i recently had someone send me a message asking about my prices for photo sessions, and upon my telling them the prices (with a military discount included) i was asked why i charged so much for photos. i was very offended and a little taken aback.
i consider myself so blessed to be able to get paid to do something i'm so passionate about. but living in a military town where there are SO many wives who are either stay at home moms or work from home, a lot of them do photography as a hobby. and a lot of them charge little to nothing for their work. i'm not one of those wives. i'm a photographer who puts a lot of time and energy into my finished products before i present the photos to my clients. many people think a photographer's job is one of the easiest in the world - i'll tell you right now, it's not.
for starters, i bought my camera. since i was just starting out and wanting to test out photography as something to do, i bought it used. it was still $400. upfront. all at once. after i began to fall more and more in love with this hobby, my sweet husband bought me a new lens for my camera - it was $120. i also have a spare lens, which was $50. but photography isn't just about taking a good photo. it's being able to turn a mediocre photo into something amazing. and for that, i have editing software. i use adobe elements, and it was over $100. oh, and for that software, i buy actions, which i apply to the photos. some of those run about $50-100 a set. not to mention the badass new desktop computer i bought specifically for photo editing and graphic design. that cost a pretty penny - $800. so what's our total so far? we're well over $1500. that's a LOT of money, guys. and i'm not including the cost to host my website, my business cards, cd's, and all the stamps, envelopes, gas and printer ink i use.
like i said though, a photographer's job isn't over once the session ends. after a session i take my photos and go through each and every one, deleting the ones where someone's eyes are closed or the subjects aren't in focus. then i go through them again, making sure each photo is something i'd be happy to receive if they were mine. i try to give my clients as many good photos as possible - so in a full session, a client will usually end up with close to 30 retouched photos. but don't for a second think i speed through this retouching process. i take my time, airbrushing away flaws, blurring out stray hairs in the face, brightening smiles & eyes, adjusting tones, contrast & lights. sometimes i will spend over an hour on one single photo. so let's figure i spend at least 20-30 minutes on each photo. if i give a client 20 photos, that's 10 hours of my time. PLUS the 1-2 hours at the session. PLUS the hour or 2 i go ahead of the date to scout out the session location. so let's say 15 hours total is spent on one session. that's time away from my baby, husband and puppy that i can't get back. so at $100 a session, and 15 hours spent total on the session...i'm making around $6.00 an hour.
that being said, beginning on august 1, 2013, session prices will be $150 (1-2 hour session + 20 photos + copyright release). any sessions booked before then will be at the original price of $125. i will still offer military discounts year-round. i will also offer mini sessions at $75 (30-45 min session + 10 photos + copyright release) year-round instead of just seasonally. homecoming sessions will stay priced at $50. seasonal specials will still pop up now and then, as well as giveaways. i do now and always will value all of my clients - so to those who book sessions with me, i will give referral incentive cards with a discount for your next session when i give you your cd. i'm also ALWAYS willing to work with you to figure out a session package to fit your budget, so if for some reason you want fewer photos we can talk about it. never be afraid to ask! on that same note, i'm also VERY tired of feeling walked-on when it comes to people asking for cheaper photos. before, i would cave a lot and end up giving people a full session's worth of photos for $40. that's not something i'm going to be doing anymore. i intend to remain very firm on the prices to number of photos ratio.
i want clients to come to me because they value the amount of time and effort i put into their photos, making their photos something they will treasure for years. i don't want people coming to me simply because i'm cheap and will give them all their photos - i promise, you really don't want EVERY single photo from a session.
photography is not something i do for the money - it is a passion and hobby of mine. i just don't see any point in spending all of this time away from my family doing something for next to nothing. not as hard as i work on my photos. in the photography business, you get what you pay for. so if you'd like a cheaper session and more photos, please feel free to go to that person offering you 30 photos for $30. that's never going to be me.
i honestly had no intention of raising prices when i began this blog, but seeing it all broken down, how much time i spend and effort i put into my sessions, i felt it was merited. i don't want anyone to take offense or be upset at anything i've written here, but if you do have something to say please feel free to email me or message me on facebook. i'll always appreciate feedback - positive or negative!
- mel
