Photography pricing jitters
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I've been debating about mentioning this, but after some thought, I figured that I wanted to and is something that people need to know about photography.
Last week, a woman asked me to photograph her 3 children for fall. I told her of course! I would love to, but please be aware I am charging $50 for the 1-2 hour session which does not include any prints, rather a disc with about 5 photos on there. She replied by telling me never mind because I was too expensive for her and her husband. This was very discouraging, considering the same day, I decided that I was worth more than charging people $35 for a session. Not to mention, I was giving her my rights to 5 photos on a disc.
I am not writing this post because I want to bash the woman, but instead, I want people to see the amount of hard work that goes into a photo shoot. For starters, I will almost always shoot for 2 hours (or a little more if I can). I am not using the most expensive equipment on the market, but it did cost me a pretty penny and I am always investing. Second, after the shoot, I am spending time choosing the best of the best of the photos that I shot . . . then processing them, which takes about 3-4 hours. So, at the end of the day (or week!), I am spending nearly 6 hours on a client that is only paying me $50. Sure, if (and only if!) the client orders prints, I will be making profit through that, but depending on how much they order, I could be making very little. Now, aside from me making very little to nothing, I am also reducing my creativity and uniqueness to something that is not even worth $9/hour and that can easily be replaced by individuals standing behind a tripod at Sears with no passion for what they're doing (needless to say, the lack of personal touch).
People can easily get all hyped on spending "a lot" of money on photos, but are easily willing to pay $70 for a pair of jeans that aren't going to last nearly as long. I know that if someone really wants something, they are going to find a way to pay for it . . . including photographs. I want to be something that is valued; I do not want to reduce my prices because someone says that I'm too expensive . . . one other individual has already told me that (when I was only charging $35) and I have an upcoming session with them. :) My point is that people will pay for something they value. The more they pay, the more they will value that "thing." The less they pay, the less they will value your images or your talent. I am not promising that my prices will stay at $50/session, in fact, I promise they will not. The more experience I gain and the more in-demand I am, my prices will also increase . . . in other words, my value will also be increasing. Oh, and please know that studio photography and lifestyle photography are two totally different things; it's like comparing the colors black and white. So, please don't turn me down and head to Sears for a price list . . . that's an insult to me! ;) At least let me refer you to another lifestyle photog. :)
Posted byAshley C. at 10:16 AM
Labels: photography, struggles
