You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it twice, you’ve probably seen multiple photographers post about pricing. Ohhhh nooooo one of those posts? kinda, but, not really. Some feel it is an attack on newer photographers and their pricing. This is not an attack on the newer photographers who are just breaking out on their own and are offering lower prices to build their portfolio. We all start somewhere- I, when building up my portfolio offered lower then average prices, however I used it solely as a means to build and from there raised my prices accordingly. You see when my prices were that low I was spending more then I was making. How so? well with any business comes responsibilities- There is the cost of us holding insurance, professional associations that we belong to to protect ourselves and our equipment, the cost of purchasing equipment to meet the needs of the different settings we may photograph like churches, and numerous other expenses.
The reality is not everyone is honest. $300.00 for full day coverage and stellar images should raise a red flag. They either have little to no experience on their own, they’re stealing images, or they’re just plain desperate for work. The stealing happens all of the time and something to consider when the price tag looks to good to be true.You get what you pay for stands true for photography as it does in the clothing you wear. Yes there are some seasoned pro’s that offer lower then normal pricing….my first thought when I see their prices? They’re desperate for businesses and chances are you are going to have to pay extra for your images to look like the ones on their site. Of course that isn’t made obvious when you see the pricing- you’re super excited about saving some money you hear the great part it’s a typical human reaction. later on you realize your paying the same as the first person you may have contacted at the $1,200.00 range and loved their images, but thought their price was to expensive compared to this other photographer you found. Not all of them do this and you may call this all opinions, but I know people who have been married and have gotten married along the way- it happens. I won’t run my business that way- what you see is what you get there are no hidden fees and I am sure my couples would confirm this.
Truth is they’re setting a false expectation for you and the industry. Do you want a completely physically warn down photographer who is working so much they’re tired and may be missing or not thinking about some things and you have a large number of missed shots or opportunities? I wouldn’t. Why am I concerned about how someone else runs their businesses? well because it affects all of us (photographers) as a whole and later when those people couldn’t do their job we re-shoot these sorts of things to make up for what didn’t happen at the actual wedding. Why do we charge “so much?” well really when you add the costs and hours among other expenses we aren’t “taking home” what you may assume. Our job only starts the day of your wedding- on average I am working 40 plus hours after your wedding day on your images depending on the amount of time you had me for etc. I have people always wide eye me when I fill them in on the hours afterwards (we don’t use presets everything is done ourselves)- they just can’t believe it (my husband can vouch for the amount of nights he spends seeing the back of my head while he watches the evening TV because I am buried in edits), but I believe in handing my couples a product I would be proud to display on my own walls. I typically will not post a Straight out of camera shot (SOCC) it just isn’t something most of us do, but just to illustrate my point I will. Why do photographers not post SOCC images? well, to make it simple we have a brand it’s about the finished image.
You may consider this post a broken record because you hear or see photographers complaining about those who are charging a ridiculously small amount of money, but it has to be said. The amount of seasoned AMAZING photographers are having to complete with other locals who are offering services for half the price of the norm is becoming large scale. There have been a number of photographers lately who have had to close up shop because they just cannot compete with that sort of pricing. Yes, If you are that good you should get the businesses, but it doesn’t hold true so much anymore not everyone is educated on the realistic cost of photography they see a price and it sounds good so they sign themselves up and are later disappointed. Just keep in mind when you see the sticker shock your paying for a quality image- we are using the professional software, we carry the proper insurance, and we are going to show up on your wedding day.