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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.
Luisa said:
Thanks for sharing. It’s about time someone did.
carahnewmanphotography said:
LOL, I meant to edit it a bit more so it came off as a little less…preachy, but it published anyways. Oh well!
benpriestphotography said:
good post, I agree, but just because photos aren’t edited don’t make them crummy 😛
carahnewmanphotography said:
I agree, but editing can really enhance and perfect. I have plenty of photos that I haven’t edited, especially my macros, but I find with my portraits, when edited it gives them something really special.
benpriestphotography said:
yes…I tend to just edit the brightness and contrast of a photo, if needed. Wedding photography etc. needs editing as that is what you’re being paid for! 🙂
carahnewmanphotography said:
The irony of that is long before I got into photograhy when I got married, we paid an arm and a leg for our photographer. Got the photos back and they sucked! Not edited all. Didn’t fix crooked pictues, didn’t fix white balance, nothing! Even as a layman I knew they were bad. As a photographer, I’m half tempted to find her and make her fix them now! Ooops, rant over.
benpriestphotography said:
Aaaw man…that sounds awful…at the moment I’m tryong to do a bit (of wedding photography), shadowing friends 🙂
carahnewmanphotography said:
Hah, that’s funny. In a couple of weeks I’ll be doing the same thing to see if it’s something I might want to get into. How are you liking it so far?
benpriestphotography said:
I’m starting in September, going on hols and taking lots of pics for the moment 🙂
carahnewmanphotography said:
Awesome! Can’t wait to see them. 🙂
chiaroscurophotoblog said:
Tru dat on this post. Very nice work, btw!
carahnewmanphotography said:
Thanks! 🙂
benpriestphotography said:
ditto! 🙂
Gunta said:
Just be glad you’re in the digital age…. I can remember back when you’d add the cost of film and developing (whether do-it-yourself or having someone else do it!) Now that was pricey! 😉
carahnewmanphotography said:
I’m grateful every time I do a session with little ones! They are so fast, many of them end up being…not good. LOL