Right now we live in Corpus Christi, Tx. Business here is just okay. We do a little less than half of our business out of state. We shoot a lot in Chicago, and we were thinking of moving there.
Until now, we were almost sure about Chicago, but the idea of Portland came up the other day and I like the idea. We plan on moving during the summer some time.
So, is there anyone here from Portland, and if so, what's business like for the mid-high to high-end wedding photography? I'm not so much worried about competition, I just really want to know if it's a good market. I understand the people are great, and I hope business is too!
Hi,
I Iive about 50 miles south of portland. I cant say a ton about the portland market but it seems very saturated. Two nights ago I went to Ed Pierce's seminar in portland and over 350 photog's showed up. Average wedding prices in our area seem between $1000 and $1500. And yes, people are selling $3000 plus weddings but it doesn't seem to be the norm. Hope this helps a little.
I would agree with above, market does seem very saturated with newcomers all the time...but some of the high end studios still seem to do well with their average about $4k
Keep in mind that Gortex is part of the normal dress attire for 9 months of the year. It rains all the time, and when it's not raining the cloud cover is still present which makes for some dark days. IMHO the market here starts around March and ends in October. Weddings still occur during the off minths but seem to be on the very small side for budgets.
We are actually thinking of leaving after 14 years because of the weather and would prefer a more seasonal area like TN or NC?
If you want any more insight feel free to call or PM me. PDX can be a fun place, you just have to get used to Gortex! Good Luck
