How much is a good per hour rate to charge for Wedding Photography?

I was just wondering what I should charge a friend of mines sister to photograph her wedding. I have gone to school for photography and have worked at sports photo places and the most I have made there was 14. Now I think I should charge somewhere around there but honestly I really don't know and I was wondering if you guys might be able to help me out. I have looked online and I only can really get an average yearly salary for wedding photographers.

How much is a good per hour rate to charge for Wedding Photography?
Wedding photographers charge by the event, not the hour.





My wedding photographer had shot professionally for ten years, but mine was only her fourth wedding. Her experience as a pro combined with her inexperience at weddings led to a price of $750 for the day.





This included:





* Four scheduled hours of work (though she showed up early and also toured the venue with me the day before, so it's more like six hours total).


* Light editing of all pictures (color, contrast, removing any photos that had come out badly) and burning them to CD. This CD also came with copyright release, so I could print the photos legally. Most photographers charge maybe $250 for the copyright-released CD alone.


* No prints





You seem less experienced than my photographer was, so if I were you, I'd charge $500 for the above.





The high yearly saleries and $2000/gig prices are reserved for professional photographers who have lots of experience with weddings. If your sister's friend is going to you, it's because she can't afford them.
Reply:Stop with the "friend's sister" approach as the first determiner of price.


As a friend, she should be recommending you, not because of the deal she is getting for her sister, but for the quality you will be giving her sister.


It makes no difference who the pictures are for, if you do a good job you will be promoted as a good photographer and the price you charged will be passed around to everyone who sees the pictures as well...in short you will not be getting more for your work than you charge this time. See what other professional photographers in your area charge and demand the same rate..if you want to offer a "gift" of additional pictures or additional time for you friend's sister, o.k., but establish yourself as a professional and respect others who have chosen the profession at the same time. Remember, everyone has a "friend's sister."
Reply:You do not charge by the hour.


This is very important! Every project is different and you do not need to keep track of the hours.





All good photographer get paid by the job.





So the first thing you need to figure how much this will cost. Factor any extra equipment. Next thing find out how much a photographer in your area charges. Now obviously you are just starting so you will not get that rate. But I think you will find that most are in the 2000 dollar range. My friend is very good and she charges 6000 dollars for the day plus the expenses.





So even though you are starting out I can't see why you would charge less than 500 dollars for the day.


Personally I would ask for 750 per day. I know this sounds like a lot for starting but believe me. If you pictures are good then they will be getting a very very good deal.
Reply:What you have to figure in is not only your time actually shooting, but travel and time spent on the computer after wards. Factor in the use of your equipment, because each job takes a toll. Since this is a friend's sister, you will probably want to "low ball" it, but I would suggest you first figure out what the end costs will be (ie: prints, books, etc) and build from there.








$14 is waaaaay low...
Reply:My daughter is in the process of hiring a wedding photographer and she charges $150.00 per hour. This includes an album of photos and negatives.
Reply:I suggest a more pragmatic method...





All markets are different and so are the strata (levels) within the market. The best way to work this out is to research your local market so you can compare quality, number of images, service levels and package make-up... then set your prices according to what feels comfortable for you - you're the one who needs to justify them!





Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted... ;)
Reply:When you say you've gone to school for photography, does that mean in high school or an actual photography school?





If it's high school then don't charge a thing. Use it as a learning experience. In fact, I suggest you don't even take the job at all. A wedding is a big event! It's something you want to remember for the rest of your life... don't risk messing it up.





If you are still a student at a photography school, and you've been there for atleast a year, then charge $25-$50 per hour.
Reply:None of the wedding photographers I know charge by the hour, rather they charge from $2,000 and up to shoot the wedding and reception (about 4 hours) and provide a CD containing "proofs". All prints are billed separately
Reply:Depends how experienced you are. $25 an hour including driving time would be a good starting place.