Hiring a photographer: What does it cost?
Written on May 16th, 2012During this post I am going to talk about the costs involved with hiring a photographer. I think it is something that often causes confusion between many photographers and clients, and any other professional and their clients for that matter.
Whether it is through ignorance, or more nicely put, a lack of understanding, an expected favour or perhaps an effort to haggle. I’ve experienced all three and each is as frustrating as the next. Now I will put my hands up and confess that I am by no means an experienced business woman and I’m definitely not the best at applying a price tag but I’m going to discuss the matter nonetheless.
Lets start with a lack of understanding by outlining what photography actually costs.
First of all, in a lot of cases photographers have expensive equipment and software. Personally, my gear is worth more than my car, so I will leave it to you to imagine how hard I have had to work to be able to buy it.
Second, and arguably the most important point of all, the photographer knows how to use that equipment and has the creativity and vision to take photographs that you probably saw in their portfolio. The photos that made you want to hire them in the first place.
Lastly is time. With photography, every project can vary, but you can still measure the amount of time (and money) the photographer spends traveling, and then there is the actual shooting, and the countless hours they will spend editing your photographs when you aren’t looking. This is without even considering sourcing prints or albums, which can be another time consuming task. Yes, there will be large chains offering a cheap portrait session (I’m looking at you Max Spielmann), but I challenge you to get the same amount of time, care and quality as you would from a dedicated photographer.
Lets use an example of a photoshoot that takes three hours and a further three hours editing. If you were charging Max Spielmann rates the photographer is getting much less than minimum wage based on their time alone. Then bring in the expensive kit, unique service, time and attention to detail that you should be getting from a good photographer and you start to realise what you are paying for.
Expected favours – people that knew you five years ago, people that know your friends sister, people that associate themselves with you merely because you live in the same area code. I’m sure many people get this when they are starting out or when they are a photographer alongside their day job. Don’t get me wrong, ‘free work’ can be a great thing, but as a rule of thumb, a photographer is only going to do it if they are getting benefit from it; a new experience or an invaluable addition to the portfolio. This normally happens when working with another experienced photographer or perhaps a talented model, for example. It’s very humbling to be asked by people you barely know to take photographs for them, but it’s also very disheartening if they come expecting it for nothing.
And people who haggle. This is to be expected, individuals do it, businesses do it. It happens every day in every sector. I’d like to hear personal opinions from people as to how they handle this situation (photographer or otherwise)? You have offered someone your well thought out packages for them to pick from, or given them a confident price to suit their request and they come back with a counteroffer. At what point do you turn down work, and at what point do you risk devaluation of your work by lowering your price?
Personally I think it is best to counteroffer the potential client back. If they aren’t willing to pay an amount for a certain package, then perhaps they would like to pay less for a smaller package. It’s just like going into Topshop and really wanting a shirt and a jacket but only being able to afford the shirt and using your other jacket.
Please let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
