Professional Photos: Why are they so expensive?
If you’ve ever gotten sticker-shock at the price of a professional photo shoot this article is for you. Why are they so expensive? Lets take a closer look and break down the behind the scenes costs.
The Nitty Gritty
The first stop on our price breakdown is a closer look at the nitty gritty ‘hidden’ costs. The devil is not in the details but a big financial investment sure is. These costs lay behind any photographer’s shoot price.
Equipment – The right equipment is required for professional photographs and it doesn’t come cheap. Cameras and lenses are a considerable expense. A percentage of every photo shoot will simply go towards recouping equipment expenditure.
Education/Coursework/Technical Expertise – Many photographers are invested in continued education as such they’ll endeavor to take courses, attend workshops, and refine new techniques made possible by tech innovation.
“More than an Hour” - Keep in mind that even though a solid hour is dedicated to taking the ‘shots’ themselves, more time is invested beyond those 60 minutes. This includes time answering questions, advising, recommending, traveling to and from location, and the biggest single time commitment which is the editing afterwork.
Software/Hardware – Editing software subscriptions and the like are a business expense that must be accounted for.
Business Overhead – Just because a photographer appears to be ‘freelance’ doesn’t mean that they have no overheads. Websites, marketing, appropriate insurance, ect is all included in costs which must be recouped for a photographer to break-even, much less make a profit.
Final Edits – Editing is hands-down the most intensive part of the process. Time can easily stretch out into tens of hours and destroy any profit margin the photographer may have built into their price. *Note: This is why a photography shoot contract ought to contain your editing priorities and also include fair limits to protect the photographer.
Salary – Professional photography is a business. Bringing beautiful images to life may be a passion for a photographer but regardless they’ve got bills to pay and require food as fuel. It is fair to expect that a salary or reasonable profit margin is built in to the shoot fee.
Personalized Professional Angle
While the nitty gritty has to be taken into account regardless of photographer. The photographer that is worth an investment brings a personalized professional angle that you appreciate, can’t duplicate, and desire to have showcased in your finished product. Bringing these factors into the picture expands an understanding of what one is actually paying for.
Experience – This factors in the photographers ability to recommend locations and pre-shoot prep advice and extends to cover their comfort behind the lenses and their ability to shoot in a wide variety of conditions and work effectively regardless of inherent challenges (i.e. small children) or situational elements i.e. wind or glare.
Specific Expertise – This allows for a specific guided approach to the occasion. For instance a specialized approach to yoga allows for pointed encouragement, suggestions, and even posture guidance as I have a firm grasp of yoga poses across the spectrum.
Artistic Approach – A ‘look’, a visual approach, and ‘eye’ that a professional photographer showcases in their body of work.
What You are REALLY paying For at the End of the Day
Beyond the nitty gritty, accounting for the artistic approach, and past the paycheck that a professional photographer depends on is something else. A sense of joy, a spontaneous smile, that arrives spurred on from a glance at ‘that image’. Whether you frame it, stretch it on canvas, or hide it away on a thumb drive for secret viewing by a select few it is something to savor. A professional photography shoot done right; creates personalized art that celebrates you!
Exploring the value of professional photography? Read more on the Wild Thing Photography Blog.
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Photography Credit: Wild Thing Photography
Model Credit: Sarah Sorensen & Leslie Rangel