Today I have Marry Me Ink’s latest sponsor, the wonderful Daz of Darren Mack Photography, explain why your photography is important for your wedding day and the reasons why it costs what it costs.

“Why I charge what I do”

It’s something I am going to try and explain in the best way I possibly can, but first I need you to come with me on a journey, through time and space, to the world of the Mighty Boosh.

My current prices for a wedding are around £1000. This is a price which I think reflects quite well to exactly where I am in my business. I have great equipment, I am fully insured, and I have shot quite a few weddings.

Going back  3 years though, things were a lot different, I didn’t charge any where near that, in fact, I didn’t charge at all, it all went a lil’ something like this….

My first wedding…. I was paid for my travel and accommodation costs. £150. That was it, it was all I asked for. This was new to me, and the couple were taking a huge risk letting me be the photographer.

I got up at 6am, scraped the ice off my car, as it was December, and started my 3 and a half hour journey. (obviously stopping for a sausage roll at the service station, ITS NEVER TOO EARLY PEOPLE!)

I arrived at around 10am to the venue, put my shirt and tie on, and started working straight away.

Fast forward twelve hours to 10 at night and I’m shattered. I’ve been running round all day photographing, backing up my images, setting up a projector and laptop for a slide show, all of this with only a 1 hour break in between (I know, a full hour right!? who the hell do I think I am resting for that long?).

You know what though? I loved it, it was there and then that I decided that this is what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a wedding photographer, I had spent 12 hours on my feet shooting sure, but it was with the friendliest, happiest people having the BEST time. What could you not love about that?

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