“Supply chain disruption, workforce shortages, and perhaps the biggest culprit, record breaking inflation” could make this the worst wedding season yet
With wedding season expected to be the busiest season since pre-covid, couples can expect to pay almost double what they would have in 2019. Supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and perhaps the biggest culprit, record breaking inflation. With supply down and demand expected to reach a record peak, many service providers 
will be looking to recoup losses as many have went on record claiming to have seen deficits as high as 50 grand. BUT will all service providers be “Taxing love” this season? How can couples save on Photographers and/or Videographers?
This article aims to give you several negotiating points to get the best rates, without sacrificing quality. First let’s consider the level of professional we need. Camera technology has seen astronomical advances in recent years allowing many freelancers and smaller companies to offer the same or even better quality than the bigger more popular names. Many of the more expensive weddings were spending 10-15% of their budget on photography or videography (a $30,000 wedding would spend approx $3,000-$5,000 on a media professional). What were couples getting for their money? Probably hired help! Big companies are charging you to rent equipment, hire a photographer for about $250/hr, one or two stagehands to set up and breakdown equipment like lighting for $20/hr., and more than half of the rate paying toward reputation (which don’t get me wrong is very important), however with inflation expected to double the cost of “help,” many stand to save by choosing a freelancer willing to put in sweat equity for the bigger gig which can help build their reputation.
So how do you know if a freelancer is capable of the task at hand? You only get one shot at capturing these moments. Portfolios, convos, and good old fashion due diligence are the key to finding the perfect person for your wedding.
The wedding industry is very competitive so focus on the style of pics you like and not necessarily the person who has the best wedding portfolio. Which brings me to my next bit of advice. Your wedding photographer may not be a “wedding photographer”.
Because weddings are such a competitive field, most of the bigger companies have had the market cornered for decades and the few freelancers who were able to penetrate had some other advantage. Other competitive advantages are venue connections, shooting family weddings for free, living in popular wedding states/areas etc. There are very good photographers and videographers who come from places that don’t have the best scenery so many of them shoot genres like sports or marketing media, and trust me, if you can shoot in these two areas you can shoot almost anything.
In conclusion, if the creative you are vetting has the proper equipment and know-how, you may be able to SAVE up to $3,000 (10%) on your wedding professional by being flexible and thinking outside the box. You can even take an advance on your savings and hire your top three candidates to shoot the engagement party and get an even clearer picture of what to expect. In todays market of unlimited info, high inflation and a private sector full of talent and competition, there are always ways to save without skipping on quality these are just a few. This may not be the best market for marriage but its def not the worst considering the quality of camera equipment available to budding photographers and videographers.
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Article written by,
Taron Gorham, Photographer, Videographer, Drone Pilot, Owner operator of Qualdro and Elevator Vision