Why do photographers cost so much?
Put your hand in the bucket if you’ve ever wondered why photographers are so expensive.. Come on, I know you all have! I know I used to before I created Inspired By Joseph photography.
But let me give you some home truths. In reality, photographers aren’t expensive. And like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Let me show you
I want to illustrate with a blow by blow account of paying for a session with Inspired By Joseph photography. And I stress this is absolute minimum from me, you can ask my previous clients if you don’t believe me! So this is what a typical job, say a family session, looks like.
- Emailing back and forth with my client, arranging and organising the session and sharing ideas (1.5 hours +)
- Preparing my equipment and sourcing/travelling for items or props I may need for the session, travelling to the session plus parking fees if applicable (2.5 hours +)
- Photo session which includes reassuring my often nervous clients, comfort breaks for children, the actual shooting then return home (3 hours +)
- Two stages of editing. Culling through hundreds of photos to pick the very best ones plus editing such as colour correction and slight retouching. I don’t do removing wrinkles, birth marks etc! Clients won’t see the extent of editing that I will go to. Moreover, take a look below at the many items I have removed from the first image to make it cleaner, focusing the eye on the right things, unlike the second image! (4 hours+)
- Uploading photos to my secure, password protected website and creating any further elements of the package such as frames, photo books etc (2 hours +)
So that’s an absolute minimum of 13 hours. Really it is an absolute minimum, I’m definitely not doing myself justice here I know. As our American friends would say, you do the math…
And there’s more!
Oh, and there’s loads of costs to think about too! Just absolute top line excluding photography equipment, training and client goods (frames, photo books etc) such as:
- Insurance costs
- Web hosting and service
- Online gallery costs
Plus, I always make a donation to a charity too, 52 Lives. It fits with my belief that people are good and if we work together we can change lives for the better.
Some photographers have their own studios and therefore have rent/rates, utility bills etc to cover, regardless of how many clients they have. A huge cost which they need to cover too.
Do you really need it?
I know I always bang on about how photography is a considered purchase, you don’t actually need it but do you really need to pay for that daily cup of skinny latte with extra sprinkles from a global corporation coffee shop when you can pop to the local supermarket for a jar or capsules for a similar price? Is it really the same? I’d argue that capturing precious moments to live for generations to come means a lot more but I shall leave that one with you….
I’m super proud to offer exceptional value for money that’s at the heart of Inspired By Joseph photography. And I know I do as my clients tell me. And I’ll tell you something else for sure, I have no idea what other photographers charge. Why? Because it doesn’t matter to me!
Photographers are just like you!
At the end of the day, photographers are just trying to make a living, just like you. We have bills to pay and mouths to feed, just like you. That’s another reason why I support local businesses too who are doing the same thing!
So, why are photographers so expensive?
So, now you know. They aren’t. What do you make of it? Do you still think photography is expensive? Please comment below as I’d love to hear from you.
Other blog posts you might find useful:
Eight top tips for choosing a photographer
Answered: Your question on where to print out your own photos
If you don’t remind yourself to do this, you might regret it later
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