Why do photographers charge so much for packages you might ask...

If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part involving my time.


In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras and easy access to upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later............we hear this all the time - How in the world do some photographers charge $100's for a CD of images when they are much cheaper at the drug store or chain store?



Here's why.

When using a Photographer that values their work (Professional or Freelance), you're not just paying for the actual photograph(s) or CD. You are actually paying for the time and talent of that Photographer, along with the price of the items you are purchasing.



First, let's look at the actual time involved.

For a one-two hour portrait session:

- travel to and from the session

- one-two hours of shooting ( or more for weddings)

- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.

- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 8Gb of data)

- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive (99% of the time the client wants the option to order additional prints at a later time - a much later time - requiring external storage usage.)

- approx 12-18 hours of editting to apply artistic formatting; including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs (if several hundred photos, then it would take much longer -for example, weddings)

- approx 4 hrs or more total of combined communication: talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, emails/messages, order their prints providing the best quality papers and options (some of the payment for the order is applied to the print order and does not go to the photographer), receive and verify prints, package the order/prints, schedule shipment and drop package off.

Approximately 19.5 - 33 hours for each client.

You can see how one session easily turns into many hours/days of work from start to finish.

At $30 an hour for a simple client (1 hour session with client; 19.5 hours total), I would have to charge $585, for just my time.

So when you see a photographer charging a large session fee for a photo shoot, or a large fee for a package, you are not paying them $100/hour.



Now for the expertise.

Shooting good quality photography is a skill, acquired through experience. Even though some quality cameras cost under $2,000 - taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most professional photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, Such as software programs used to edit photographs, run a website, aquiring new skills/inspirations continually to stay fresh in the business, updating sites with current work and sometimes blogging, etc. And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate and help people get comfortable in front of the camera.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $XX to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional.



What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the thought, time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a relaxed one to two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to your home or outdoors or special locations! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You usually get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios --see link here: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2007/02/05/portrait_to_close_500_wal_mart_studios/ because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.



Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store or the local girls with new cameras and no experience.



The time, expertise and thoughtful artistry involved need to be considered.

Fall Mini Sessions

Fall mini sessions are here, You will get 6 images on cd, 2 8x10 or 25 greeting cards for $60 dollars!