Cost of Wedding Photographers in Northeast Ohio

So you’re planning a wedding, and you’re wondering how much should you really be spending on a photographer? What should a wedding photographer cost? How do you know if you’re getting ripped off, overpaying, or not paying enough to ensure you’re getting someone quality?

As a photographer myself, I’m very familiar with the different prices of photographers in the Canton, Akron, and northeast Ohio area. Let me teach you the different types of pricing you can expect as you’re searching for a photographer. This can help you decide how much of your budget you might want to allocate to a photographer to get the experience you’re looking for!

Average Wedding Photographer Cost

To answer the question of what the average wedding photographer costs in northeast Ohio, I think that it’s between $3000-$4000. Most photographers here are experienced and can provide you with a nice photos and good service. What differentiates them is how much you like their style, personality, brand, etc.

You still might not be sure if you should spend that to get the experience you want. I’d like to break up photographers into six main price categories (shown below). Let’s assume these prices are all for 8 hours of coverage with 1-2 photographers and an engagement session.

Category	Experience Level	Quality of Photos & Experience	Cost of Typical 8 Hr Package
Dirt Cheap	little to none	expect low level of service, ugly photos	<$2000
Budget	some (1-2 years)	photos could be ugly or gorgeous depending on photographer, expect average or below average service	$2,000-$3,000
Average	adequate (2+ years)	most photos in this price range are high quality but you can still get some bad apples, expect high quality service	$3,000-$4,000
Above Average	very experienced (5+ years)	beautiful quality of photos almost guaranteed, high quality service	$4,000-$5,000
Luxury	very experienced (5+ years)	breathtakingly gorgeous photos and exceptional service	$5,000-$10,000
Ultra Luxury	influencer/educator/seasoned pro (10+ years)	breathtakingly gorgeous photos and exceptional service	$10,000+

Dirt Cheap

First, the dirt cheap category…
This is where you’ll get photographers that are JUST starting out and have little to no weddings under their belt. This is also where people like to hire their cousin or sister’s friend who happens to own a camera. Maybe they’re doing it for free or just a couple hundred dollars.

The pros of booking a photographer in this category is you’re saving money and you’re getting photos. The biggest con in my opinion is I can almost guarantee the quality of your photos will be bad/ugly. You’re not going to get photos that are pretty or are something you’d want to hang on your wall. They will not highlight you in your best light at ALL.

You’ll also have the stress of risking some moments not getting captured. There most likely will only be 1 photographer and not 2 at this price point. You can expect to get a low level of service. I’m not saying BAD service – maybe they’ll still be friendly and help you out. However, they’re not going to have enough experience to know how to best serve you on your wedding day.

I get what it’s like to not have a lot of money to spend on your photographer, so no judgement for not wanting to spend a lot. But, if a photographer is charging less than $2000 for an 8-ish hour package, expect low quality.

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Budget

The benefit of the “budget” category is you have the chance to book an amazing photographer at a low price while they’re still getting more experience and building their business. So, there is a ton of potential in this category for a great experience AND a great deal! The con is that you may have to work a little harder to find those diamonds in the rough. It’s important to do your research and read reviews on each photographer.

You might be wondering why it is that I charge less than $3000 for my wedding packages and am in the self-proclaimed “budget” category….
I will admit that at this point in my photography career I am a little more on the less experienced side. I’ve only been doing this for about a year, which isn’t that long comparatively. I have my pricing reflect this, which is why I offer to do weddings for less than $3k. However, I have still photographed over 10 weddings as well as other portraits and have heavily invested in education and quality equipment. I am confident that you’re getting an average to above-average experience with me, while only having to pay the budget price. This is why I think you should book me! I think my portfolio and quality of my work, as well as the several positive reviews I have, prove this! So really, you’re getting amazing wedding photography AND saving money by having me as your photographer!

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Photo by ME 🙂

Average

This price bracket is where I’ve found most experienced photographers in the northeast Ohio area fall. The reason is partly due to the fact is that $3k-$4k is simply how much it costs a photographer to be able to operate profitably and remain in business. Charge any less, and most photographers will start to struggle financially. Charge any more, and you better be extra experienced and have a way to differentiate yourself and stand out, or else no one will book you because you’re too expensive.

You might be wondering why wedding photography costs so much? To put it simply, the cost of photography equipment, marketing, administration costs, taxes, insurance, hiring second shooters, transportation, etc. all take money out of our profits and we still need money to take home and enjoy for it to be worth our time. Not to mention, photographing a wedding is no small task. There are several hours of prep and editing that go into a wedding besides just the 8 hours of coverage you’re getting. There can also be a lot of stress and pressure to not make a mistake and juggle several things at once on a wedding day. When you factor in all those things, it totally makes sense why wedding photographers charge what they do!

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Photo by Hannah Ruth

Above Average

The photographer in this category is going to be very experienced and most likely has photos that you will fall in love with! Because of this, their ideal clients are people who are willing to pay a little extra to have a more exceptional experience and photos that fit exactly their taste and idea of dream wedding photos.

These photographers will certainly cost you a lot of money, but if it’s something you can afford, then by all means enjoy this level of quality photography and service!

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Photo by Joanna & Brett

Luxury

The photographers in this category have exceptionally amazing photos and provide fantastic service. Expect to be treated like a queen and to have a phenomenal experience working with them! This is what differentiates them from an average photographer.

Sometimes these photographers and even “above average” photographers will not take you on as a client unless you are getting married at one of their preferred locations or venues. They can afford to be picky and their business depends on being able to show photos of luxury weddings in their portfolio in order to attract more of those clients. So even if you’re having a budget wedding and can afford to splurge on your dream photographer in this category, you might have trouble being able to book them if your venue or location isn’t high-end enough.

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Photo by Sami Kathryn

Ultra-Luxury

I think the main thing that distinguishes a photographer in this category from the “luxury” category is fame and reputation. This person most likely is not just a photographer, but also highly respected and well known for being an influencer or educator to potential brides and other photographers. They are almost famous because of the amount of followers they have and the amount of times they’ve been published in reputable magazines and websites.

Props to you if you can afford this type of photographer! However, most people can’t and that’s totally ok. That’s what the rest of us are here for! 🙂

Below is an example photo in this price point:

Photo by Katelyn James

Final Words

I mention all these things so that you can know what to expect from a photographer based on their price point. My advice is to make room in your budget to spend at least $2000-$3000 on your wedding photographer to ensure that you stay away from amateur photographers who have no experience and could ruin your wedding photography experience.

Hopefully this also provides a guide so that you can decide if what a photographer is charging is a fair price based off of the quality of their work and their level of experience.