That’s a question a lot of us photographers get when prospective customers contact us about our services. The problem is, that’s really the wrong question to ask and the wrong frame of mind to be in when purchasing photography. Yes you need to know what to budget, but are you buying an 8×10 or are you buying the image that’s being created for that 8×10?
Often a consumer will say to a photographer, “Why should I pay ‘x’ amount for your 8×10 when it’s only $2.99 at a photo lab. Take a look at the two images below. The one on the left is what costs $2.99. It is a blank piece of photo paper that has been processed at a local photo lab. That’s what they sell. The image on the right is the same piece of photo paper with an image on it. What makes these two pieces of photo paper different? The image of course. What you’re really purchasing is the image not the paper.
What does it cost to have a photographer create this image for you? Let’s take a look:
Training. Good photography is not just clicking a button; there is technical training, understanding lighting, creative composition, experience and know how.
Gear. Photographers need to purchase the cameras, lenses, lighting, computers and software that let them create the images they do for you.
Time. Whether you travel to a studio or have a photographer meet you at your location, you are using your photographer’s valuable time. And after the image is captured, your photographer is spending more time, on your behalf, to download, process, retouch and order your photographs.
Creativity. Again, anyone can click a shutter button, but that is no guarantee there will be a beautifully composed image created.
Processing. The quality of print you get from a drug store mini lab is basically the bare minimum. A professional uses a quality lab with calibrated processors as well as quality finishing such textures, mounting and coatings to protect your precious images for decades to come.
Overhead. Why do you work where you do? Photographers choose to be photographers because they love their craft but also to make a living. The prints they sell also need to pay for their materials, rent, utilities, advertising, employees, taxes as well as their take home pay to pay their mortgage and support their family.
As you can see, there is a lot more that goes into the photograph on the right as compared to the blank piece of photo paper on the left. Without this, you won’t have your image. And, this is just the half of it. The other half is you and the memories that you’ve hired your photographer to capture. When will you get married again? When will your children be that age again? When will you celebrate that event again? The truth is never. The images you hire a photographer to capture are timeless. That’s why you hire a professional photographer, to document these once in a lifetime fleeting moments. Are they worth more than a $2.99 piece of photo paper? I think so.
