Why are photographers so expensive?!

Prior to getting into photography, and around the time I was getting married, I probably muttered these same sentiments. Let's be honest, I'm pretty sure I did. I know this is what many people think when a photographer sends out your quote. "Must be nice to click a button for an hour and get paid $XYZ". Is this your first thought when you see your photographer's prices? It's alright if it is, because that's why we are exploring the cost of photography.

Photography is expensive. It's expensive to break into and maintain a photography business. Majority of the expenses associated with a photo session is what you don't see! Hidden from sight are hours of work to curate the perfect experience for the client from start to finish which includes:

* Correspondence between photographer and client before and after the session.

* Designing the set or scouting the location.

* Planning for the session flow, posing, prompts.

* Clean up/ travel to and from location.

* Uploading images to special software that requires training to use and understand.

* Two hours minimum to edit the images.

* Another couple of hours to load the images to the online gallery, manage the gallery,

to which a monthly subscription is required to have access to said gallery.

Let's say the photographer charged $350 for the 1 hour session. We now know that it's not just a one hour session. We now know that is $350 for 1 hour of session time and about 8 hours of behind the scenes work. At this point the photographer has worked about 9 hours for $350, before taxes and expenses, that's $38 dollars an hour gross. But wait! There's more......

The Gear, The Gear, Oh the Gear!

This is another and just important factor contributing to the expense of your photography session. You wouldn't want a mechanic with just one tool working on your entire car, or any part of your car for that matter.

We have established that for a 1 hour session, there is about 8 hours of behind the scenes work. What looked like $350 for 1 hour of work has turned into $350 for 9 hours of work and $38 per hour before taxes. Well $38 per hour doesn't seem bad right? Wrong! Now we must factor in gear. The camera doesn't come as a one stop shop. The camera is a minimum of $1100. That's without any lenses or bells and whistles. Now you need to add lenses and in my case they are $250, $600, and $1200. Then we have about $2000 in computer equipment and hard drive equipment for digital storage. If your photographer has a studio, you can add, lighting expenses, backdrops (which start at $135 for small ones), maintenance, utilities, and additional insurance.

More unseen expenses?!

You bet ya! Now that we've worked through production of work, and the gear to run a photography business, now lets take a peak at more expenses not out in front and in your face. Some of these expenses, although, this is not an inclusive list but just right of the top:

* Website hosting

* Email addresses

* Software subscriptions for editing and design.

* Online gallery hosting

* Bookkeeping

* Taxes

* Licensing fees (City and state).

* Marketing

* Time and or money spent on working social media account and search engine optimization.

* Continuing education, workshops, seminars.

What appeared to be $350 per hour for "pushing a button" is now less than $10 per hour.

What are you really getting when you hire a professional photographer?

When you hire a professional photographer, you are getting an artist who has spent a great deal of time and money perfecting their craft (and the aspect of always learning and improving never comes to an end, unless we put the cameras down), provide you with an exceptional experience, and give you an heirloom that will last for generations to come.

I invest in my clients by researching right after night for their session and or theme. Looking for the perfect outfit for your child's cake smash session. I look for the perfect backdrop that makes your visions come to life. I don't rest until I know every single client loves the service and the products they receive. There is a huge difference between a snapshot and a professional image. Learning to properly light the set, working the camera comfortably in manual I'm telling my camera what to do, not just "Sit there" annnd SNAP! It's the shadows, the light, the composition of the frame, evaluating the exposure triangle, and how to manipulate it to achieve the look I have in my artistic mind.

While the price your photographer can seem expensive, it's an expensive business to run.

Tell me you thoughts!