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Why are Professional Photographers so
expensive?
This
article is
published in the December 2009 edition of Professional
Photographer Magazine
In this digital age where everyone has cameras,
scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How
do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they
cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying
for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.
-
Setup, preparation, talking
to client,etc....
-
Shoot the photos
-
Load images on the computer
-
Back up files on an
external drive
-
2 - 4 hours of Adobe®
Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and
backing up edited photographs.
-
2 - 3 hours to talk to the
client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints,
receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
-
Possibly meet clients at the
studio to review photos and place order.
You can see how a 1 hour shoot easily turns
into an 8 hr day. So the time you are paying for actually is 8 plus hrs.
The expertise and cost
of doing business
Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through
years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking
professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go
from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition
to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and
software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And
don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment,
photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable
in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself.
You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing
how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed
photo cannot.
The chain store photo
studio
Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot
some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer
puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a
few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the
people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a
chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait
because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In
fact, Wal-Mart closed
500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What
the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and
while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the
door.
The real deal
Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No
different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal
photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for
generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished
memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of
scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a
lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer
gives is worth every penny.
Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a
better understanding of why professional photographs, created by a Personal
Photographer are so expensive.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Thanks to.......Article Author -- Shawn Richter - Caught
on Film Photography
Studio Hours
9am - 6pm -- Open for
weekend sessions.
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