Good question. What your future husband doesn't understand is that the seven to twelve hours that you see me shooting at your wedding is just the tip of the iceberg. To that you need to add the 40 or 50, or even more hours I'll spend in the downloading, sorting, cropping, Photoshopping and burning-to-disk hundreds of raw photos that I'll be shooting at your wedding event. Then add an additional 3-4 hours spent creating and posting your online photo proofing galleries. There are also expenses to pay at my processing lab for the 11x14, 8x10, 5x7 and wallet-size premium prints that comes as part of your wedding package. You also need to factor in the thousands of dollars worth of photographic equipment (and backup equipment) that I walk into your wedding event with so I can provide you with a truly professional photographic record of your wedding day. Also add the thousands of dollars I've invested in computer equipment and photographic software to process and enhance your wedding photos and DVD's. It's all necessary so I can hand you your final premium wedding prints. There's also the cost in time and money that I incur building and maintaining my web presence - and the 400 gigs of cyberspace I purchase every year to host all my professional photography information and proofing for my prospective clients. And finally, what value do you attach to the intangible element of over 35 years of professional experience successfully dealing with and helping people on one of the most stressful, yet most rewarding days in their lives? Factor all this into the package price and then tell me it's "too much". Now that I've enlightened you and your future mate, if you still believe it's too much you can always find somebody to do it cheaper - always. But ask yourself this: Why are they cheaper? I am amazed at the large amounts of money many couples freely agree to invest in their reception venue, food, alcohol, flowers, wedding cake, the wedding dresses and entertainment for the reception - yet they want to nickel and dime when it comes to the photography - which is the ONLY permanent, lasting record of their wedding day! It's your wedding and your choice - if a professional photographic experience on your wedding day and great photos to capture the memories really aren't that important to you or your future hubby, I sincerely suggest that you have one of your pals do it for free - everyone has a digital camera these days, right? Or, you can hire a beginner that's offering his or her limited wedding photo services cheaply so they can develop their photography skills on your dime. It is your decision to make!
