Sunday, May 8, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?
This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is published in the December 2009 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine.
In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.
The average one-hour portrait session
First, let's look at the actual work involved:
· Travel to the session
· Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.
· Shoot the photos
· Travel from the session
· Load images onto a computer
· Back up the files on an external drive
· 2 - 4 hours of Adobe® Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs. Proof photos are also ordered.
· 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
· Possibly meet clients at the studio to review photos and place order. Meeting and travel time average 2 hours.
You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $200 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $200 per hour.
The eight-hour wedding
A wedding photographer typically meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding. And it’s not uncommon to end up with 1,000 - 2,000 photos, much more than a portrait session. Many photographers spend 40-60 hours working on one eight-hour wedding if you look at the time that is truly involved. Again, when a wedding photographer charges $4,000 for eight hours of coverage, clients are NOT paying them $500 an hour!
(Don’t forget that the photographer runs the wedding day to some extent. A comfortable, confident wedding photographer can make a wedding day go more smoothly.)
The expertise and cost of doing business
Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.
The chain store photo studio
Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In fact, Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the door.
The real deal
Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.
Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs, created by a Personal Photographer are so expensive.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.
The average one-hour portrait session
First, let's look at the actual work involved:
· Travel to the session
· Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.
· Shoot the photos
· Travel from the session
· Load images onto a computer
· Back up the files on an external drive
· 2 - 4 hours of Adobe® Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs. Proof photos are also ordered.
· 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
· Possibly meet clients at the studio to review photos and place order. Meeting and travel time average 2 hours.
You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $200 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $200 per hour.
The eight-hour wedding
A wedding photographer typically meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding. And it’s not uncommon to end up with 1,000 - 2,000 photos, much more than a portrait session. Many photographers spend 40-60 hours working on one eight-hour wedding if you look at the time that is truly involved. Again, when a wedding photographer charges $4,000 for eight hours of coverage, clients are NOT paying them $500 an hour!
(Don’t forget that the photographer runs the wedding day to some extent. A comfortable, confident wedding photographer can make a wedding day go more smoothly.)
The expertise and cost of doing business
Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.
The chain store photo studio
Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In fact, Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the door.
The real deal
Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.
Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs, created by a Personal Photographer are so expensive.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Fall Photography Workshop to be held at Two Mile County Park
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Available classes will be Macro, Natural Light Portraiture (weather permitting) , Underwater photography, (limit of 2 and must have a "C" card", and Nature/Landscape photography.
Additionally, there will be projection services, print stations and portfolio critiques available, as well as a slide show presentation by John Karian, with a question and answer session afterwards.
Come relax in a quiet country setting, and learn new photographic skills, that will help you take your photography to the next level! SORRY- Only limited space is available. Reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. Call or email to make your reservation!
(814) 673-0900 / jim@kronmillerphotography.com
Full moon images May 2010
The day before the full the moon rises just about an hour before sunset, when there's still enough ambient light to capture the details in your foreground, without overexposing the moon in your image.
Remember to get out to your preselected location in plenty of time to get to your spot and get set up before it's time to capture your image!
Until next time "Keep Shooting"
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Local photographer Deb Spangler gets recognition!
New studio and new blog layout!
Well, spring is on it's way finally! As the weather warms up, things are heating up here at Kronmiller Photography. We are in the process of moving into the largest suite on the 2nd floor at the historic National Transit Building, and are in the process of updating our blog layout, company logo as well as many other improvements! As we get into our busy season for weddings, and seniors portraits we will be offering new and exciting packages as well as some great sales. We know that in this time of economic uncertainty, every dollar counts. With over 40 years of professional experience we can meet your most stringent photographic needs and save you some of those hard earned dollars. When your pictures are important, only rely on an experienced trained professional photographer. Give us a call and we will capture your memories, so they can last for a lifetime.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Mindy Carnathan - Photographer of The Month!
Meet Mindy Carnathan,
A native of Warren Co. but now resides in Clarion Co with her husband, 2 children, 1 dog and 1 ferret. As Mindy states: "I started showing an interest in photography when I was very young. Setting up little scenes with my plastic horses or dolls. Later when I went to college I took a photography class and with my dads help learned to operate a SLR film camera. I think from that point I really opened up my wings and started to really appreciate this hobby! Photography has become my life."
All images © 2010 Mindy Carnathan and may not be reproduced without her writeen permission.
If you would like a chance to be feathered as "Photographer of The Month" simply email a sample image to me at: jim@kronmillerphotography.com Please make images 800 pixel or less in size.
Until next time "Keep Shooting"
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