Hi All,
It's been a CRAZY last 2 weeks and I've not had much time to focus on the blog, but I'm back now and ready to steam forward consistently again. In the last 2 weeks most of my focus has been on a graduation party here at the house, realty photography, wedding photography, commercial photography for a few local small businesses, and also a few Westinghouse jobs so that has occupied quite a bit of time, but I'll continue with the theme from a few weeks ago...Frequently Asked Questions.
One of the main concerns potential clients have is, with good reason, cost. Hiring a professional photographer for your business, family or corporate event, or wedding (just to name a few) doesn't have to break the bank, but there are numerous costs involved for professional photographers as well. These costs do factor into the pricing structures. Personally, I have factored in what I'd need to make to operate a profitable business, pay my bills, and live a somewhat normal life based on the time I have invested into a job. I do my best to keep these prices average and competitive, yet still affordable. Admittedly, I have very little overhead so I can pass this onto my clients.
Let's get into some of the things that we, as professional photographers, have to pay for when we quote you a price.
Education. Anyone can take a photograph, its knowing what to do in certain lighting situations with white balance, where to put your focus points, understanding exposure, shutter speeds, composition, ISO, focal lengths, and how to tell a story with each powerful image...plus many more aspects. All of this comes with experience (sometimes years) and education. An example of this educational cost is the $60,000+ I paid for my BFA to get a great art and photographic education and to learn as much as I could about my profession and passion.
Next we have equipment costs. In my camera bag right now I have around $10,000 worth of equipment and that is actually pretty low compared to other professional photographers. I do NOT put an emphasis on having the best of the best, top of the line equipment, because I believe creativity comes from within. The most expensive camera isn't necessarily going to make me the best photographer. However, you do need to have equipment that is sufficient for all of the types of jobs you accept. This includes lenses, batteries, camera bodies, SD or CF cards, filters, cleaners, tripods, bags, chargers, and so many more items. Also, every one of these items listed you'd need to have backups of (usually AT LEAST 3 of each.)
Business costs. Businesses cannot operate if they cannot make money, and it takes money to make money in some instances. Creating a legal business entity, networking, insurance, meetings with clients, business group memberships, business cards, website work and hosting all cost a professional photographer, and all of these are also factored into the overall costs.
Finally, I'll leave you with a few other contributing costs to photographers that maybe people don't know about. Printing, CD or DVD costs, gas, wear and tear on a vehicle, additional lighting, stands, backdrops, flash units, external hard drives, computers, editing software, phones, film, legal advice, contracts, electricity, rent (if you own a studio) and way too many other items to list.
These are the reasons why it is not just "taking a few pictures" and often to receive high quality work it costs a little more.
Some advise for my readers: 1. Be very wary of low priced photography. Often these are new photographers/students with no idea of the costs of business, or the quality that a client expects, or worse yet a photographer that doesn't appreciate the value of their own work. 2. Shop around. I always tell potential clients to look around and see the price differences and also which style of work best fits their purchase and likes. From my perspective, it also feels much more fulfilling knowing a client did their homework and still chose me. 3. Don't expect great creative work for cheap, or worse yet, free.
That is all for this week. Thanks for reading and as always questions, comments, and critiques are always encouraged!
