I never really understood the price behind photographers, anyone can take a picture right? So when my husband gifted me my first fancy camera a couple years ago, I expected to put it on automatic mode, point and shoot and finally acheive the look of what others were acheving. Boy was I wrong. It is definitly not the camera that takes and delivers quality photos. I actually put it away for quite awhile and went back to using my iphone that I was thinking I could get better pictures with at the time. Then after my third child I finally decided I was going to make the investment in classes and learning to be skilled in manual mode, composition, lighting and editing, which most do. After I felt comfortable I then invested in upgraded gear to deliver the best. NOT cheap.
So when you look at the price of the package. Consider this, you are not just paying for someone to point the camera at you for whatever time frame you chose.
Within the price, most do not recognize the behind the scenes.. which includes but not limited to:
The Investment in education & learning
The investment in the expensive professional equipment it takes to capture the image in the first place.
The professional computer equipment to ensure it is the best it can be.
The expense in the softare chosen to edit with.
Insurance for your gear
Website & gallery delivery system
Taxes at the end of the year.. etc
Also a photographers time behind the scenes, again which includes but is not limited tofor a basic 60-90 minute portrait session on location:
the communication time to answer questions, sending session questionnaires, receive their contract and payment, etc
The travel to and from the session
Arriving early for setup, preparation, preparing the client.
60-90 minutes of shooting
Returning home to load the photos onto a computer & to back up the files on an external drive, cull through the session & choose the keepers.
Hours of Lightroom hand-editing time which varies per session based on many factors. (You are not receiving straight out of camera images, there is work put into each of them)
The time preparing images for sneak peeks & finalization.
The time uploading images to online gallery and prepping to share the gallery with the client.
So that 60-90 minute session being paid for turns into many more hours invested.
Not only that but there is a difference between a "sitting fee" which is often cheaper, and a "session fee" which is often priced higher. My packages are priced with a session fee, I’m considered to be a “shoot & share” photographer which I love because I know I would want to receive ALL the good files I could get my hands on. In a nutshell, your session fees are priced higher than a regular sitting fee because well you’re hitting the jackpot, you are free to have rights to your digital photo files. In other words, you can print those files as many time you’d like, social share, etc.
Some other photographers may have a "sitting fee" price which is cheaper, however you do not get the rights to all of your photos and have to order and pay for each image and size you want through them, which adds up quickly or in comparison to what a session fee would be. So just wanted to share some thought of behind the scenes and that I have tried to price packages lower but I get it now, I get the time and investment behind the price of photographers around the area.
Why invest in photography?
After a moment passes, it's a simple photo that can bring a memory to life. The sights, the sounds - the way they looked at you - that's why I love photographing the special moments of life. Whether it's a family session with the kiddos, your exciting engagement, or any other milestone in your life, I truly enjoy capturing life's best moments and bringing the magic out in them.
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