Understanding the Cost: Why Professional Photography Can Be Expensive
Last week, I conducted a poll on our Facebook page with the following question: “I haven’t had pictures taken in so long because…” The results showed that two reasons stood out, each at 28%: “It’s too expensive” and “I need to lose weight first.” In the coming weeks, I’ll be addressing each option from the poll in a series of blog posts, starting today with the topic of pricing.
Photography is undoubtedly a luxury and not a necessity for survival. Nevertheless, in my perspective, having photographs is essential. Someday, that single photograph may become your only remembrance of a person. I empathize with the fact that times are challenging for many, ourselves included. Throughout my career, I’ve consistently aimed to offer photography services at accessible rates for a diverse clientele.
Over the years, I’ve rarely paid myself from the income generated. Most of what I earned, after accounting for taxes, went into acquiring props for themed mini sessions. When we sold our house, I gave away most of these props, which is why I no longer offer themed mini-sessions, except for a few like campfire, creek and mermaid sessions. I might consider introducing new themes once we have more animals on the farm, potentially offering cow, sheep, or goat mini-sessions, but that’s uncertain for now.
It’s essential to understand that one hour behind the camera lens translates into many hours of work on my computer. After uploading the images, I need to go through them and select the best ones, which can take several hours. For my mini sessions on the farm, which are priced at $150 for 15 minutes and include 5 images (though you often receive more), the editing process is quite extensive.
Let’s break down the process:
1. Culling the images: This step can take several hours, given that I typically capture 100-150 photos during a 15-minute session.
2. Quick edits: Assuming each image receives 6 minutes of quick editing, this adds up.
3. Detailed editing: I transfer the selected images to another program for in-depth editing, a process that takes a few minutes.
4. Fine-toothed comb editing: This involves checking for various imperfections, like bugs, sweat, or minor issues with children, and addressing them. It also includes potential face and full-body swaps if necessary.
5. Additional tweaks: Any final adjustments to enhance the images.
By the time you receive the link to your gallery with 5 images, those initial 15 minutes of shoot time have turned into approximately 6 hours of work. Additionally, you receive two full-sized images with print releases, which typically cost between $100-200 each, but I waive this fee.
To break it down further:
• You pay $150 (plus 7% tax, totaling $160.50, with the tax going to the government).
• You receive 15 minutes of shoot time and 5 images.
• You select two images for print releases.
• I invest about 6 hours in editing, including the shoot time.
• You also receive 2 Luxury 5×7 Prints and 1 Sheet of Wallets.
This averages out to approximately $13.13 per hour for me, just above Florida’s minimum wage of $12 per hour.
Now, considering that most clients receive 10 images instead of 5, the editing time doubles, totaling around 11 hours. This means that, in reality, I earn around $1.77 per hour worked. While I’m committed to delivering quality and making my clients happy, I hope this sheds light on why photography services come with a certain price tag.
Not to mention, there are times when I need to invest in new equipment or continue my education through classes and learning opportunities. I’m fortunate to have a supportive husband with a full-time job who helps me cover these expenses.
The pricing of photography is determined by the substantial time and effort invested in both capturing and editing images, in addition to several other considerations, which underscore its value beyond being a mere luxury service. I sincerely appreciate your support and understanding as I endeavor to strike a balance between making photography more affordable while ensuring fair compensation for the extensive effort dedicated to each session. Your continued support is instrumental in enabling me to deliver the best possible service to all my clients.
