Why Is Professional Photography So Expensive?

Well, as you will see, it’s not. No...really. It isn’t.
Unsurprisingly, the first question I get asked most often is “How much is it for a shoot?” Of course, I have a session fee, and collections prices too.
Equally common are the reactions to hearing photography charges.
Anything along the lines of “You charge how much?!”, “What do you get for that?” “But I can get a 10x8 for less than £2 at Photobox”, and the timeless “That’s one hell of an hourly rate for just pushing a button” Sigh….

IT'S THE NOT KNOWING
I know looking in from the outside professional photography seems very expensive. Before I got involved in the business I thought very much the same, but running a professional photography business is an eye opener. When you factor in costs and other unseen aspects of the process, the average photographer is no different to other jobs.

Firstly, it is a profession, a career, and a skilled means of earning a living, much like hairdressing, painting and decorating, floristry...etc. All things some people can themselves, to a certain extent, but to do it at a high enough standard? (We’ll look more at this later...) But professional photography, much like these other skilled services in that it's not unreasonable to charge enough be able to earn a living from this particular skill set.

THE NUMBERS
A few figures for you, according to www.payscale.com the average photographer earns £20,577 a year, that’s £11.00 per hour, moving up to £29,118 per annum for a more experienced photographer. www.keyagent.co.uk supports this, quoting an average of £20K to £30K per year, with many below this average. The starting salary can be as low as £12,000/year.

Where the misunderstanding around photography fees begin is the not knowing what is actually involved in the job. It is much, much more than pressing a button. In fact firing the shutter is a fraction of the time taken for any photography job.


Pressing a button is only a tiny aspect of the job


So….Let’s say a portrait photographer charges £200 for a one hour photo-shoot and some products. So what do you really get for your money?

COSTS
THE HIDDEN HOURS
For every one hour photographing, a photographer will spend at least 5x more working in other aspects of the same shoot. The hidden hours, ones not always seen by the client.
Pre-shoot & client liaison, that includes; booking, organising contracts, invoices and dates, shoot preparation, travel to the shoot. 2-3hrs (we haven’t even taken a photo yet)
The shoot itself, travel back from the location, uploading and backing up images. 3-4hrs
Post-production; image selection, editing, rendering, uploading for client viewing, taking orders, preparing orders, receiving products, delivering products to client. 4-5 hrs
We’re already up to 9-15hrs, around 1 to 2 working days.
All of a sudden the £200/hr has dropped to between £22 to £13 hour.

EXPENSES AND OVERHEADS
Like every other business, photography has essential overheads and costs (some are legal requirements) to be able to run.
Photography equipment (cameras, lenses, batteries, memory cards), Computer equipment (laptops/PCs, hard-drives) software, website subscriptions, business insurances.
Cost of the clients’ products.
Then the more mundane expenses, fuel for travel, business and liability insurances, heat/light/power for the office/studio, bank fees and taxes (personal and business ones). All these have to come out of that £200 hourly rate.

Just an idea of the cost of some professional photography equipment…
Cameras cost between £1,500 to £6,000. That’s just the body, not including a lens and we need two. They need replacing every 2-3 years due to the use they get.
Lenses range from £400 up to £1000’s, and we need a range of focal lengths - typically around 4 lenses.
Software subscriptions. Adobe Lightroom £10-£20/month and Adobe Photoshop £10-20/month, and we need both.

VALUE
What is the experience and artistic ability of the photographer worth to you as a customer? What does the photographer provide that you can’t get anywhere else?
This is value, and is a difficult one to quantify.
First, let me say this. I believe photography is for everyone. Photographing snapshots of your family, taking holiday shots, to me, they are all vital, but there is a huge difference between casual snaps and a professional image.
How many times have you heard about someone cost cutting on their wedding or portrait photos by trusting an inexperienced photographer, or even a friend with a ‘decent’ camera and regretting the outcome? Sadly, too many times.

To avoid situations like this is why a professional photographer brings value to their client, and, I believe is the single most important factor in why a professional is worth the investment. They have an artistic eye, their own, style and approach and produce high resolution, high quality imagery. They will typically specialise in a certain type of photography; portrait, wedding, Boudoir, family….the list is long, but by specialising they will have a lot of experience within their chosen field, and will make the experience easy, relaxing and enjoyable for their clients, delivering consistently high quality images. It’s these qualities that make them unique and therefore will go a long way to what they charge for their photography services. Naturally, the more experienced and skilled the photographer, the more you will pay for their services. Good reputations are only earned through consistency.


Paying for an experienced professional for your photography allows you to enjoy the experience and have confidence in the final imagery.

THE FINAL WORD
Photography is an art, and traditionally people look on the arts as not being a valid way to earn a living. It is, however, also a service industry. We don’t necessarily ‘need’ to have photos taken, just like you don’t ‘need’ to have your hair coloured by your hairdresser, or a beautiful flower arrangement from your favourite florist, but people do because life is dull without these treats….right?

Yes, there are different standards within the realm of ‘professional photographers'. Some are amazing, some are not quite so good. Some appeal to many, some are much more niche, but they all have costs and expenses which are relatively unseen by their clientele. So next time you look at a photographer’s price list, bear in mind the costs that they have to absorb, and their experience and skill level. If you love what they produce and you think they are an amazing photographer then they certainly deserve your investment, as much as you deserve the imagery they create for you.

So does professional photography really look that expensive now?
For what you actually get....I think, no. It isn’t.
You may have your own opinion, feel free to post your comments below.


Look at the skill set of a pro portrait photographer.
Putting people at ease isn't as easy as you may think...

WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Contact me for your copy of my latest information brochure, or to ask a question about my photography .