Why do photographers charge so much?
There are reasons why they have session fees and charges for their products.
Here is the breakdown.
1. Equipment: They have camera(s), lenses, filters, bags, props, etc. Just think a good SLR camera cost over $1000, lenses and filters can run over $1000, then you have flashes, tripod, remotes. If the camera breaks another $300 plus to fix them.
2. The Props, you may have props in your photo session, furniture, backdrop, toys, materials, newborn/baby props. These don't come cheap and add up quickly.
3. The Website, a good photographer will get a website and they don't come free, some start at $200 and up a year. Then there is the advertising so they could be found by you, making their sites on the top of the list on Google and other search engines.
And just think of all the time that is needed to create a website, this can take over 8 hours, then the blogs, the social media, then the url added on engines. That's a lot of time.
4. Time your photographer will spend, here is a breakdown:
Example one hour session local, about $150
* Talking with you with inquiries of the sessions, in person, phone calls and emails. 15-30+ minutes
* Traveling to and from locations 15-30 minutes each way
* The session 60 minutes
* Uploading images onto the computer 30 - 60 minutes
* Reviewing images about 1-1 1/2
* Touch up on images 1-3 hours
* Re-saving images 1 hour
* Uploading images 30-1 hour
* Creating a private online folder 15 - 30 minutes
* Any follow up conversations 15 - 30 minutes
This totals lowest time 6.5 hours which comes to only $23 an hour or
the most time 11 hours which comes to only $14.50 an hour
This doesn't include the talent of the photographer. And some sessions require more work, such as weddings and parties.
So what do you think of the pricing now? The $150 session is not looking so bad now.
