Named source, publication year, sample basis. Where no survey covers your market, we say so instead of guessing.
What two national sources publish for a photographer
The Knot
$1,500– to $4,700
Quartile band, median $2,800
Collected 2025 · published 2026 · n=10,474
Zola
$3,500– to $5,300
Typical range
Collection year not disclosed · published 2026 · sample size not disclosed
The Knot’s median of $2,800 sits below the $3,500 floor of Zola’s typical range. Both records, with their sources
Pick a vendor type and a market. Where a published source covers it, you get the spread with the source named, the year it was published, and how it was gathered, and your quote placed inside it. Where none does, you are told so plainly. No verdict, no scolding, just the position.