Why do professional photographers charge what they do?
It’s a question that I’d venture to guess all clients ask themselves when searching for the right photographer for their family’s needs. There are so many facets that make up a photographer’s business, most of which likely go unnoticed by the client because they are things that aren’t as tangible as their photographs. But these facets are all important and contribute to your photographer being able to provide the service and art that captures those beautiful, priceless photographs of your loved ones.
Starting with the basics… what goes into creating the final product?
For a one hour Family Photo Session with Melissa Hayes Photography, this can include:
– pre-session emails, scheduling, drawing up contract (1 hour)
– travel to and from the session (approx 1 hour)
– session time (1 hour)
– loading images onto computer and culling to select the best images to edit (1 hour)
– editing images in Lightroom and Photoshop, which includes cropping, adjusting exposure, color correction, sharpening, small corrections to skin for acne/red marks/slobber and clothing for spots, etc. (3-4 hours)
– setting up client’s online viewing gallery and loading final images in both print resolution and web resolution (1 hour)
– post-session follow-ups (30 minutes)
– backing up files to multiple external drives (client files are saved for one year) (30 minutes)
– blogging client’s session, creating social media sneak peek posts, etc. (1 hour)
– *sending print orders to the lab, designing and ordering heirloom albums, packaging and mailing or delivering albums to clients (these are an additional charge and are not included in the total hours listed below)
So what seems like one hour’s worth of work is easily more like 10-12 hours for that session. For newborn sessions, several hours can be added to that total for longer shooting and editing time. In addition, the photographer needs to account for taxes and a boatload of expenses that come along with running a photography business.
What kind of expenses?
– Camera equipment | Full frame cameras cost thousands of dollars, as can lenses. In addition to that, there are SD cards, lens filters, camera bags, tripods, lighting gear, off-camera flash, backdrops… the list goes on. These are some of the most fun things for a photographer to invest in, but they also come with a hefty price tag.
– Computer with a large hard drive and fast processor
– Multiple external hard drives to back up your priceless images
– Website
– Editing software
– File sharing software and online viewing gallery subscription
– Business insurance
– LLC licensing fees
– Education | Professional association memberships, training, workshops, conferences, etc.
– Mileage to and from sessions; gas; parking fees
– Props (especially for newborn photographers)
– Marketing and promotions
– Client gifts
– Lab printing costs (prints, albums, and canvases for samples and client orders)
– Shipping/postage for client orders and gifts
– Taxes (25-30% for MHP)
– Accountant
Ok… but dollars and cents aside, what do you get out of it?
This is by far the most important factor. With a professional photographer, you’re getting experience and an artistic vision that will hopefully capture your family as you want to remember them at that time, whether it’s a newborn baby, toddler squishiness, or your quickly growing teenagers. I can’t speak for every photographer out there, but my hope is that my clients will walk away from their experience with me feeling thrilled with what I have given them. My goal is to capture the love and laughter and personalities that make up each one of my client families. When clients tell me that they had tears in their eyes viewing their images, that they can’t bare to choose just a handful of favorites, that they can’t wait to share them with family and friends… those are the things that make my photographer heart sing and know that what I’m doing is important. Being a parent myself, I now truly understand the saying that the days are long, but the years are all too short. Time passes too quickly when you’re watching your children grow, and I am honored to have the opportunity to capture those precious faces and memories for my clients.
I hope this gives some insight to clients, whether they are researching photographers for their first-ever professional portrait session or are just curious as to why photographers charge what they do for their work. Portrait photography is more than just pictures… in my opinion, it’s the most personal of art forms. It has the ability to preserve a moment in time that will never happen exactly that way again. It serves as a historian for families, communities, and cultures. It can stir up emotions of all kinds and is quite literally worth a thousand words.
