Nicer Earner!

[NicolaB]

You may have seen versions of this before but I value you opinions. I have put this as a page on my blog (although it is only you guys & family visiting the blog at the mo - lol)

Blog: Nice Earner

Why Photographers Charge What They Do


"If you are going to charge £100 for a session that is typically two hours, you are making about £50 per hour - less a few pence for the prints! Then you are going to charge £30 for a print!"

Unless you are the likes of David Bailey, or Annie Leibovitz you are unlikely to get very rich from a life in photography. Photography is one of those careers you get into because it consumes you. Photographers live and breathe photography, it is a passion and an art form.

Sure the actual shoot time may be only two hours, but then the photographers work really begins.

Images are downloaded and processed. Post processing is an art form in itself. The average session will involve a days work.

Of course then there is the day to day running of the business, marketing, phone calls, stationery, petrol expenses etc.

When the work is done, images are reviewed and your photographer will often advise on how your art can be best displayed. Prints are ordered, photo books designed, prints framed, and your artwork packaged.

You can see how a two hour session very quickly becomes more than a days work.

Further more, whilst the cost of point and shoot cameras are falling, professional equipment costs thousands. Pro Photographers bee need a great camera - and a back up. Pro lenses start at £1000. Sadly there is no one lens that is suitable for all shoots - most photographers have at least three in their bag. Then there is the fast computer, pro programs to enhance the images, books & courses for learning, tripods, reflectors, lighting, flash, backdrops, the list goes on. Oh and just when you think you have all you need, your provider brings out the updated version of your favourite piece of kit!

Professional photographers have the skill to make you look the best you can be. I can buy a paint brush & paint for a few pounds in the DIY shop, but I spent hundreds for a decorator to paint my house. I could have bought a needle and thread for a few pounds at the haberdashery, yet I spent over £50 on alterations at a local dressmaker. It is about the outcome.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise.

In conclusion, Professional photographers are in business. Businesses, need to make a profit.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[Biomech]

I heard a great metaphor once which I tend to use. Ask the client how much they paid for their haircut and why they paid that much instead of buying a 50p pair of scissors from the super market.

I'm a cheap skate who sometimes likes to have my hair highlighted. I did it myself once with a £5 kit and ended up chemically burning my head, the colour went orange and the hair very very thin. Now I pay the woman who fixed it about £35 each time

[andyw]

I agree totally.
It seems however to be something many on here do not realise.