There is no going rate we could honestly quote you. Every photographer on Lens & Vows sets their own price, and the same photographer may charge differently for a short elopement on a weekday in February and a full Saturday in June. What you can do is understand what the price is made of — and then two quotes that look very different often turn out to describe very different days.
In short, the price follows time (hours on the day and hours at the desk afterwards), people (one photographer or two), travel, when you marry, who you want and what you take home. On our site you see each photographer’s own price, in the currency you choose, and that is the price you pay — the only possible extra is the optional payment protection on the balance, explained below.
What the price is made of
Hours of coverage
The most visible part. A short booking covers a ceremony and portraits; a full day runs from getting ready to the first hours of the party. Ask where the hours start and stop — at your door, or when the photographer leaves home — and what happens if the party runs late.
The hours you don’t see
Every hour of shooting is followed by work at the desk: backing up, choosing the best frames from a great many, editing colour and light, building the gallery. More coverage means more photos to go through, so the editing grows with the day. It is a large part of what you pay for, and the part couples most often underestimate.
One photographer or two
A second photographer can be with each of you while you get ready, cover the ceremony from two sides at once and catch guests while the first works on portraits. It adds another person’s day, travel and share of the editing. A small wedding rarely needs one; a big guest list with two separate getting-ready places often does.
Travel and overnight stays
Portugal is small, but a photographer based in Lisbon still faces a long drive to the Douro, and a flight to Madeira or the Azores. A distant wedding can mean a travel day, a night or two in a hotel and meals. Some photographers include travel within their own region; others add it separately. Check which, and whether flights and rooms are booked by them or by you.
Season, day of the week and demand
Saturdays in June and September are the most asked-for dates of the year, and a photographer can only be at one wedding a day. Some price weekdays, winter or short notice differently; others keep one price all year. Demand for one particular person counts too: someone with a full calendar and a style you can’t find elsewhere charges for it — fairly.
What you take home
- An online gallery of edited photos is the usual deliverable. Ask roughly how many photos to expect and how long the gallery stays online.
- A printed album adds design and printing; ask about size, pages, who chooses the photos and how many rounds of changes are included.
- [Film photography](/styles/film) costs more per frame — rolls, developing, scanning. Some photographers mix digital and film.
- Drone photos need the right equipment and the local flying rules respected; they are not allowed everywhere.
- An [engagement session](/weddings/engagement) — a separate shoot before the wedding, often the easiest way to get used to the camera and the person behind it.
- Delivery time. A faster turnaround, or a few photos the next day, sometimes costs extra.
The package types on Lens & Vows
Photographers here describe what they offer in a few shared shapes, so you can compare like with like. Within each, prices vary from photographer to photographer for all the reasons above.
| Package | Coverage | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Elopement | Two to four hours | Just the two of you, or a handful of people; a ceremony and portraits in one or two places |
| Intimate wedding | Set by each photographer for a smaller day | A small guest list: ceremony, portraits, a long lunch or dinner |
| Full day | Eight to twelve hours | From getting ready to the first dances, with the whole day in between |
| Destination | Several days | Guests travelling from abroad: a welcome evening, the wedding, a day-after shoot |
How to compare quotes fairly
Put quotes side by side only once they describe the same day. Check:
- The same hours, from the same start to the same finish.
- The same deliverables: gallery, album, film, drone, engagement session — included or extra.
- How many photos, roughly, and whether all of them are edited.
- Delivery time for the full gallery.
- Travel: included or added later, and who books flights and rooms.
- A second photographer, if one quote has one and the other doesn’t.
- Overtime: the price of an extra hour if the party runs late.
Then look at whole weddings, not just a portfolio of best shots. A highlight reel shows what someone can do on a good day; a complete gallery shows what they deliver every time.
Questions worth asking
- Can we see two or three complete galleries from weddings like ours?
- Who will actually photograph our day — you, or someone else?
- What happens if you are ill on the day?
- Do you direct us, or stay in the background? (If you want the second, look at documentary photographers.)
- How do you handle hard midday light — and rain?
- When do we get the full gallery, and in what form?
- What does the contract say about cancelling, changing the date and using our photos?
Red flags
- No written contract, or one that leaves out the date, hours, deliverables or delivery time.
- Only highlights. If a photographer can’t show you a single whole wedding, ask why.
- Pressure to pay everything up front, off the platform. On Lens & Vows the deposit is always paid by card through us, and contact details are shared once it is paid. If someone asks you to pay it another way, tell us.
- A price that moves after you have agreed it, with nothing about the day having changed.
- Vague answers about delivery, editing or what happens if something goes wrong.
How paying works on Lens & Vows
You pay the photographer’s own price. When they accept your request, you pay a 30% deposit by card through us, which holds the date; our commission comes out of that deposit, never on top. The balance is your choice: straight to the photographer — bank transfer, cash, their usual terms — with no fee from us; or by card through us, in up to three instalments, plus a 5% payment-protection fee shown up front. Paid through us, the balance reaches the photographer only after you accept your gallery. The details, including what happens if either side cancels, are on payment protection.
Ready to look? Browse the photographers, compare full-day and elopement packages, or tell us about your day and see who is free. For the money side in detail, read how deposits and payment protection work.
