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Wedding Photography in Ireland
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In November of 2012 it was suggested at a meeting of a group of Professional Photographers that I attend that we might look
at Wedding photography in Ireland to see where we are at and what is happening in the current market. I took on the project
and now that it is complete as far as I can go I am sharing a part of this report with the forum. These are the bare facts as I
have found them and researched them. Some of the conclusions are my own. Hope it helps someone here.Weddings & Wedding Photographers in Ireland.
(The Statistics & The current Wedding Business for photographers)
Number of Weddings in Ireland
2000 19,168 *
2001 19,246 *
2002 20,556 *
2003 20,302 *
2004 20,979 *
2005 21,355 *
2006 22,089 *
2007 22,756 *
2008 22,187 *
2009 21,627 *
2010 20.594 *
2011 19,879 *
2012 Not Yet Released* Obtained from The Central Statistics Office of Ireland
Photographers (Numbers)
Irish Photographers Website list 859 photographers in Ireland (26 Counties)
IPPA Lists 332 Photographers as members
Photography Ireland has 7122 members with probably 150 doing weddings
Unlisted there are approx 470 others (friends, uncles, unregistered part timers, etc) doing
wedding photography
SWPP have another extra 121 not listed elsewhere.If we add the figures with some assumptions
IPW 878
IPPA 85 (approx. not already listed in IPW)
Non Listed 470
PI 150
SWPP 137Total 1720
(let’s call it 1600)
We have approx 1600 photographers (and growing) doing an annual 20,000 weddings
This is an average of less than 13 weddings annually per photographer.
If we agitate the figures and apply swings and trends it will equate to some photographers
ending up with an annual quota of 18 to 23 with some attaining 3 to 8 but the average
of 13 is the figure we will mostly be seeing into the future.
Ultimately a percentage of photographers will drop out but they will be replaced by newcomers trying their hand at making a “fortune” in what looks like an easy industry. Then we have “Uncle Tom” who has a good camera and will do the wedding free of charge and further dilute an already over diluted market place.Where wedding photography is concerned, I feel that it is the easiest (but the hardest work) to get Into, in today’s market. The set-up cost is small and you get very acceptable results on the average fool proof camera costing around €500.00. In years gone by one had to have a level of
Skill to operate a medium format camera and a good bank account to buy one. You did not see instant results so it was not as attractive as it is now. You also needed a professional lab to process the film rolls and with around 15 on a roll it was not cheap. Now it costs “nothing” to take the photographs except your time ……….. “and sure you are doing nothing else anyway !”. Wedding photography seems to be no longer perceived as being as important as it used to be.Pricing & General Information on Weddings:
I have researched 19 websites of photographers throughout Ireland during the past few weeks
who have either quoted wedding prices on their sites, or, I have used the “old wedding inquiry” ploy on the phone with the following observations;16 offer “disk only” packages from €235.00 to €1700.00
14 offer disk of full resolution files included with all packages
Album packages range from €515.00 to €1875.00
11 offer all day coverage including dancing
9 offer second shooter with all of their packages
3 others offer second shooter as an extra
5 offer coverage at both bride and groom homes
2 have specified that coverage begins at brides home at 9.00am
5 are now giving files on USB memory only
1 offers all images on a 7” tablet
3 are offering a “no deposit” system. You pay nothing until you get the preview disk.Other incentives on offer are;
All images loaded on your facebook page
Free Cloud access to images
Iphone & Android slide show loaded to your device
Personal App created to view your images from cloud
Video included free of charge (seems some new cameras will record video on one memory card and images on the second memory card)
100 personalized thank you cards
Free set of parent albumsOf the 19 photographers, the following is a breakdown of location:
6 are in Ireland West
8 are in Ireland East
5 are in Ireland SouthNote: In 1983 I recall that Galway as a complete county had 9 advertising photographers.
Today on the WEB the count is 317 photographers offering services in Co. Galway.During this research I have also concluded that there are 3 groups in the west area who keep all wedding inquiries and the work within these groups and promote members only of the group they belong to. One is a ladies only group. (Nothing wrong with that ! ………. Just an observation)
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Conclusions
• Even though we are in a recession it is evident from CSO return figures that wedding numbers have not fallen. The only answer I can conclude is that the Number of wedding photographers have increased dramatically over the past 5 or so years. The digital camera and its relative ease of use, its seemingly instant appearance on the back screen has put photography within the realms of most users. Even though looking at the image on the screen after its taken is no guarantee that the image exists on the memory card and the simple fact that extracting the memory card from the camera without care can short contacts and erase data does not seem to put the user off. Of course the card can corrupt the data anyway al on its own.
• Weddings are the most difficult work a photographer can do and it causes the most tension and stress and ultimately can, and probably will, damage your health. Yet it is the one field of photography that seems to attract most would be photographers. It is also the field of photography that commands the most dissatisfaction and the most customer complaints and professional indemnity insurance claims.
• Right now there is a price war between entry level photographers and the established ones. Photographers with high overheads, tax and VAT compliance, modern up-to-date equipment, full and proper insurance, rent or mortgage on premises, etc, can not compete with the home operators. The reality is that the prices of 4 years ago are no longer available. Wages have fallen across the economy, unemployment is high and salaries have been cut. For the first time ever, government and civil service salaries are being cut. Banks are in financial difficulties and lending is almost non existent. The flow of money and liquid capital has slowed to a trickle. People who have money have stopped spending. It’s not just an Irish problem but most of Europe and the western world are in this together. The world is re-aligning its monetary systems and the costs of goods, services and labour are also being re-aligned downwards. Our price structures as photographers must also follow the trend and it seems that this is happening and will continue to happen whither we as individuals wish to participate or not. The saying that “half a loaf is better than no bread” comes to mind. To put it another way ……… after an illness, if you need a transfusion of four pints of blood to keep you alive but only three are available. Will you (a) refuse the three just because you can not get the fourth one and you will not settle for less than you feel you should get or (b) will you take the three and hope you can survive? It’s a question we all need to reflect on. The same question applies to any business in today’s economy.
• Overheads and serviceable debt, or particularly the lack thereof, will be the strength that will help keep us afloat or sink us in these uncertain times.
• Here are some important factors that are important if one is to survive;
1 Look at new ways of generating income and stop the flow of money going out. Look for new off-shoots where new business can be generated. You may need to come up with an entirely new product or product range. Think outside the box ! ………….. brainstorm and list new ideas. Mull them over and refine the ideas. See if an idea will spark off another chain of ideas. Where would Wilkinson be today if they continued to make swords !
2 Pool resources and amalgamate where possible. Share machinery, studio facilities, office facilities, staff (if possible), deplete stocks, particularly older stock that may be in danger of being obsolete. Operate the JIT (just in time) principle and do not let stock build up. It is only causing money to be tied up and is deteriorating and becoming obsolete on your shelf instead of the shelves of the manufacturer or distributor. Our type of stock, eg. Albums, papers, inks, frames, mouldings, mount board, adhesives, tapes, etc need to be stored in a dry, heated environment and heat costs money !
3 Cut outgoings to the minimum and get rid of debt. Look at all your bills and save where possible. Do you need the services you are paying for such as high internet payments, big mobile phone bills, even the landline!, Sky television services, especially sports and movies. Magazine subscriptions, club, association, Gym and leisure club memberships, newspaper advertising, Golden Pages, web site expenses and listings, membership of a professional body, etc. Do you need the credit card terminal that now has a minimum service charge every month of approx €30.00 since January 2013. There are now some new options like SumUp that will supply a free terminal and just a percentage transaction charge if a card transaction occurs. If it’s expense you can do without or you are not gaining at least the value of your membership or fees by being there then it’s money wasted and should be better spent elsewhere, Look at your loan repayments and see if you really need them. Can you sell something or some unnecessary asset where you can offset the proceeds against your borrowings. Pay off credit card debt and destroy all cards except one and make a genuine effort to better control its use. We are in an age where one has to think “if I really don’t need it then I should liquidate it”. There is no guarantee that things will get any better in time for you to enjoy the proceeds and enjoy life. If you wish to enjoy life, then do it now ………. there is no tomorrow, only a dream of what we would like tomorrow to be but life has a nasty way of turning dreams upside down when you least expect it. Look at your pension contributions. There is so much uncertainty out there that it may be a good time to put further contributions on hold. The new rich in this current climate in Ireland are those who own the bare essentials and owe nothing or have no repayments to make monthly. We will envy them in time to come ….. they are the new rich of Ireland.
4 Sell off unused equipment or old equipment (Use Ebay). It is much better having €50 in your hand than a piece of equipment that is just getting older and taking up space. Remember that machines and equipment lying about will also soak up much needed heat in winter and raise your heating and energy bills. Scrapping items that you can’t sell, particularly metal objects, is a must. Metal soaks up heat.
5 Renting premises and leasing can be enormous overheads. Are you renting a premises in an area where rents traditionally are high but it gives the “right image” ? Would a smaller premises do ? Can you work from home ? Most photographers and particularly our counterparts in the UK have abandoned the high street in an effort to survive. If your name is established, is it really necessary to have elaborate premises? Sometimes this can have a negative effect in the sense that some customers see the showroom as a sign of wealth at their expense and in Ireland we like to keep people at a “level”. Its an “Irish thing” that we do not like to see people achieve and rise above the average ………. We do all we can to pull them down but if they are down and out we will fund raise and do all we can to pull them up to “normal” ……… whatever we perceive that to be !
6 Employees are one of our greatest cost overheads. There are wages, PRSI, employee insurance, employers liability, holiday and bank holiday pay, maternity leave, extra heating bills, gratuities, sick pay, work conditions, health and safety, etc to be financed. Do we need the employees we have ? Are we holding on to excess labour costs because we feel we must ……… letting the heart rule the head ?
7 Generate a set of new markets and product sets if possible. The world is continuously changing and evolving and never stands still ……. never has and never will. Since the stone age, through the Iron Age and through the Industrial Revolution life and life’s needs changed and evolved. Technology dictates many of the changes and in the case of photography the digital camera took photography to the masses and gave a first time camera handler the means to produce acceptable images and photographs. This is something we can not change and we must learn to live with the fall out. The majority of customers never demanded award winning photographs but always wanted acceptable images at a fair price.
8 Look at new directions and try to identify niches in the community where you do business. This could even mean getting out of photography and using your time and energy on something that is more profitable and worthwhile. For some of us it may mean getting a job in another industry altogether. A associate of mine has 3 other business units running hand in hand in. One is fire equipment sales and service, one is a pair of mobile telephone shops and the third is a unit that does home health care products. He tells me that at different times of the year they all have their quiet times in trading but overall they average a good year.
9 Supplement your income from photography with extra sales such as photography related stuff like digital consumer products, memory cards, memory sticks, printing paper, ink cartridges, digital frames, etc. Offer extra services such as image recovery, image storage on CD & DVD. If you can’t do it yourself then a colleague may be able to do it and split profits. Offer restoration work on old prints, etc. Do a cheap line of frames. Offer reprints from customer’s cameras and cards.
10 Offer something that is not available to the “uncle Tom’s” or the quick buck operators. We all probably have studios which were expensive to equip, need a level of knowledge to operate lighting, etc. This is an area we can capitalise in. I have found that since the recession hit in 2009, studio sittings have increased. In 2012 it was my main form of income and this is continuing into 2013.
11 The sharing group also has a certain potential.
• Lets look at the figures in a different way; Lets assume that the average photographer needs a profit of say €50,000 per year from wedding photography and lets assume that 50 weddings per year was the average per photographer up to recent years. That equates to €1000 profit per wedding.
Not Bad ! In the current economy and it seems in the future a photographer still needs €50,000 per year from weddings but has to make it on less weddings. So looking at the new average above it looks like this;50 Weddings €50,000 €1,000 per wedding
25 Weddings €50,000 €2,000 per wedding
20 Weddings €50,000 €2,500 per wedding
15 Weddings €50,000 €3,330 per wedding
10 Weddings €50,000 €5,000 per weddingLooking at it from a business point of view or a manufacturing facility. Unless the market needs larger quantities of product to be produced, (in our case Weddings), then the number of employees in the company (Photographers) can not be sustained.
eg. In the year 2000 we had about 500 employees (photographers in Ireland) producing 19,168 units (Weddings in Ireland) and in the year 2011 we have about 1600 employees producing 19,879 units.
Year 2000 500 producing 19,168 units
Year 2011 1600 producing 19,879 units.The production rate is not increasing to sustain the number of employees so like any good, surviving industry we have to shed employees
If we were in a controlled environment such as a factory or production unit the answers would be simple:
(A) Shed employees through redundancy
(B) Shed employees through natural wastage
(C) Close operations and cease trading
(D) Find and introduce new products
(E) Cultivate new markets and marketplaces
(F) A combination of A, B, D, and EFantastic insight Gerry…thank you very much for all the time and effort you have put into this project.
Noel Browne.
Gerry,
This is very good indeed. Very comprehensive analysis.
Thanks for sharing here on PI, it’ll be appreciated by many here !.Mark
Thank you Gerry for that insight and for all the work that went into coalating it
I’m looking at starting a photography business, but was working on a business model that did not include weddings or they would certainly only be a small part of the model.Those figures should scare the pants off anybody in or looking to get into the weddings business, Well done Gerry for putting it all together
Gerry, you are to be congratulated on putting such a fine analysis together and for sharing it too.
There is no doubt but that it is extremely difficult for most Wedding Photographers to make any kind of living from weddings alone. The need to be versatile in what one can shoot and in what one can provide is crucial if one is to be able to stay in business.
Well done,
George.Nice work Gerry. Some analysis on the budget and expectations of brides would have been good though. After all, it’s the bride that sets the price on what photographers can earn from wedding photography. Personally I only see a return of a growing economy to relieve pressure on professional photography. ie more jobs available to the the part time photographers so they move on to more stable income and brides have more disposable income to spend on photography. Personally the only people I see getting married are in the public service. If the govt. cuts their wages God help us.
Good luck, take care,
Al Morrisalmorris wrote:
Nice work Gerry. Some analysis on the budget and expectations of brides would have been good though. After all, it’s the bride that sets the price on what photographers can earn from wedding photography. Personally I only see a return of a growing economy to relieve pressure on professional photography. ie more jobs available to the the part time photographers so they move on to more stable income and brides have more disposable income to spend on photography. Personally the only people I see getting married are in the public service. If the govt. cuts their wages God help us.
Good luck, take care,
Al MorrisAl, many thanks for that. I’m not sure how to approach research from the brides point of view as I feel that she really does not know what she wants but it is all based on how cheap she can get it for. One thing for sure is that the modern average bride does not hold wedding photography in the same high esteem as the older generations did. I pick up the phone nowadays and the conversation goes “How much are you for a wedding?”. My reply is “It really depends on what you want on the day and how you want the final presentation to be”. My next question is “Can you give me an idea of what you are looking for in the line of how much coverage you need and the type of album you may like?”. The usual reply is “I don’t know as I’m just pricing around at the minute”. I then invite her to the studio to view what is on offer and also refer her to my websites to also get a look at what I do. Usual reply “I’ll think about it” or “I’ll call in next week” or “I’ll have to ask himself”.
Can you imagine calling up the local garages and your first question is “HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR A CAR ?”. This really shows how educated the public are when it comes to professional photography and probably myself and my colleagues are to blame for this lack of education.
I feel that wedding photography has moved way down the scale when it comes to the prestige and respect it used to have within the industry. It is now almost “bottom of the barrel” photography. I had a priest mention to me recently that he has noticed that wedding photographers now “hunt in pairs” and thinks that it is because one has not the confidence to cover the event on their own. He also said he is now seeing photographers dressed like builders labourers hanging from all manner of places in the church trying to get “that shot” …….. even one brought the scaffolding in with him. I’m not sure what he meant by that really.
Right now I’m trying to “re-invent” myself and move away from the wedding market as I feel it has a very limited life span left. The research above is just a very small portion of what I did and I just feel, and my research tells me, that the wedding photographer will “plough a lonely furrow” over the next five years. Prices have dropped to a stupid level and wedding photography plus the wedding band and disco scene is now recognised as a major “black economy” by Revenue and Social Welfare. My Cousin tells me that they have an amalgamated plan ready to activate as social welfare abuse is rampant and any savings his department can make and any extra revenue income that can be collected is what is vital to sustain the country right now. Just a look at a hotel diary will reveal who is doing what at any given wedding together with their contact details in case the hotel needs to speak to them ahead of the event so it will not be rocket science put their plan in place when the time comes. They are also going to go the distance with offenders just to set judicial precedence.
Thankfully my work in the studio has increased and my marketing consultancy side is doing fine also. I am trying to move towards web based photography requirements as there is some growth there. Investment is high but that also means that the modern wedding photographer who finds that many of the guests are carrying a kit far superior to his will not have the capital to invest in this type of photography.
Gerry, I think it is your personal resarch and it is not matching current market. It is amazing what you did writing it but i think it is not up to date.
Get out from bottom of barrel:) leave them there. I know it is hard, as lots of photographers have own style and thing they are good, but they are just …same as they are 10 years ago, and they think they are happy what they did that couple years ago…it is best way to drown!
If you are photographer matching current market in wedding industry you can earn good money. So i wont turn out from it it is getting better and better for me every year… Even it is to busy, and i’m not on bottom on barrel:):)well i’m not on top either but who is:)?
bePhotoSligo wrote:
Gerry, I think it is your personal resarch and it is not matching current market. It is amazing what you did writing it but i think it is not up to date.
Get out from bottom of barrel:) leave them there. I know it is hard, as lots of photographers have own style and thing they are good, but they are just …same as they are 10 years ago, and they think they are happy what they did that couple years ago…it is best way to drown!
If you are photographer matching current market in wedding industry you can earn good money. So i wont turn out from it it is getting better and better for me every year… Even it is to busy, and i’m not on bottom on barrel:):)well i’m not on top either but who is:)?
beWhen I did my first research on this it was in 2009 and I updated it in January of 2013 so it’s as up to date as it can be. I also did this from the prospective of a professional photographer working on a full time basis in the photography business as a wedding photographer. It was done for the benefit of my own colleagues who work as full-time professional photographers with the associated costs outlined below. In this context the photographer must make a living from the business, take the associated risks, do the whole unsocial hours part, etc.
In the 80′, the 90’s and even up to 2007 the wedding photographer was doing 60 weddings per year ………… and needed to be to make it pay!
Lets look at the figures;60 weddings €1800.00 —- €108,000.00
less VAT 13.5% €12,845.00 —- € 95,145.00
less material costs 400 each €24,000.00 —- € 71.145.00We then have normal running costs;
Insurance €2600.00
Motor Tax € 330.00
Motor Insurance € 600.00
Motor Running €3000.00
General Depreciation €2000.00
Capital replacement & Repairs fund €3000.00
Clothing and footwear costs €1000.00
Professional fees €1200.00
Heat & Light €2500.00
Telephone & Internet €1200.00
Web, Optimisation & Advertising €1200.00
Rates € 800.00
PRSI € 500.00TOTAL €19,930.00
We now subtract €19,930 from €71,145.00 and we are left with €51,215.00. After tax this will leave about €34,200.00
or €656.00 per week. Considering he has invested at a minimum €25,000.00 on equipment and is carrying probably another
€7,000.00 in stock, taking the associated risks involved he is generally doing ok.TODAY he is doing about 25 to 30 weddings as follows;
30 weddings €1600.00 —- € 48,000.00
less VAT 13.5% €5,709.00 —- € 42,291.00
less material costs 400 each €12,000.00 —- € 30,291.00We then have normal running costs;
Insurance €2000.00
Motor Tax € 330.00
Motor Insurance € 600.00
Motor Running €2000.00
General Depreciation €2000.00
Capital replacement & Repairs fund €2000.00
Clothing and footwear costs € 500.00
Professional fees €1000.00
Heat & Light €2500.00
Telephone & Internet €1200.00
Web, Optimisation & Advertising €1200.00
Rates € 800.00
PRSI € 500.00TOTAL €16,630.00
We now subtract €16,630 from €30,291.00 and we are left with €13.661.00. Forget the tax as this will leave about €13,661
or €262.00 per week. His investment is the same. His exposure to risk is the same. If he packed it up and If he has a spouse the dole will give him about €312.80 per week.Professional wedding photography is about making a decent living from wedding photography. Style, artistic bent, love of photography does not put food on the table or raise a family.
When the dole pays better than the profession you are in ………. then it’s bottom of the barrel. No point in fooling oneself. We may try to put on a brave face and, for sure, there are people worse off but lets not bury our heads in the sand here. The novelty wears thin when one is scraping a living and one remembers how it used to be. It is my opinion for what it’s worth that one must be doing a minimum of 50 weddings per year to make it worth the effort, the time involved and the business risk if one is a professional wedding photographer who is registered, insured, qualified and operating as a legitimate business ….. otherwise one is not at the races.
Do you know personaly any wedding photographer doing €108.000 a year now?
I just know if you are good in wedding photography bussines you can live from it, if not good, you can not (do not take it personally, as i do not know your photography profile)
and there are still people who are living from it- simple as this.
For me professional wedding photography is about business and creativity not art,passion,love> You can have passion, love and even art but if you can not sell it you have no money… and you have to “frying fish and chips” (this is what i have been doing when i come to Ireland: and i love it …. for while:)):))
Please note i’m talking not about photography general, it is about wedding photography.
Ps Gerry:
If i have a chance and you will have a time i really like to call in to your studio for coffee/pint to have a chat about photography:)
hope i will have another wedding near Galway:)
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