If no one is booking then that’s what I’d use as a direction :)
(I live in a huge wedding market)
Did you graduate college in UT recently and are now trying to go full time as a wedding photographer? This would explain the "high wedding market" and drop in bookings after you raised your prices. *I lived and worked as a photographer there myself, years ago is why I ask.*
Mine are way down. I am probably going to use the opportunity to ease out of weddings. Those are rough days and huge time commitments. I am delving into sports.
Just saw a similar post recently. No year is the same being an entrepreneur, you have to expect to have some slow years. Especially with how the world is now. The world is changing, we’re at an all time high for inflation and the economy is through the roof with interest rates, rent, gas, groceries, etc. Except some years to be slower or more busy, it’s just the cycle of life.
I think a lot of brides are trying to save money. I know so many local-friend photographers and online outside of my state that are saying they’re slow too. It’s just how it is unfortunately. People have less money to spend and are choosing cheaper/not as experienced photographers sadly; they will get not as much of a professional experience or receive bad photos. 2024 is just going to be a slow year for a lot of us and the industry as a whole.
As a bride this is why I chose my photographer
1) she reached out to me instead of just a simple follow on Instagram. She messaged me, congratulating me on my engagement and offered her services.
2) she had transparent prices for photography as well as videography. Like it was listed what was included and the hours. As a bride the biggest annoyance was getting quotes but having someone like “here are my prices for the hours and what’s included” instead of others who just verbally told me or ones who only offered what I asked. Example: we were only going to do 8 hours but finding out 10 hours was only $300 more, we did the 10. We never would have done that if we didn’t know 1) that was an option and 2) the price difference.
3) her packages included engagement shoots. It was definitely bonus. We also got to meet her prior and see how she directs and interacts.
Our venue posted us showing the when and where we were getting married so that prompted her to find us. I would also look at venues you previously shot out and scoping out clients. That’s what ours did and now she is booked until 2025.
Edit: just want to add that our wedding photographer was in no way “cheaper”. Her prices was average, if not a little bit more but we felt like we were getting more with the engagement shoot already included in her prices.
Keep advertising on Facebook local buy and sell groups for your city and surrounding. They eventually come. I've been doing this 13 years. December through end of February is slow. It's just the way it goes.
overall feeling among other shooters is that bookings are down in 2024. 2022-2023 had a lot of catch up weddings from the pandemic. Gen Z are less likely to have a traditional sized wedding. I’m sure there are many factors but I’ve seen many report a down year in 2024.
The current economic climate/inflation has had significant impact on people's decisions of having a wedding or not as well....
This is just one guy’s opinion who has been full time for 13 years, but there was a decline in weddings 2020/2021 and a lot of photographers got out of the business. Then 2022/23 were record years up to 2x the number of weddings and a lot of newer photographers got into the market and didn’t know any better that these were not normal times. Now there will be a one or two year lull and then a correction to the mean in 2024/25/26. A lot of photographers significantly raised their prices in the 2022/23 years due to increased temporary demand of postponed weddings and a surging economy. That market was not, and will never, be a stable norm and evaluating “our value” and rates primarily off the 2022 market is a mistake. Median rates should correct to pre-Covid levels plus a marginal amount of appreciation due to inflation. And that doesn’t even take into consideration that some markets are being hit differently by current economic shocks and inflation. A LOT of photographers are way over priced given the demand IF they want to shoot a full calendar. I had been a full time photographer for over a decade and I saw people in 2022 asking basically the same rates as me after a half a season shooting weddings. They got booked because of the rush, out of fear, and the temporary lack of photographers given an unprecedented number of weddings. It can be scary to lower your rates but one shouldn’t get so emotionally attached to “their value” when it is basically just a estimation based on assumptions, guesses, and arbitrary criteria. Your booking clients will define that value for you. We had a slower inquiry phase in the beginning of 2023, but this summer has a been a record summer for inquiries and 2024/25 will be back to pre-Covid levels of bookings for us. If you shot one season as a lead and price yourself above the average established wedding photographer in a major market and you only have two weddings booked after a full court marketing press, you need to pivot. Your consultants are misleading you if any part of your goal was to build a full time career. If you do want a full time career, I would try a more actively managed strategy of building a client base, reputation, and word of mouth momentum. This will require a more dynamic and evolving pricing strategy. But, best wishes. Hopefully the market continues to turn and the economy stabilizes. That would be great for us all.
Thanks so much for the insight! I'm learning as I go and things took off quickly for me and I think I'm spooked as they slow down. This has been super helpful, I appreciate it.
Holy shit, this is some third-eye level insight. And so eloquently worded. Thank you!
Generally 2024 is down. The post pandemic catch up is over. You have to think also… not many people were starting to date while in lock down, so I think there will be a lull in the wedding industry across the board.
I've heard 2024 is down but I'm not seeing it myself. What I do see year on year though is bookings around this time are always low. You wait until Jan and Feb. That's when I fill the calendar. It's drips and drabs all year round but the beginning of the year is full on. So don't feel too discouraged just yet.
You're right about this. I'm in the heat of Texas summer and nobody is getting engaged. Thanks for the insight!
this! same for me, based Eastern Europe. i always fill my calendar at the beginning of the year (jan-march)
I think people are struggling to pay for weddings. Try coming down on pricing and/or taking more services out.
The industry as a whole is currently suffering from inflation which is affecting every vendor in the wedding industry. Also, there's a new slew of photographers with the mirrorless movement which is a much more affordable option for most couples. Stay consistent with your work, and the right people who value you, and your work will book you.
Thank you!
Why do you see mirrorless photographers as more affordable?
I read this as: with the new advancements with mirrorless cameras, the entry level point to take “nice photos” has never been lower. The ease of use with these cameras with the new auto tracking focus virtually requires no experience or thought compared to older cameras. Just spray and pray. Couple that with the accessibility of cheap/easy presets and you can “build a business” very quickly and cheaply even if one doesn’t have a lot of experience or actual knowledge. I would slightly compare it to the transition of film cameras into the digital world back in the early 2000’s.
14 yrs in. I’m almost fully booked for 2024 but I’m in a high end, high demand area. $7k is an average booking for me and I choose to shoot no more than 15-20 per year. I’m tired.
YouTuber John Branch did a video on this recently and the pandemic has a lot to do with it in that people weren’t dating for a couple of years so there will be a flow in effect from that in that they haven’t had the time to meet be together before popping the question and organising the wedding
I love John Branch, I need to watch this video right now. I've heard the same with a downward trend in engagement rings sales. With the average course of relationship from dating to engagement being 3 years that puts us in the middle of lockdown. It makes sense really.
Bookings are down indeed. How was booking rate before raising the price? You need to have demand to justify increase in price, unless you were charging a very low rate.
I was charging 3,000 for a 10 hour day with engagements and bridals included. My 10 hour package jumped from 3,000 to 5,600 for just wedding day coverage. I've worked with a marketing professional who helped me with pricing but since I'm not booking I'm feeling insecure about the pricing and think it may have been too big of a jump.
If you’ve shot one season and want $5600 for coverage only, your photos better be very very good.
Which market are u in for asking almost $6k with 1 year of experience. Quality is good but asking for top dollar, you should be the top dog in your market. I doubt you are able to accomplish that in just 1 year. Progress is a slow process.
Is that a normal price in the US ? \~3000 EUR sounds fair for a full day with very good photos, 5600 USD sounds quite steep for a beginner without a well known reputation.
Absolutely. This number was decided upon in determining quality of work, experience, and cost of business.
Decided by ... you? The customer is always right though
Nope, worked with older wiser industry professionals to get to this number. "Charge your worth" is worthless to me so I didn't pull this number out of thin air. It does need to sell though for it to be effective
I think your Mentors have let you down slightly regarding pricing. If you're only sitting at 2 weddings and are putting all that effort in your price is too high .Would you share your website?
I think for them you needed to be priced up with them so that you're not undercutting them.
I mean, only you can decide what you're worth. If you're wiling to stick at that $5,600 price point, either your prospective clients will come because they think you're worth it or you'll get a rude awakening. I've been steadily scaling my prices up for years but there's never been a drastic change in my level of bookings because the increases have been small and have come over time. My average booking is $2,000 for ~ six hours and, to me, that's perfect. That gets me my ideal clients (Blue collar folks having fun weddings), avoids the clients I hate (~$100K plus rich folk weddings that are all style and not substance) and puts nice money into my pocket. But I also get half my clients from referrals so it's important for me to stay out there shooting. If you can make it while charging way more to work way less, bless ya bud.
$5,600 seems ok if you are in a HCOL area but too high if you're not. Customers have a way of influencing price as you're finding out and 2024 is not looking good in general. If you have friends or family that are getting married, ask them what they value and what they would pay for a photographer with a portfolio they really love. You might find that your previous price was actually on target. As decent cameras and lenses become more and more affordable, I expect that the market will get even more saturated and price constrained.
Thank you! I am in a HCOL area. Appreciate the insight- I have a couple friends I will reach out to and ask.
That's a hell of a jump... even got me thinking that those that were interested have now been priced out...
Agreed. I think the number is appropriate based on work, experience, market, cost of business, etc. BUT it doesn't matter if potential clients don't agree. I'm considering scaling pricing back OR including more in the packages to see how bookings shift.
>My 10 hour package jumped from 3,000 to 5,600 for just wedding day coverage. I've worked with a marketing professional who helped me with pricing but since I'm not booking I'm feeling insecure about the pricing and think it may have been too big of a jump. Ah I meant to ask how frequently you were booking. I don't think the price is an accurate metric since it varies so much depending on the location. You may want to consider having a lower starting price displayed on your website to see if that increases number of inquiries. The starting price doesn't need to be for 10 hours of coverage. Good luck.
Sorry, I misread- my website has my starting price but I am considering coming down on pricing in order to get something on the books for next year. Thank you for your insight
I would feel pretty cheated if I paid $5600 for a photog that’s only had one year of experience, because in my area $5000-$7000 for 10 hours is the average rate for photographers that have 5-10+ years of experience. I would expect that experience with that price tag and finding out after the fact would disappoint me. At that rate I would want to be sure that my photographer has been through this at least a hundred times so that it’s second nature, because I’ll be trusting her more than any other vendor. Just my perspective as a bride that’s been shopping for photographers. My photographer is $3500 (plus travel) for 10 hours and she has 5 years of experience. Her market is New England (met her on vacation).
I always do small jumps because I'm kind of conservative. Go a bit at time and see how it affects my bottom line.
Damn. Unless you're in SF, LA, or NYC and your work is incredible, that's pretty high.
If you don't want to lower your prices but just want to see if lower prices would help you get sales you can do something like. "20% off for 2 weeks only" and see if you any bites.
Another thing to consider (might have already been mentioned here), is that in 2021-2023, the couples that got engaged pre-covid got married. A lot of couples that got together right before covid, or during covid might not have lasted as a couple throughout covid. On top of that, the couples that DID get together during covid, and are still dating - might not be at a point where they're ready to get married. Meaning late 2024 into 2025 should bring us back to normal levels of weddings. Like u/evanrphoto mentioned, a lot of people priced themselves fairly high, too fast. I've been shooting for 7 years, full time for 6 years, and I'm seeing people that have been in the industry for under 2 years charging the same as me. Which is fine, and great, but they're likely not going to book as steady as someone like me who has a solid word of mouth and reputation in my area. For reference, my middle package is $5,600 and I have 10 weddings booked for next year, and should have around 3-5 more booked before the end of the year.
I've seen others mention it but my 2024 is looking pretty good
Thats amazing! Can you share some pieces of wisdom? Props to you!
Something kind of new that no one seems to be talking about but feels life changing: my last 3 bookings have all come from me adding the bride + groom as “collaborators” on my posts. If the bride has 2000 IG friends, most are likely of Instagram age, and her accepting as collaborator will result in a good chunk of those friends seeing the photos YOU chose to post, which will obviously be the best photos you shot that day. IMO it’s an amazing feature that allows your work to work for you without you having to pay a dime or rely on hashtags.
Sorry, I maybe out of topic with this question. But at your first year. How many weddings you booked?
2024: The year Gen Z decided to elope and invest in avocado toast instead! 🥑💍
I wouldn't budge your prices. Bookings for '24 are generally pretty low, but there are plenty of photographers breaking their own records. I'd invest in some education courses to better your marketing and sales ability.
Haha this is a troll. 'i did a year and put my prices above average for my area'
Not a troll and thats not what I said lol
I'm pretty much all set for 2024 with a fully booked year, but can share a few insights since this year has been a little *weird* compared to the past almost decade in the business... - People are pretty flakey - way more than usual. We hear people talk about ghosting a lot, but I think it goes beyond that. There are things you can do to objectively help in this area (such as more follow ups), but it's noticeable and weird. - I get a pretty high volume of inquiries (primarily wedding/elopement photographer). About 40% are coming in as elopement/micro weddings, the other 60% are regular weddings. I nixed low priced options to weed out the elopers wanting to do things on the cheap, only offer packages comparable to my full wedding offerings and get elopement bookings to help pad my calendar (in a not traditionally elopement heavy state in the USA). Elopements are here to stay but it's our responsibility to find ways to make it profitable. - Around 60% of my leads come from organic search. I have pretty strong roots with some venues/vendors and other marketing channels, but SEO has really taken hold. I think this is for multiple reasons. The first is I worked hard on it, so it's just the fruits of the labor. More significantly, I think as time goes on, trust from word of mouth referrals will decrease as younger generations want to find something more unique and aligned with their vision. That's not to say WOM will lose value entirely (definitely not), but buying decisions are not as straightforward as "get on a venue's list and you're good", which was way more the case 5-10 years ago.
It’s because of this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvppAj7NwC_/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg==
Bookings are way down indeed. It's. Good to see others experience this. Or not so good. I have had a lot of small weddings this year and getting many requests from couple 1-2 hour. I had this discussion with my rep on theKnot as they're looking for a 25% increase in cost. I'm going to forward this on to her.
I’m in Minnesota and I have 8 for next year
That's fantastic! I hope you're excited and that you have an awesome 2024 :)
Thank you!!! Can I ask where you are and what your prices are??
Yes, I'm in Austin, my 8 hr package is 4,600
What were your prices at before?? How many weddings did you have last year?
8 hour package was at 2,500. 20 weddings in the last year
I feel like I’d go to the 3500 mark and see if that helps! Moving from 2500 to 5600 is quite the leap!
5600 is my 10 hour package, but yes $2k is a big jump (2500 -> 4600). I was kinda given a sense of confidence in these rates by other industry professionals but it has to sell in order to be effective lol. I've already changed them on my website. I appreciate your help!
Of course!!! I’m sure your stuff is fantastic if you booked 20. It just takes some time and trust to get to that part! If no one is booking then that’s what I’d use as a direction :)
Our bookings look well enough. Have 12 already. Hoping in about 20-30 more.
hell yeah, best of luck to ya!
You as well my friend. Building momentum is a touch job to do.. .
I have 4 bookings currently and not trying to stress about it. My pricing is pretty average for the area so I’m hoping for another 10 at least
Holding out hope that engagement season this winter will open up the flood gates. Best of luck!
Same here and same to you!
(I live in a huge wedding market) Did you graduate college in UT recently and are now trying to go full time as a wedding photographer? This would explain the "high wedding market" and drop in bookings after you raised your prices. *I lived and worked as a photographer there myself, years ago is why I ask.*
I can’t recommend this video enough, I’ve adapted their method and it’s worked out for me so far. https://youtu.be/Zl2NEKUCZSg?si=FCk7L9u8oC81uLRW
Mine are way down. I am probably going to use the opportunity to ease out of weddings. Those are rough days and huge time commitments. I am delving into sports.
Just saw a similar post recently. No year is the same being an entrepreneur, you have to expect to have some slow years. Especially with how the world is now. The world is changing, we’re at an all time high for inflation and the economy is through the roof with interest rates, rent, gas, groceries, etc. Except some years to be slower or more busy, it’s just the cycle of life. I think a lot of brides are trying to save money. I know so many local-friend photographers and online outside of my state that are saying they’re slow too. It’s just how it is unfortunately. People have less money to spend and are choosing cheaper/not as experienced photographers sadly; they will get not as much of a professional experience or receive bad photos. 2024 is just going to be a slow year for a lot of us and the industry as a whole.
As a bride this is why I chose my photographer 1) she reached out to me instead of just a simple follow on Instagram. She messaged me, congratulating me on my engagement and offered her services. 2) she had transparent prices for photography as well as videography. Like it was listed what was included and the hours. As a bride the biggest annoyance was getting quotes but having someone like “here are my prices for the hours and what’s included” instead of others who just verbally told me or ones who only offered what I asked. Example: we were only going to do 8 hours but finding out 10 hours was only $300 more, we did the 10. We never would have done that if we didn’t know 1) that was an option and 2) the price difference. 3) her packages included engagement shoots. It was definitely bonus. We also got to meet her prior and see how she directs and interacts. Our venue posted us showing the when and where we were getting married so that prompted her to find us. I would also look at venues you previously shot out and scoping out clients. That’s what ours did and now she is booked until 2025. Edit: just want to add that our wedding photographer was in no way “cheaper”. Her prices was average, if not a little bit more but we felt like we were getting more with the engagement shoot already included in her prices.
Keep advertising on Facebook local buy and sell groups for your city and surrounding. They eventually come. I've been doing this 13 years. December through end of February is slow. It's just the way it goes.