Los Angeles Wedding Photography Prices

How Did We Calculate the Average?

In Los Angeles, everyone is a wedding photographer! As the industry is not regulated, if you have $1,000 you can go to Costco, buy a camera and you are in business! However, it is not that type of photographers we surveyed.

We looked at the Top Los Angeles studios or individual professional photographers to determine their average fees and their distribution. Our data clearly shows that 24% of the studios researched in Los Angeles charge around $3,500.

Please note that destination wedding photographers will build custom packages or offer a la carte options based on the travel and shooting time.

We only analyzed wedding photography pricing, not photo booth or wedding videography services. For those services, please head towards the respective sections of the website.

Factors Impacting Pricing

If you analyse pricing quotes from different photographers, you will notice huge pricing differences. Why such a wide range of price points? What variables impact the average photography price?

The most important factors that influence wedding photography costs are coverage length (time), number of shooters, products included in the collection. In addition, brand name, experience and marketing skills play a crucial role in the amount charged.

Number of Hours of Photography

Time is a direct cost for the artist and the more time a bride requires, the more expensive it gets. If a couple needs coverage after midnight or the event is outside the photographer’s area, chances are she can not book another gig the following day, so the couple might have to pay extra.

On average, packages include 8-10 hours of photography.

Do you want a lot of reception images? You might have to buy extra hours and that doesn’t come cheap.

Preferably, schedule the key events (cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss) immediately after dinner and let your photographers go one hour into the dances. Most dancing shots are repetitive, so you won’t miss much.

Number of Photographers

Having multiple shooters document your big day has its advantages: you will get a large diversity of shots captured from various angles, you will have multiple artists with different interpretations of your wedding day, etc. However, additional shooters cost extra. A second photographer will cost you another $500 but gives you a good ROI and is worth the money.

Skills, Experience and Brand Name

Experience and skill, fame and brand name go hand in hand. It is almost self explanatory that well-known artists are in high demand so they charge above market rates for their services. Newbies often shoot for free, so if you have a small budget, please explore that option.

Please note that the results might vary.

The artist who is established has a solid customer and referral base, and built a network of industry professionals will definitely charge more than the newbie. He will most definitely receive more inquiries than a new entrant in this industry.

Newbies do not have a portfolio to show. As such, they receive a very limited number of inquiries, so they have to compete on price to convince the potential clients to book them. After all, the price is determined by the supply and demand. As the demand for a beginner artist is almost non-existent, the price is also low.

Marketing and Branding Acumen

One of the factors that influences fees is the marketing abilities of a studio. The better an artist is at marketing her business, the higher the fees she can command.If the artist is able to build a distinct brand, that will allow her to charge a premium price. Truth be told, it is very hard for a photographer to develop a distinct style as most cameras take the same photos and everyone has access to the same post-processing techniques. In the age of the internet, one can emulate a look in minutes by buying a preset.

Here is why Marketing is extremely important. Being active on social media, advertising on the channels with the highest impact is crucial for the photographer to be able to raise prices.

Travel Costs

This applies mostly to artists who bundle their travel costs into the packages offered. Please note that some companies do not charge travel fees, especially if your reception takes place in a place on their bucket list.

Geography

Your wedding’s geographical location will affect the cash amount you will spend on your portraits. Getting married in a remote town? You can find an affordable local photographer who will give you a great deal.

Tying the knot in downtown Los Angeles? You will spend more on photography. For money-saving tips, check our Best Wedding Budget Tips.

Photographers’ locations. You can find more affordable photographers outside of Los Angeles’s downtown core where rents are prohibitive. A photographer operating from home incurs lower costs so you will save money and get a better deal.

Prints

Additional photo albums and engagement sessions will increase the amount spent on photography. An album sells for over $500-$1000 and represents a large percentage of your average photography package.

An engagement session will set you back over $500-$1,000. Also, canvases, metallic prints, etc are unique products created for you and they are not cheap.

Do you want large prints? Professional photo labs are quite pricey. If your wedding pictures are a big deal for you, pay for professional prints. Couples on a budget can try inexpensive labs like Shutterfly. Is editing and retouching of wedding pics included or you have to pay extra? How much more?

Most photographers process wedding pictures themselves while others outsource to cheap shops abroad. The cost of processing is an important driver in the total price brides pay.

Printed products are expensive, and if you love that Italian leather-bound album, you will have to pay a premium. As the traditional printing industry is in a rapid decline, there are more modern products available, but they come at a higher price tag. Nowadays the brides and grooms can opt for canvases, large prints, or even metallic prints that will cost a few hundred dollars for a 20″x30″ print.

Advertising Costs

Advertising on print media is extremely costly, and that expense is built in the packages. Even online blogs and magazines are not cheap.

Do you see a studio’s ads in luxury wedding magazines or met them at premium wedding shows? Their packages are probably overpriced.

Cost Structure

Each studio’s cost structure is one of the major factors that impact the price tag. Rent is prohibitive in downtown Los Angeles, so if you booked one of the downtown studios, you will realize that you and the other clients pay that $10,000 studio rent.If you have the budget, by all means, hire one of the prestigious studios in the New York area. However, if you are on a tight budget, book an independent artist working in her basement who will deliver the same high-quality photographs at a fraction of the cost.Another variable driving photographers costs is the equipment used. Some photographers use very expensive equipment and charge for it.

Affordable Wedding Photography

Despite the raising costs, the competition in the area is so intense that prices have remained flat for the last 3-4 years since we started tracking them. Besides the full-time photographers, you can find “weekend warriors” who charge even less than a full timer.

Calculating the Average Price of Wedding Photography in Los Angeles

The amount couples are spending these days on their wedding is significantly higher than $11,000, the amount paid in the ’80s adjusted for inflation.

Even more important, the more couples spend on their wedding, the less happy they are afterwards. They can not afford a house in good neighbourhoods, so their children attend low-quality schools, which impacts their future.

In 2021, the recommended amount couples are expected to pay for photography is about 10% of the wedding budget. It follows that the average wedding photography price in Los Angeles is $4,500 (including HST).

That is consistent with our Prices Survey of top studios in the Los Angeles area. In Canada, wedding photographers charge on average $3,500 and $5,000.

Generally, packages include a photo album, two wedding photographers and 8-10 hours of photography. That would provide coverage for the bride’s preparation, ceremony, and wedding reception.

Some brides may spend a higher amount on their wedding images if photography is a big deal for them and are looking for famous photographers to document their wedding day.

Couples who want to spend less on photography will choose more budget friendly packages that include less time or no wedding albums.

Finally, clients on a budget could only hire a professional photographer to document the bride and groom’s preparation and wedding ceremony, then ask guests to snap some pictures during the reception.

Distribution of Prices in the Los Angeles

There is more to the picture than the average price. The distribution of prices gives you a clearer picture of the amount you can expect to pay.

As per Table 1 below, in 2021, Los Angeles, 79% of studios researched charge between $3,000 and $5,500 for a package that includes 10 hours of photography and two shooters.

That is consistent with the average cost calculated as a 10% of the average wedding budget.