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Have you ever wondered why professional photographers charge so much?  You might be surprised to learn that there’s so much more than just snapping a picture.

Equipment

DSLR and accessories are very expensive to purchase and maintain.  Different lenses have different purposes, so just having one won’t cut it.  Memory cards, flashes, accessories for the flash, even the bag to hold it all.  Don’t forget the computer and editing software!  Packaging, shipping costs, gas, child care costs.  The expenses really add up.

Time

This one is a little more subtle, but it really takes it’s toll.  Did you know that we spend hours just scouting for locations?  We want each client to have a unique experience and product, which means we rarely reuse locations.

The session time is obvious.  We can spend hours getting the shots we want.  I know I will travel to a session up to an hour, so driving time adds up as well.

When I go to work on an album, first thing I do is cull the photos down to a manageable number.  Depending on the session my client buys, this can be as much as 25 photos.  Each photo takes between 10-60 minutes to edit.  On average, I’d say 20 minutes per photo.

You might not think it, but packaging takes up time, as well.  I want my clients to have something special, and so I take time customizing their CDs and print boxes.

Taxes

Yep, we’re in business, so we have to pay taxes.

Summary

When you add all this up, even charging what we do, most of us have to work full time jobs, and have our photography business on the side.  If you think about it, we are providing a quality, meaningful product that you can treasure for the rest of your life.

Yes, there are some photographers out there that are only interested in making money, and will churn out unedited, crummy photos.  But most of us have a passion for what we do, and take time and effort to give you something special.