Why Are Photographers So Expensive?
Have you ever been shocked when you asked a photographer for an estimate? You’re not alone! I’ve been on the receiving end of several candid conversations with clients about pricing. Early in my career as a professional photographer, I often reduced my rates to accommodate a growing client base.
During those early days, I could flex my pricing. After all, I had no lighting gear, studio, or team to support me. I also had a job as a contractor (steady, recurring income) and a husband making a comfortable salary. But, I was also very restricted to work that could only be photographed in natural light. As photography requests required more customization, I couldn’t achieve my clients' aesthetics without capital investments in my business.
Small Business Failure Stats
Like many small businesses, photographers fall into the 45% of small businesses that fail within the first five years. Like many entrepreneurs, photographers hit the point where they can’t wear all the hats to run a business and realize that making $15,000 a year before taxes and overhead aren’t worth the time or energy. It’s even more insulting when a client negotiates for a breakeven budget amount and shows up to the session in a Land Rover.
Put: we need to raise our rates, take a lucrative job, or get out of the industry.
So why does it still feel like photographers are so expensive?
We Budget for Our Time
The time for a photography session can be best broken out into these categories:
Creative Direction - If a client doesn’t have a defined brand and can’t fully articulate what they want, photographers have the added pressure to define your visual brand. This piece is critical because we want to ensure that we are on the same page as a client before setting up the good scenes and lighting equipment.
Project Management: This includes all the communications leading up to the shoot, preparing the client, sending contracts, and so forth. A good photographer or photography producer can make or break a session going well.
Equipment Setup and Teardown: Setting up lighting, any environmental scenes to mimic a room, backdrops, etc., are rolled into this time. It also includes time to ensure everything is on point before you arrive.
Session Time: This is the time I spend with my clients to guide, pose, and capture the actual shots. It may also involve time to shift lighting or move to a different scene, the time a client needs to change an outfit, etc. This time also bakes in “warm-up” time. Clients need about 10 minutes to lock into a good pose and feel comfortable behind the lights and equipment.
Photo Culling and Soft Proofing: I assume you don’t want to sift through the 750 photos of eyes-close and crooked-smile shots I took to hone in on the 30 you love the most. So, I do that for you and upload it to a gallery for you to select from a smaller pool.
Image Editing: Believe it or not, there is no easy button for photo editing, even in Photoshop. Although I approach my editing as an enhancement to an otherwise good image out of the camera, there are times when I need to address very detailed elements, such as stray hairs, teeth stains, scars, or blemishes. The cost for a photography job varies based on the amount of time and complexity of each image and how well a client has prepared before a session.
A “simple” headshot takes an average of 5 hours from start to finish. Or, we can minimize that time by outsourcing some of the work, which ultimately gets rolled into my next point below.
We Budget for Materials and Overhead
In addition to our time, there are many unseen fees to running a photography business.
These are a few of my monthly or annual expenses for my cost of doing business:
Studio Rent
Internet
Photography and Lighting Equipment (memory cards, cameras, lenses, lighting, stands, backdrops, etc.)
Studio and Office Supplies (cleaning supplies, refreshments, printer ink, etc.)
Professional Services for things like legal contracts, insurance, and accountant fees
My job-specific costs include the following:
Travel and mileage to a job location
Contractors and assistants to support me on set and behind-the-scenes
Seamless backdrop rolls (an extra-wide backdrop can cost nearly $500 with freight shipping fees)
If you think doing a headshot yourself is free, I urge you to think again. Your smartphone, phone plan (data), and time come at a cost. You just haven’t had to pay taxes or your salary to think on that level of financial detail.
We INCLUDE the Cost of Image LICENSING
When estimating a project, many new photographers overlook the cost of licensing the image for its intended purpose. In short, it’s what we feel is the value of our work based on how much exposure your photo will get.
Suppose your headshot is a New York Times bestseller book and all your marketing materials. In that case, I’ll likely charge more because your images will be used in press materials, websites, and your book—all in front of a large national audience.
If your photos are used on product packaging, for example, at retail outlets where customers shop, it’s inherently more valuable.
Padding Wiggle Room for a Tight Budget
I love to go all out as a perfectionist, but that also means I can complicate an otherwise straightforward job. I will collaborate and offer less if a client needs to stick to a budget.
During my season of chronic illness, I learned that I couldn’t consistently overdeliver and undercharge. Both my body and my finances deserve nurturing and respect. However, I can simplify my approach.
I offer fewer images, a shorter session fee, or budget editing to not include a more advanced edit for stray hairs or blemishes, for example. We skip the backdrop and complex lighting to opt for a natural-light option with no staged scene.
For further reading about price disparity, refer to this blog post about why photographers charge different rates for the same shoot.
