Finding Singapore Wedding Photography to be too expensive? Here is why the price charged by wedding photographers can range in the thousands.
A & J actual day wedding photoshoot in Singapore by tlgraphy studios
Time
The amount of time a wedding photographer spends can factor into huge costs. The four key areas where time is spent will be during client meetings, the actual wedding day, and finally post-editing.
Client meeting is more than just an interview between the couple and the photographer. There will be subsequent check-ins to discuss the best wedding locations, styles, and timelines to best fit each unique couple. This process, seemingly simple, can take up to a few hours
On average, a photographer can work for 8-10 hours for each wedding, that is excluding the time to commute. If there is a second photographer, it's only understandable that the cost will be higher given that you are paying for effectively 16 hours of work for your 8 hours photographer package.
When it comes to time spent, it is not only the hour spent on the actual day itself. Photographers can easily take up to more than just a few hours to edit the photos taken. This includes file transfer, screening, light/color grading as well as post-processing. This process takes at least a few days to cover from end to end.
Let's face it, it's a luxury
There is a distinct difference between getting married and holding a wedding. Getting married simply involves paying $40+ to register at the Registry of Marriage in Singapore; holding a wedding is something people want.
Just like how diamonds, being made purely only of carbon is expensive, various wedding, including wedding photography in Singapore is equally expensive as well. Having a large catered wedding party is simply a luxury. And it's not surprising that the industry has therefore marked up the prices to promote that luxury. Would you be willing to spend $30 on your wedding ring, particularly when living in an Asian society? There you go.
Talent
We get it, why spend thousands of dollars for a few hours of work? I only get paid $200 a day, and I am arguably in a more 'elite' role working in my reputable multi-national corporation.
While you may be getting $200 per day as a junior (average marrying age worker). Ask yourself this, how much is your director getting paid a month? Just like most corporate firms, the more experience a photographer is, the more expensive it is. There is a reason why some photographers charge higher than others.
You are not just paying for someone to use a camera, you are paying for that assurance that the photographer can handle any sort of lighting, experience to make you feel comfortable when posing, knowing how to deal with different types of personalities.
Resources are limited, and so is the talent pool. Do you believe that there will be a huge supply of skilled photographers in a society that brands 'iron rice bowl' as the go-to dream job? Yes, it's rhetorical. Just like most markets, a lower supply would definitely push the price of services (in this case wedding photographers) upwards.
Inventory Cost
Overhead costs refer to the cost of being able to provide the service or product. Wedding photography in Singapore is not just a camera, at least when you are a professional. There are many other gears/equipment to purchase, such as various lenses, camera bodies, lighting equipment etc.
Any seasoned wedding photographer in Singapore would definitely have at least two camera bodies, at least during actual day weddings. Let us do the math (P.S, its just an estimate based on our experience)
2x camera bodies ($7,000 SGD)
4x lenses ($5,000 SGD)
Lighting equipment ($500 SGD)
Editing software ($200 SGD per annum)
And these are just the basics required. So higher overhead costs, higher prices for services, well unless you rather have the photographer use his phone to take the shots.
In conclusion, wedding photographers in Singapore are not cheap. But there are many reasons why. That being said, we would always recommend couples to find a wedding photographer in Singapore that fits their budget and try not to stretch beyond their means. After all, you still have your BTOs to worry about.
If you are looking for an affordable wedding photographer, do consider tlgraphy. The team has been charging affordable rates by removing misc items such as keep sake boxes, thumb drives, 4R prints, etc, delivering only the digital prints. View our rates here.