Ben from Fusion photography

Ben from Fusion photography

First up, Ben is a very savvy business man and would be successful in pretty much any business pursuit.

Ben spoke about different types of wedding photographers and about how much he charges and how he gets to that figure.

He stressed that it’s not about the photography it’s about a difference, it’s about business and selling yourself.

Ben talked about “shoot to burn” photographers i.e shooting 50+ weddings a year at a low rate. The burn referring to the photographer burning out and not making much money.

He spoke of the hidden costs, Advertising / marketing, Camera wear (which is very high for wedding photographers as they tend to shoot a lot of frames), Consultation (even if a client doesn’t book you they still eat up your time), Insurance, superannuation and tax.

He gave a run down of how many weddings he had shot i the last 3 years and the average package price of those weddings;
-2007: 55 @ $3600
-2008: 50 @ $4200
-2009: 45 @ $5000
-2010: 39 @ $6300
-Projection for 2011 32@ $8000

He said the reason he now has a $5000 minimum package is calculated from his bottom line and what he is willing to sacrifice his weekend for. He also pointed out that if he had a cheap package and someone booked it, he then couldn’t accept a booking for a $10,000 wedding on the same day.

He stressed to never give away negs / copyright.

He pointed out that wedding albums are his key to higher profits and charges per page of an album.

How to justify charges;
-Be worth it, go the extra mile
-Believe in your self worth
-Help clients see your value
-look the part (dress well)

Sell yourself, Clients need trust and confidence.

Educate your clients;
-The value of good photography
-The value of good service
-The value of taking control (as a photographer)

Reasons why Ben loves being a wedding photographer
-Always with happy people
-Endless variety
-Endless challenges
-every photography discipline rolled into one.


Although Ben mad a pretty good case I still have no interest in wedding photography.