Are All Photographers the Same? A Cautionary Tale
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 Category: Personal 130 Comments 
A question I am asked frequently is why photographers charge what they do. Because, let’s face it, there is such a discrepancy in prices and those shopping purely on price alone are nearly always going to go the least expensive route. But at some point I want to ask those consumers: is that the wisest decision?
One phrase I hear a lot is, “it only costs 10c to make a print – so why do you charge so much?” And if the value of the image was only the print paper cost itself, that would be a valid question. But then again, a lawyer makes several thousands and all they produce is paper worth less then a penny. So why do we pay lawyers upwards of 100 euros an hour?
The easy answer is that an experienced photographer – one who has spent years studying the craft, honing skills, and perfecting style, is going to give you a much better image than the beginner who is simply clicking a shutter button. If clicking the shutter is the only parameter of a professional photographer, I’d like to offer the services of my 7 year old – she takes great pictures (everyone says so!) and I’m happy to hire her out for 200 euros for a disk of images. She’ll be happy too – she’d love a new Lego Star Wars set. But why pay 200 euros for my 7 year old (or a beginner photographer) when you can just have the grandparents click the button instead – and for free? Because, in all honesty, grandma can get the same exact pictures (or perhaps better if she has talent!) than the photographer who just clicks a shutter without regard to equipment, composition, moment, expression, lighting, or exposure.
I could make this post longer by summing out costs of being a photographer: VAT/taxes, insurance, business development costs, time, software, equipment, the desire to not work for free for other people ……. but really, I would think that most would recognize there are obvious costs behind owning any business. Would you really feel you were saving money if you hired a lawyer who had no formal training or education but who felt they would be good at winning lawsuits because they saw someone do it on TV?
The parallel is true since many photographers are encouraged by friends and family (would you tell your best friend that the image she shot and is so proud of has a kid in dappled light and a telephone pole sticking out of his head with a white balance so off that he is practically blue?). Similarly, many photographers are not licensed business owners – so if you get charged for poor portraits, you have no recourse. I would love to charge less – and certainly my photography business isn’t going to buy me a Lexus. But at the same time, it is frustrating to be legal, pay taxes, and yet lose customers to those operating illegally.
Truly: professional images comprise a lot of factors – otherwise, why would you hire someone to photograph your children if you could just do it yourself? Composition, metering, focus, white balance, skin tones, light in the eyes, pose, post processing….. these are skills that take time to develop. And the difference in quality should be fairly obvious if you compare portfolios.
Which always leads to the next question: “It’s just the camera, right?” One day, it’s likely you will have a friend tell you he or she wans to become a professional photographer. I would be wealthy if I had a dime for every person who has asked which DSLR I would recommend (it really is NOT the camera making the good pictures – honest!). I answer those questions honestly: unless you are going to shoot in manual modes (not auto) and learn ISO, F-stop, Shutter speed, spot metering, etc, a person can (and often does) spend thousands and thousands and not have as good images. Good images are about using the equipment and reading the light correctly – neither of which can be obtained in AUTO by clicking a button. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and spend thousands. But also be prepared to admit after 6 months that it’s not the camera, it is the artist BEHIND the lens, that is making the creative and beautiful portraits. And as for my friends? I steer them to a good prosumer and not a DSLR. They are happy and save quite a bit of money in the process.
It really isn’t about the camera. When the light is read correctly, the right F-Stop is chosen, and sound post processing is applied, this unassuming location:
Becomes this professional portrait:
One thing I really find interesting is that people will buy Coach purses, fancy flatscreen TVs, expensive toys and sets for their children, and all manner of luxury goods that have maybe a 1-2 year lifespan. But when it comes to professional portraits, which will last a lifetime, they base the decision purely on price. I’m not sure at what point children and family become less important than a fancy purse. But I can tell you that those who purchased high quality portraits have a beautiful reminder of a time that has past – and those portraits are still hanging or displayed while the purse has long since been thrown away.
Sure, parents can choose to purchase inexpensive photography based solely on price. Not everyone can afford the price of a good photographer and the compromise often is quality. But I truly hope and encourage buyers to really consider what they are buying and why – and not to choose solely on price. Your memories do not have a price tag and once this moment is gone, you forever lose the chance to have hired a true professional to beautifully capture your family.
Choosing the best you can afford will always be the best advice given to anyone looking for quality professional portraits. As with anything hand-made and requiring an artistic eye, those who produce quality work often charge more – it compensates for the amount of time they have spent learning and perfecting their art. Choose how the photographers express themselves – and how that will translate into your family’s portrait work. Choosing based solely on price is saying that all photographers are the same – and that really isn’t true.
Sure, price may not always reflect skill. That’s where a buyer’s judgment and comparison of portfolios come in. But it is a good bet that a lot of the cheaper photographers will disappear in a year as they realize they are actually losing money and working for nearly free. And that is also a concern because they may not have an interest in protecting or archiving your photos.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. Well said!
I’ve realized that, in general, most people have no idea the time and resources it takes to create a great photo. The camera, the lenses, the equipment, the software, etc, etc, etc. The time away from my family, the late nights of editing, so much more than just pointing a camera and pressing the shutter button. I don’t currently operate a photography business, (my kids are young, our family is still growing, and we’re blessed to not really need the income) but I do help friends out who are otherwise unable to afford professional quality pictures. They often ask me why photographers feel the need to charge so much. After I explain to them everything that goes into it, their response is usually “WOW! I had no idea!” Great article! Thanks!
I think the key is, if you are charging “cheaper” prices, if you are not paying taxes, if you do not have a business license where do you get off calling yourself professional? I have invested over $16k in my business, and could stand to invest double that. Talent is one thing, you can be a novice and be talented but please do not call yourself professional. It makes it VERY hard on the rest of us!
This is a brilliant post Andrea. I saw it doing the rounds on facebook – it’s struck a strong chord, so thank you for putting your wise words out there!
Great article. I’m still new to the photography business, I mainly take photos of friends and friends of friends. Though I haven’t gotten any complaints about my prices (I guess I’m still cheap ’cause I’m still learning) I totally agree with you. Being a modern photographer isn’t cheap. People need to realize that. Some do, some can’t, but most people who suck it up and fork over the money do not regret their decision once they see the pics.
A good article on a massive topic at the moment. Im personally taking the initial steps in making money from my photography – nope not going to call myself proffessional.
Geez its hard to work out how much to charge though. I look at other locals and what they charge, and think thats a pretty reasonable amount, then look at their work and think, wow thats really not very good, and I know I can do better than. Then look at other cheaper options, that I can only hope to be as good as.
To take the safe option, Im starting cheap, most of my first clients are friends or friends of friends, Im hardly going to charge them top dollar.
My biggest issue in this area are some of the “proffessionals” that really think they are holier than thou (not you
) and do their best to belittle the new guy, knock him down, tell everyone how much better they are than the new cheap guy, when in fact a lot of the time they are simply scared of the competition of someone just as good even though they are still using a 1000D.
I really enjoyed reading this post so many great points made. At the same time there a few things that i disagree with. I personally believe that if you love what you do and you do it for the love of it you can charge what ever you want. I can’t imagine walking into a museum and looking at all the art from all the diffrent artists and saying i bet these all cost the exact same price ??? As an artist you have the right to put a price on your work because at the end of the day it is your heart,soul and passion. No one else has the right to tell you what to charge. I pay my taxes and insurance ect ect but I charge what I feel is a just amount. I love photography and yes the creative side is my fave by far. Just do what you do and if your customers enjoy your work they will pay the cost and be satisfied with their portraits. and yes I give a disc with printing rights not scared to put it out there … lol
Cheering from here. well said and thanks for putting it out there.
Great read and interesting discussions! I’ll be sharing for sure! x
So very well written Andrea!
Doctors save your life, Photographers save your memories. Losing either one would be tragic.
I hope you don’t mind if I repost this.
I too am a new and titled “business” owner in my photography, and like some of the previous comments made, I also do not charge incredible amounts because i am simply new. I am the type of person that is ALWAYS learning no matter who tells me im good or not, and because of that, this learning process carries over into my business. I’m not going to charge someone more than i feel comfortable because i simply do not consider myself professional. I consider myself an affordable option that benefits not only the people who are not lucky enough, to have all kinds of money, but also me in my learning experience.
I agree with Lisa’s comment that arrogance often leads to higher prices.
Simply, whether you are cheap or not, it ultimately boils down to your work, your ability to capture something special in everyone, anywhere, and because of this, my prices are for the sake of people with less money, who deserve memories just as much as the rich guy next store.
Well said….I must remember this when selling images to clients when I see their designer purses etc. I am starting out and am having a 6mth period of charging a lot less that I hope to after that. I am doing this because I need to gain confidence in selling. Now…in saying that…your article has given me a little bit of confidence to say…hey…I am worth it…and your memories are worth it. I love Mel’s analogy of it too!!! It is true!!!
The written word is a hard thing to get across to everyone in the vain that it was intended and I do not think that you were having a go at us newbies…..I think you were just pointing out that just because you have a DSLR it doesn’t make you a photographer. I did not go to a college to learn…I am self taught due to the wonderful articles and tutorials on the net….and having an eye in composing a shot. Oh I could ramble forever…but thank you for the article. x
Here’s my 2 cents: I think part of the downward pressure on what photographers charge is that the barriers to entry within the profession has decreased dramatically due to technology. This is both from a technique and cost perspective. Even a mediocre lawyer can charge $100 an hour because there is a professional license requirement (graduate of an accredited law school; admittance to a state or Federal Bar Association), and a minimum degree of professional competency required.
However, the primary barrier to entry into photography previously was the cost of film and the inability to conduct too much correction in post-development. When each click of the shutter cost 50 cents (film/development) and what you shot is what you got (pre-photoshop), photography rewarded only the truly persistent, knowledgeable and dedicated. Now, with digital cameras and photoshop, you can spray and pray when taking photos and rely on digital correction to fix a lack of technical knowledge. The barrier to taking a commercially decent or acceptable photo has dropped tremendously. With more supply, it is only natural that there is a subsequent downward pressure on pricing.
If there is any weakness to your argument, I think it may be that it does not acknowledge that the # of professional photographers able to take truly artistic photos has increased as well, so even at your professional skill level and discounting the rank amateurs, you are facing more competition than before the advent of digital.
As technology improves, it will only continue to lower the barriers to entry, and many more talented photographers (along with hacks) will join the ranks who would never have discovered their talent at 50 cents a click.
Love love love love.
Hi Andrea,
I agree whole heartedly with what you have said Andrea and I feel Andrew explains it well in his reply. In this ever changing world we live in we need to address this problem where the prospective client feels that it is price alone that dictates a “professional” photographer. For a start why do we need to call ourselves “professional”. Does our mechanic, hairdresser, accountant call them selves professional. It is a term we must get rid of, for a start, and then we must educate new photographers, photographers who do it on the side as a creative outlet, and even photographers who have been around a while that what we do is worthy and we should be paid well for our ability to create.
The problem lies therein, our ability to create; not all of us have it and there is always someone else who has the edge…the problem here is that often the photographer that has the edge is someone who has no business skills and feel they cannot charge appropriately for the art.
I believe that photographers who shoot and burn should be shot!
(metaphorically speaking of course!!). There are many many problems with shooting and just burning a disk and they include:
the client’s inability to produce a good print,
the client’s inability to get a good print produced form a mini lab,
the client may want to “own” the images by having the disk but how they output the images really does reflect on the quality of their photographer’s processing skills and the lab the client uses.
Lastly, there is not one dvd or CD that is archival compared to a good professional print. Wouldn’t you want your client to have some gorgeous, beautifully printed images that will last a lifetime than a disk that may corrupt in a matter of years. Historically, it is very important to think that the next generation will have some record of their family, not just a defunct computer that they cannot access.
It is our jobs as “professional” photographers to make certain that all our clients walk out of our studios with something they can treasure, something tangible that will last!
Our ability and expertise as business people and as artists should make certain that we maintain a level of commitment to our clientele and it is this level of commitment that they pay for….!
If anyone has read this far and want to read some more I have started a facebook group called Mums with Cameras- Value you Creativity! which aims to educate newbies ( not just mums with cameras but others, too) on how to
charge and hopefully value the work they not only want to do, enjoy but earn a living from.
Very, very well said!
Let your work speak for itself.
It is not illegal to claim income from other sources, sure, but you still must collect sales tax for client purchases. AND you must show a profit & growth trend over 5 years or risk losing any deductions you may have claimed for your business if the IRS judges you to be on the side of “serious hobbyist”. If you are not taking deductions, then you are taking a hit on what your actual earnings are and could be. If you accurately assess your costs and time outlay, you could be very surprised at the actual numbers of your hourly wage. Add in a couple of clients who are determined to get as much out of you as they can, and suddenly it isn’t as rewarding as you thought it was.
Yes, Yes, Yes.
I worked for three years and didn’t earn a penny…but I justified it by saying I wasn’t working full-time, this was just the learning phase, we didn’t have to live on it. A friend complained about a photographer that she liked, but charged so much! I told her that my prices weren’t as high because my husband was supporting our family–but I still called myself a professional. Guess what. My husband lost his job and my prices were so low ($25 sitting fee and $8 for 5×7) that I couldn’t work enough hours in the day to even begin to support our family. My MBA husband suggested I track every minute I spend on each client and figure out my hourly rate. I thought I was making decent money, until tracked it and discovered that I could have made more as a greeter at Wal-Mart during those years. (Except they have benefits!)
For aspiring photographers who are serious about building a business, don’t charge while you are learning (the art AND business), and you can say that you are an aspiring professional who is refining your technique etc. Then once you (a) have consistent, quality images (b) are committed to building a successful business, you can state your (livable) prices, but offer discounts LETTING YOUR CLIENTS KNOW YOU ARE IN A PORTFOLIO BUILDING STAGE. They won’t be surprised or feel betrayed when you charge more.
I wanted everyone to be able to afford me, but guess what? Professional photography IS a luxury. It is a great investment that will only become more valuable with time, but every American doesn’t have a RIGHT to it. It is worth saving for.
Occasionally, I will quietly offer a “portfolio building session” to someone that I know can’t afford me…no sitting fee and a free 8×10 with no expectation to buy more. But, those sessions aren’t the same as my paying clients. I explain that I only offer them when I have the time and I can’t afford to do that for everyone. I ask them not to mention it to others and if people ask them about what I charge, then to say “You’d have to check with her about her current pricing” The sessions are generally shorter and I show less images. The clients that need this are not going to order enough to justify your time, so it really is a service and not a marketing strategy. Perhaps that is too generous with a profession in which I have invested thousands of dollars (about 10K at this point) and years developing my skill. It is my way of “giving back”.
If you aspire to be a “professional”, plan on spending as much time on the business as the creative. Learn it, Live it- before you Label it.
If you haven’t invested the time and money into becoming a business, then please don’t call yourself a professional. Some of us need this to make ends meet.
Fabulous article. There is so much “behind the scenes” work involved that also doesn’t get noticed by the client. Add up the time spent communicating prior to the session, the time spent shooting the session, the hours processing the images, the additional time posting proofs online, communicating with the client after the proofs are available, meeting to take the client’s order, packaging supplies and the time spent putting the order together, etc. I could easily spend 10-15 hours per client and certainly want to be compensated accordingly for my time.
I would also like to address the recurring theme of “offering services at a lower price because not just the rich deserve memories”. Again, most of the time these photographers are NOT talking about the single moms working two jobs. Their clients are generally people who are looking for something more custom than the volume chain studios, but at the best quality for price they can find. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s not mix that up with someone who can’t afford it. If you truly want to help people with photography there are plenty of charity photographic organizations that you can donate your time to. By globally charging low prices that are unsustainable for a long-term legitimate business because you want to “help others”, you are actually hurting other people – your fellow photographers and the credibility of the profession itself. And you need to take a good look at who you are “helping” – someone who can barely make ends meet, or someone who would rather use your talents to get great pics of her kids and still have money left for that [Coach purse- beach vacation- SUV- insert whatever other priority they have here] ?
Very well written! Nice work!
Well talk about egos. Comparing photographers to Dr.s and lawyers? Wonder what they would think of that? Not to belittle what you invest and put into your work but you don’t go to school for 8 or 9 years to be a photographer. Unskilled people have a much better chance of taking good pictures than doing the work of a Dr or lawyer. Lets be realistic. Also please actually be worth what you charge.
Bravo! Very well said. I too hope you don’t mind that I link to your very useful and eloquent post.
I woke up this morning and spent some time reading, “Life Is What You Make It” by Peter Buffet – the son of Warren Buffet. The gist of it is that happiness comes in doing what you love for a living. YIPPEEE!
However, I have yet to learn how to commingle my photography with the “business” side of this profession.
I LOVE creating memories for people but I HATE the business side – mainly PRICING my time and 30 years of photo experience. This blog obviously came to my attention at just the right time.
I truly love the mention of people with Coach purses and other expensive toys that last a couple of years, yet when it comes to buying lifelong memories, their talons come out and the price battle begins.
A few months ago, Professional Photography magazine (http://www.ppmag.com) had an article about how to justify our prices. It was a great article and helps a lot but I hate to HAVE to use the content.
I mean really! Look at the comment above about the attorney. I know a LOT of “less than intelligent attorneys” but because of their law degree, people don’t blink at their fees, even if they ultimately accomplish nothing.
I do not believe my fees are either cheap, nor overly expensive for my location, yet I never feel like they are necessarily correct? I hope this makes sense for someone out there…….
As a matter of fact, I stumbled across someone charging over $300 just for the session fee around here. How does she survive? I did not think her work to be any better than mine and I’m not trying to be catty but damn it! Now I feel that I’m underpricing my work again although some people panic at my current prices. Sure, I’m probably not working with the correct target group although my clients do have some expensive toys laying around, go on nice vacations, etc….
In my opinion, a photo taken by a professional with the right eye for bringing out the true personality of the individual is worth almost any price. This applies primarily to children and families.
People can NEVER get back this moment in time and I think it is worth a reasonable amount of money to preserve it forever.
Thanks for posting this article and all the comments that have followed!
There will probably always be people who, for whatever reason, don’t charge a proper fee for pro photography. They are, in part, the reason we struggle to explain pricing to our clients. It’s always justified with “I’m new”, “I’m not full time”, “I don’t really need the money”. I went to photography school with a couple women who REFUSE to charge what our market will bear. They LIKE bottom feeding and dragging down our market. I just wonder how they are going to pay their student loans.
Thank you Andrea, so well said.
Beautifully said, Andrea! It gets tiring after awhile to hear how your camera takes good pictures. I reached my limit on it recently and had to get my feelings out on my blog too. But it’s always great to know I’m not alone. I will be sending people to read this! Thank you for your thoughtful post.
@Lisa/Gladwynn Photography: I am surprised you have that many paying clients to begin with. Your work does not look much different than any other MWAC (mom with a camera). You may take good snapshots, but there is a difference between snapshots and portraits. Lighting, proper exposure, etc. all goes into a good portrait. Just catching a kid smiling does NOT make you a ‘professional’. Owning a ‘fancy’ camera does not mean you can take good pictures. My son owns a nice guitar…but he does not make nice music!
Kiitos, Kiitos, Kiitos Andrea tästä kirjoituksesta! Thank you so much Andrea for writing this post!
@Lisa/Gladwynn Photography & others:
Such a well written piece but so many that have replied are actually the very people the article is about.. Lisa, if it is NOT your primary income, if you are not charging the ‘business’ rate, if you do not have premises, public liability insurance etc, you are not a professional or even a part time professional.
For those of you helping out ‘friends’ by photographing their children etc – you are the very people stealing a photographers income, their livelihood and a detriment to the ‘image’ of professional photography.
This is NOT an ‘elitist’ comment and for those of you that made reference to a ‘Dr’ studying for 8 yrs and a photographer doesn’t, I spent two (2) years studying with Kodak & Agfa, then four (4) years at University, then another two (2) in a studio with a commercial photographer and it gets right up my nose to hear that argument as it just ‘belittles’ so many PROFESSIONAL Photographers that often spend a LIFETIME studying new techniques, new hardware, new software etc to stay at the top of their profession….
There are MORE trade bodies and Associations in Photography than many other professions, most of which require their members to have a ‘minimum’ standard before they are permitted to call themselves ‘professional’.
Lisa has already apologized for any offense and has stated that she has been led to revise her original thoughts on this topic, so I don’t think it’s necessary to single her out. Actually her original way of looking at this is shared by many, many others who are also not well aware of the OTHER sides of this controversial issue. This is why Andrea’s post is so valuable – as are the comments following it. It helps to bring all sides of this very complex issue to light. I truly believe that people just haven’t thought about it in depth before drawing their conclusions, and it just goes to show that educating others about ALL viewpoints will help everyone who cares about having good photography choices available.
Excellent topic, my thoughts exactly. I would also like to link to this. Very informative on so many levels.
“One thing I really find interesting is that people will buy Coach purses, fancy flatscreen TVs, expensive toys and sets for their children, and all manner of luxury goods that have maybe a 1-2 year lifespan. But when it comes to professional portraits, which will last a lifetime, they base the decision purely on price.”
Thanks so much for posting this Andrea, well said. I too have been amazed at what people will spend lots of money on-designer items, expensive toys, boob jobs..LOL-and yet squabble over the cost of beautiful portraits of their children. For me, there is no material thing more precious and valuable in my entire home than the pictures of my children…nothing!
And no, not all photographers are the same and it’s not just the camera. If you don’t understand lighting and exposure, or how to use that expensive pro level camera, you’re still going to get mediocre photos at best.
Great article! Thank you.
meh, i like it, i’m good at it, i could care less about who thinks this one’s a pro n who’s not, how much you spent on your site or education, or anything else. that’s all just politics, which is really what’s actually “dirtying the industry”. doesn’t stop me from going out shooting on a gorgeous saturday evening
Great post. Really. I too am a newbie, self taught , enjoying the art I am making and learning to make and the people I meet. In no words will I call myself a professional. I am not. But I think there is a range of services and prices to suite us all. Just like clothing. You get what you pay for usually. Usually.
“Well talk about egos. Comparing photographers to Dr.s and lawyers? Wonder what they would think of that? Not to belittle what you invest and put into your work but you don’t go to school for 8 or 9 years to be a photographer. Unskilled people have a much better chance of taking good pictures than doing the work of a Dr or lawyer. Lets be realistic. Also please actually be worth what you charge.”
Are you serious? I’m not trying to be condescending, but really and truly are you serious? Unskilled people have a great chance of becoming a lawyer or a doctor if they work as hard as most PROFESSIONAL (meaning legitimate, legal and accomplished) photographers do to hone their craft. Furthermore, who are you to say that a photographer is worth less than someone who is a doctor or a lawyer. As a photographer are my kids worth less than the child of a doctor because my child gets about the same amount of time spent away from me due to my job. Not that I feel I should be paid the same as a doctor or lawyer by any means, but you clearly don’t understand the costs involved in this industry or you would realize despite our prices we are not all out there raking in the dough. In fact, I’m in my second year and I’m barely breaking even yet. Please don’t be so insulting to others and think about what you say before you say it.
@PamS and Demon……can someone say Conceited? Have you looked up what Professional means?
pro·fes·sion·al
–adjective
1. following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
And just that….your years of training and schooling have nothing to do with it. Has it made you better, I have no doubt, but as soon as you started doing it for a living you are, by dictionary definition, a professional.
I’m sorry that Moms with cameras are hurting your business, but who are you to tell these moms, who need an outlet, that they shouldn’t do it?
@anyone
And I think ALL “professional photographers” should have a serious reality check. You do not capture my memories, you capture what my family looks like at a certain point in time. My memories are captured with my little non SLR camera at home, at the park, at bedtime. If I lose the pictures you took I will lose a lot of money. I won’t lose my memories. Weddings are different I grant.
I have schooling, training and experience. I have never charged for my pictures because I believe everyone should be able to afford a great family picture. Recently I have started charging because of the demand, it wasn’t fair to my family. Still my prices are “mom with a camera”. I don’t use PS, I don’t like it. I don’t do a ton of editing, I don’t use all the equipment I have or could use. I give them what I charge. It doesn’t mean I have no schooling, no talent or experience. It means I wouldn’t pay over a certain amount even if the pictures made me look like the most beautiful woman on earth, and I don’t think others should have to either.
Do I hurt your business, no. Because the people who want to look photo shopped and gorgeous will pay to go to you. and the people who want a simple family picture and still be able to afford to go to Disneyland will go to me. It doesn’t mean I don’t take pride in photography or my work. It means where I come from we aren’t even sure what Prada is so we don’t spend that kind of money.
Are all Photographers the same? No. Some are fantastic. Some are Great. Some think they are. Some are expensive. Some are reasonable. Some are Vulgarly overpriced. Some do it for fun. Some do it for a living. Some do it for praise and money.
Just because you have put thousands of dollars into your business, pay taxes, have insurance, etc..etc..etc..it still doesn’t give you the right to act superior or put down someone’s dream.
Anyone who read this and thought “yeah he’s speaking for ‘us’…” needs a little bit of humble pie.
“”Just because you have put thousands of dollars into your business, pay taxes, have insurance, etc..etc..etc..it still doesn’t give you the right to act superior or put down someone’s dream.”"
Paying taxes and insurance when you run and operate a business isn’t acting superior, its following the LAW.
Very well written! I was going to do an article up similar to this myself. We just had a yard sale on the weekend and my sister was appalled that she only got $5 for a $200 dollar handbag that someone managed to negotiate without her there.
A critical issue for those of us photographers making, trying and hoping to make a living in photography. It’s a question of perceived value. The average person will always choose price. That’s why the majority of the stuff we buy id made in China. What do we do about it?
First, we recognize that this trend will never change. Digital has just brought this trend to photography. It’s already doomed the small mom&pop stores (box chains sell cheaper and have it all in one spot).
Second, we accept that the people who cannot see the value we provide in our product or service, will never be convinced otherwise. And this is especially true if the feel, or even can imagine they can do it themselves.
And thirdly we accept that there will be hobbyists who will sell their stuff for less than market value. I disagree with Andrea here: these people will never go oit of business: they are not in a business to go out of. It’s a hobby and is extra cash.
So what do we do? Examine our services, products, branding and markets. Are we in the right spot? Is there a market consisting of people who see our value? Is our value a significant differentiator?
All these factors need to be examined with a critical eye. And adjusted accordingly. It is hard and will require a great deal if work. In the tech business, there is a phrase: innovate or die.
We need to innovate or evolve or product, value and markets.
Good luck to you and see you out there.
Hagen
Thank you, Esther for the comment.
Following the law regarding taxes can mean many things, Trina. You have to meet a certain level of income before you pay taxes in the US on your business, but some of those who don’t have a studio do follow the LAW too. You have a great point, though, so don’t get me wrong at all. I’m glad you reminded us along with others here.
The very good thing about this post and these comments is that it will make many people look at what the laws are in their states/countries, etc. and follow it.
Lisa, I think you are misguided on the income tax. No matter how much income you bring in, you have to claim it regardless of whether you earned it babysitting, or by having a hobby photography service or a full-fledged business. Every penny you earn, the government claims a portion of for taxes and it is your obligation to report it whether you are a legitimate business or otherwise.
Jenn,
Yep you are right. That was off on my part! Thanks! I have stuff to be filed when needed. Shouldn’t have worded it that way. Thank you!
Perfectly worded, Andrea. I shared on FB.
an excellent article and sobering and wise reading. Why do we say our memories and families are so important yet purchase and live in a different way. The plasma/purse analogy is gold.
Almost 20 years ago, I went into college having loved photography/art since I was teenager. I hold degree in Photography & Graphic Design. I’ve worked since then in this ever-evolving field of ours, but I don’t share your point of view.
I would venture to say that most/lots of the photographers here don’t have the background I have, but I think that many of you have the same skill level. Why? Talent is talent, and if you have it, you’ll develop it quickly…. especially these days. Everything you need is right there for you. Do you really need a 4 year degree to do what you do?? Nope, not anymore! Digital cameras, websites, hosting sites, and editing images (within an inch of their lives!) is something lots of people, some w/talent, some not so much, can access fairly easily these days. If most of these up and coming photographers had to go through what I went through to get into this business, most would not. But be honest… would you be where you are? The very technology that makes it so easy to break into this business, is the same one that propels yours.
How many of you have it on your websites that you “discovered photography”? When did you discover it exactly? But many of you have no problem sharing these articles above on your FB pages. I find that ironic. I never discovered photography, it was my passion long before I ever knew, and I have never done anything else. I have never justified my cost to anyone. This is my work, this is my price…after that, the decision is out of my hands. Photography IS a luxury, and memories are not hinged on whether or not you can afford custom photography.
To the newcomers… welcome. We can all appreciate that you need to get your foot in the door. Be honest with yourself, be honest with your clients. Charge a reduced fee for your first year to build your portfolio. After that, charge average market price… enough to make it worth your while and enough to not undercut the entire photography community.
“I never discovered photography, it was my passion long before I ever knew, and I have never done anything else.”
-Elle
Well said! Just recently my mother sent me a box of prints and negatives I had taken from the early to late 90′s during my teen years. I was surprised to see some of the work that I did back then with my lil film cam was actually decent.
I’m going to have to agree that custom portraiture is a luxury. The “memories” theory everyone is try to push is crazy to me. I can pull out old snapshots of my grandparents, or summer vacations we took when I was a child and the memories are just as vivid as when I look at the professional portaits I had taken of my own children(I’m a pro photog turned stay-at-home mom). They not on the same level artistically, but as far as memories go, I’d call it even.
Oh, I have a designer purse, too. Not once did the girl behind the counter tell me that it would hold my goodies any better than the less expensive brands.