Why Is Photography So Expensive?
You’re thinking it, I’m thinking it, we’re all thinking it. In a world saturated by instantly accessible, digestible, free beautiful imagery and content, you’d expect photography to feel super accessible/affordable. The reality is, professional photography is an art (and sometimes similar to a trade service) that requires a lot of time, skill, equipment, and talent. I mean, do you question the rates your hairdresser, plumber, mechanic, accountant charge? Look, if your uncle Bob can do it for you, options are options. But when you choose to hire a professional, it comes with a price. Pricing will vary from photographer to photographer as each has their own unique level of experience/expertise, tools, service offerings, aristry, and demand.
Let’s break down what you’re paying for.
1. GEAR/TOOLS
Cameras, Lenses, Lights, Computers, Software, Hard drives, the list goes on…
Every photographer has a gear kit. What’s inside, how much it costs, that depends on the photographer. But on average, most professional photographers have a camera bag that’s filled with gear worth $5,000 - $25,000. Commercial photographers and other larger production photographers who work on bigger sets, that number is much higher. And that’s the gear just to take the shot, editing the shot is another collection of equipment.
It requires quality technology to edit video and photography files — powerful computers, beautiful screens, hard drives and SD cards (multiple) to store all those large files, and the software to work on and deliver media files. These hard costs end up being quite expensive as you can imagine, ballpark $7000-$15,000. Another factor to consider is that technology is constantly evolving and it breaks down, so each year photographers budget to upgrade their gear or as they grow add new gear. It’s an ongoing expense and one that we as photographers accept. The tools of the trade just cost a lot, and quality often comes with a price tag.
2. Business Costs
RUNNING A business IS Baked into the price
Just like any other business, we got bills to pay to keep us going. Transportation, accounting fees, studio rentals, phone bills, taxes, marketing fees, advertising fees, personal growth fees to name a few. For professional photographers, these business or operational costs are baked into our price. If you hire a hobbyist photographer, they typically have another source of income so their pricepoint is most likely going to be much lower than full-time photographer. For the pros, the work needs to also pay the bills, including our food and rent. Determining our price point has to take into account our living situation and location as well.
3. Time
that 1hr shoot was actually 5hrs of work
When you see a price associated with an hour of time, you may think, whoa…that’s a lot for 1hr of work. But it isn’t just 1hr of work, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes time that goes into that 1hr.
Editing, correspondence, uploading, travel time, location scouting, mood board prepping… for every hour there is at least a few more hours that happened behind the scenes.
4. Expertise
Not only just a person who knows how to work a camera
Each individual brings a history of skillsets and level of expertise to their photography work. Of course, there’s the technical expertise, but perhaps they have experience in other industries that up-level their expertise when it comes to photography. Perhaps they have been doing this for many years and are really experienced. Their hidden talents may not be advertised but it’s definitely a factor most include in their pricing.
5. Artistry
Call it talent, artistry, skill…that photographer’s got something going on
What makes photographers all unique is their eye and approach to photography. It’s not just about technical skills (yes we need those but even those vary from photographer to photographer), it’s how they see the world. How they set up a frame, what they’re thinking and how they act or direct their subjects to bring out a story. It’s how they choose to edit a photo, what colors they want to bring out, how they can enhance beauty and distill details. It’s an art form. This is such a hard thing to put a price on, and something many photographers feel shy about putting a value on, but it’s one of the traits that make you the MOST valuable. No one is YOU.
6. Value
the worth of an image
Typically, photographers will price different services according to the usage and value the photos have for you. Is this photo responsible for making you profit? For example, a family shoot may be less expensive per photo than a brand shoot because for the brand shoot these images are more valuable for their profitability.
Think about if you were designing a brick-and-mortar apothecary shop. The difference between this business failing versus succeeding and profiting relies on its image and ability to attract clients in the door. I’d hope you’d hire professionals who understand the industry and offer high-end experiences and services to do the work. Every touchpoint to product design, online marketing, and in this case the interior/exterior design experience is what is going to get people to walk in the front door. There’s a heavy value for that quality of work. You wouldn’t hire just anyone, you’d want to hire an expert. And it’s the same for photography. Your image sells your product and provides you with profit, and THAT’S value.
7. DEMAND
demand will typically increase the price
Most photographers reach a point in their growth where they are either feeling overwhelmed with requests that they either don’t have the time to do them all, or they want to have a better work-life balance that they increase the price so they can serve their ideal clients better. If you’re being sought after, you’re up to something real good. The quality of service you are providing is valueable. And hey, when demand increases, so should your pricing.
Investing in Photography
At the end of the day, choosing who you work with is a very personal and important decision. Do some research before you are in need of immediate photography services so you can budget for working with someone who you trust will elevate your image and provide you with the services you need. Remember, we’re here to provide you with exceptional service, we truly love our jobs as creatives, and we are invested right in there with you on working on a shared goal and vision.
If you’d like to know how to find the perfect photographer for your next shoot, check out my top 5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOUR SHOOT.
Welcome!
I’m Ashley, a Toronto/Montreal Based Editorial Personal and Brand Photographer. Curious about services? Check out my ABOUT page here.