From a fellow photographer Melissa Knowles
(Pieces of this information was taken from an article published in the December 2009 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine).
In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.The average one-hour portrait session:First, let's look at the actual work involved:- Travel to the session- Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.- Shoot the photos- Travel from the session- Load images onto a computer- Back up the files on an external drive- 1 - 43 hours of Photoshop time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs.- 1 -2 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship. You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $150.00 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $150.00 per hour.
(Pieces of this information was taken from an article published in the December 2009 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine).
In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.The average one-hour portrait session:First, let's look at the actual work involved:- Travel to the session- Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.- Shoot the photos- Travel from the session- Load images onto a computer- Back up the files on an external drive- 1 - 43 hours of Photoshop time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs.- 1 -2 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship. You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $150.00 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $150.00 per hour.
The expertise and cost of doing business:Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera. And most photographers spend upwards of thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, licensing fees and insurance, etc!In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.
The chain store photo studio:Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The real deal:Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Hopefully potential clients understand why I, and most other photographers charge more than Walmart or Sears does. We truly want this to be the best experience you've had getting portraits taken, and we will ensure we spend extra time with you, and give you extra attention to make sure that happens.
And to end, a little cutie patootie Miss K. with my new prop!
