How do they do it?

[slewi]

Ok. So I'm a newer photographer. Been working for other photogs, second shooting, holding reflectors, all that jazz.

I want to start my own business. I agonize over what I'll charge the brave people who hire me.

Then people like this come around.

How do they do it? Don't they know they are losing money and undercutting everyone else? How am I supposed to compete with this, just starting out and asking double the amount they are and offering less? Two photogs? 500 bucks? Are you kidding me? 100 4x6 "professional prints" comes out to 1/5th what they are being paid!

Can you tell I'm a bit irked?

Wedding Package 1 $500 plus 6% sales tax

- Up to 8 hours of photography
- Unlimited Picture Taking
- Mix of color and black and white, creative effects.
- 100 4x6 professional prints plus the same images on copyright-free CD
- (1) Photo CD: All of your 4x6 prints on copyright free CD.
- Online gallery of your wedding photos to share with friends and family worldwide.
- You will have all rights to the pictures
- I will be there from the time you start getting ready to the last dance at the reception
- You will have me and one other person that will be taking pictures, so we get every shot at every angle.

[BigVinnie]

I think he left a digit off of his price, and his IQ.

[janamelinda]

hahaha! My guess is they probably have no idea what they are doing. You get what you pay for in my book!

[IABoomer]

They know some people will buy based solely on price and they've grossly underestimated the value of their time. That, or they're pricing their services accordingly for their abilities, and caveat emptor applies.

To combat this type of thing, I suggest the following (as a non-professional shooter, but just an idea):

- Get a couple to model for you (friends, family, something where you're not paying)
- Do a few textbook wedding photos as you'd expect your undercutting competitor to do them (kit lens, no off-camera lighting, harsh direct sunlight, dim interior light, high-ISO grain, etc.)
- Show them to potential clients so they can see side-by-side what bargain basement pictures look like compared to the quality of pictures you'll produce using proper techniques/hardware

When they see visually what that bargain price could get them, they'll see the value in paying what you're asking.

[Brian Mullins]

You are making a mistake by comparing on price alone. I have seen craiglist ads that offer to pay people so they can shoot their wedding. The question is, would you want photos from someone who had to pay you?

Wedding photos are not every clients priority. If you hire a cheap photographer, you generally get a cheap product. There is no way a world class wedding photographer could be cheap and stay in business. Therefore, if you must start out low, then do so, but raise your prices, in small increments, often until you get where you want.

The funny thing about clients and pricing - a client with a huge wedding budget will NOT hire a $500 photographer. Likewise, a bride on a very tight budget will not hire a $10000 wedding photographer. So, get to know your market. Check out your skill level and style in the area where you work and then price accordingly. As your work gets better, so does your pricing.

[BigVinnie]

Brian is absolutely correct.

This guy is thinking $500 for 8 hrs work, I can pay one of my buddies $20 hr and still make money! Pixels are free!

For what she gets the bride might as well pass out disposables and hope for the best. I don't know about now, but that used to be pretty standard fare for low buck weddings. Probably get better quality than hiring that guy.

[TFord.LTTP]

I would disagree with Brian to an extent, though I agree with most of it, when the wedding business is ultimately about reputation. Wish I could remember the article I was reading with a couple fairly successful wedding photographers talking about how hard it was once they established a price point starting out to move it up at all once they were established. Yes, there are customers who want cheap and that's all they care about. There are an equal number, if not more depending on who's paying for it all, that actually won't even consider a photographer because they're price is so low. A lesser skilled photographer might get looked at more strongly than a more skilled one simply because they're charging $4000 instead of $2000.

That's not always the case but like I said it's all about reputation and perceived value. What do I feel that I'm getting for my money. You also CAN NOT shoot and market yourself in all segments and work at a high level, I've never seen anyone that was successful trying to appeal to the $500 bride, the $10,000 bride and everything between. The end result is a diluted brand that has no identity and attracts no one. Decide who your target clients are and price appropriately for them. If you want the clients above him odds are they won't be attracted to him to begin with or quickly realize he won't give them what they need.

While being aware of what the competition is doing is very important to make sure you are not way off in left field or missing opportunities I think we get way too wrapped up in it. Value your time, your skills, your investment if this is your business. Focus on your brand and capitalizing on your strengths and people will pay what you're worth even if someone else is offering something similar for less.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by TFord.LTTP

Focus on your brand and capitalizing on your strengths and people will pay what you're worth even if someone else is offering something similar for less.

This is a point not to be overlooked.

The $500 guy might have a full-time job pulling down $100k so he isn't quitting his day job. He might be an excellent photographer with mad skills and takes on gigs for pocket money. His time costs him nothing because if he wasn't shooting and editing he'd be watching Star Trek reruns on TV.

Originally Posted by zona5101

This is a point not to be overlooked.

The $500 guy might have a full-time job pulling down $100k so he isn't quitting his day job. He might be an excellent photographer with mad skills and takes on gigs for pocket money. His time costs him nothing because if he wasn't shooting and editing he'd be watching Star Trek reruns on TV.

lol...that's totally me, except I play COD: MW2 instead of watching Star Trek reruns.

I just do it for fun and a little money to pay for new equipment. In the last year, I think me and another guy have shot about 6 weddings, for about $700 each. I get paid $200 ($100 if we bring along a third photographer) of that, and the other guy takes the $500 and donates it to charity.

We're in it for the challenge and experience, not for the money. We love the feeling of taking great photos for a couple that doesn't have thousands of dollars to pay for a "professional". And in the end, we post some photos on facebook for them and their friends, and give them the rest on a DVD.

[Brian Mullins]

Originally Posted by TFord.LTTP

I would disagree with Brian to an extent, though I agree with most of it, when the wedding business is ultimately about reputation. Wish I could remember the article I was reading with a couple fairly successful wedding photographers talking about how hard it was once they established a price point starting out to move it up at all once they were established. Yes, there are customers who want cheap and that's all they care about. There are an equal number, if not more depending on who's paying for it all, that actually won't even consider a photographer because they're price is so low. A lesser skilled photographer might get looked at more strongly than a more skilled one simply because they're charging $4000 instead of $2000.

That's not always the case but like I said it's all about reputation and perceived value. What do I feel that I'm getting for my money. You also CAN NOT shoot and market yourself in all segments and work at a high level, I've never seen anyone that was successful trying to appeal to the $500 bride, the $10,000 bride and everything between. The end result is a diluted brand that has no identity and attracts no one. Decide who your target clients are and price appropriately for them. If you want the clients above him odds are they won't be attracted to him to begin with or quickly realize he won't give them what they need.

While being aware of what the competition is doing is very important to make sure you are not way off in left field or missing opportunities I think we get way too wrapped up in it. Value your time, your skills, your investment if this is your business. Focus on your brand and capitalizing on your strengths and people will pay what you're worth even if someone else is offering something similar for less.

I agree with this when referring to a traditionally "vetted" photographer who worked under another experienced photographer for some time and hits the ground running. The feeling I get, however, from the OP's post was they do have some experience but are still fairly new to the business.

From a reputation standpoint - absolutely. It is all about reputation. A very large source of referrals is from friends of your clients and, typically, those clients tend to be in the same socioeconomic range so a one time large price increase will cost you that referral business. This is actually what I did and I did have a 6 month slow period where referrals dried up until I could make inroads into the circles for the clients in my new price range. Small increments, 10% a shot, will generally not cost you a huge amount of referrals and allows you to slowly get to the price point you want.

I do agree that some people do buy on cost alone. However, there are expectations that are attached to higher pricing and, generally speaking, the work, process and entire experience tends to be better. So yes, cost will indeed influence some buyers but can cause a whole lot of heartache if you are not ready to provide the experience that is expected with that cost.