I SEE IT COME UP TIME AND TIME AGAIN: “WHY DO PHOTOGRAPHERS COST SO MUCH MONEY?!” “OH GOD, YOU’RE TOO EXPENSIVE, I REALLY CAN’T AFFORD THAT.” “I KNOW A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO WILL DO THAT FOR ME FOR FREE.” THIS DOESN’T STOP AT PHOTOGRAPHERS, IT’S BASICALLY ALL FREELANCERS… EVERYWHERE YOU GO THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT YOU’RE CHARGING TOO MUCH. IT’S LIFE!

HOWEVER, I THOUGHT THAT RATHER THAN SIT HERE, IN MY HIGH CHAIR, AND ASSUME THAT EVERYONE KNOWS WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS COST AS MUCH AS THEY DO, I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT TIME THAT I ACTUALLY WROTE ABOUT IT. WE SHOULDN’T EVER ASSUME THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS HOW MUCH WORK GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES, OR HOW MANY BUSINESS COSTS A PHOTOGRAPHER WILL HAVE. SO LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!

1. GEAR = $11,000 WORTH
   1. COMPUTER | $2500 | 3-5 YEARS
   2. CAMERA BODY | $2000-$5000 | 3-5 YEARS
   3. LENS | $2000 | HOPEFULLY, A LONG TIME
   4. REPLACEMENT SHUTTER | $500
   5. CALIBRATING LENS | $30 EACH | ONCE A YEAR
   6. CLEANING | $20 EACH | ONCE A YEAR
   7. FLASH + LIGHTING EQUIPMENT | $460 OVER 2 YEARS
   8. BATTERIES | $400 FOR HIGH QUALITY RECHARGEABLE SYSTEM | 5 YEAR WARRANTY
   9. CAMERA + LIGHTING BAG | $350 | UNTIL IT FALLS APART
   10. SD CARDS | $150-$300 A YEAR
   11. HANGERS | $60 | UNTIL THEY ARE FORGOTTEN OR STOLEN
   12. CLEAR UMBRELLAS | $42 | UNTIL THEY ARE FORGOTTEN OR STOLEN
   13. HARD DRIVES | $500 | SPACE FOR 2 YEARS
2. RECURRING SERVICES = $530 A MONTH
   1. CLIENT HUB | $40 A MONTH PLUS 2.5 % OF ALL MONIES THAT RUN THROUGH HONEY BOOK
   2. WEBSITE | $35 A MONTH
   3. UNLIMITED GALLERY | $40 A MONTH
   4. ONLINE RAW BACKUPS | $24 A MONTH
   5. EDITING SOFTWARE | $20 A MONTH
   6. PHOTOGRAPHY INS | $175 A YEAR
   7. WIFI | $70 A MONTH
   8. PHONE BILL | $80 A MONTH
   9. ACCOUNTING FEES | $500 JUST FOR TAXES
   10. ADVERTISING | THE KNOT | $280-360 A MONTH
3. TAXES
   1. SELF EMPLOYMENT TAXES | 15.3%
4. WORKSHOPS + EDUCATION = $285 A MONTH
   1. MOST WORKSHOPS | $1250-$2500 FOR 2-3 DAYS | NOT INCLUDING TRAVEL OR HOTEL
   2. ONLINE EDUCATION | $900 A YEAR
5. TIME
   1. LOCATION SCOUTING: WHETHER YOU’RE SHOOTING ON LOCATION OR IN A STUDIO, THERE WILL BE TIME NEEDED TO PREPARE FOR THE PHOTOSHOOT DAY. IF THE SHOOT IS HAPPENING ON LOCATION SOMEWHERE, IT MIGHT BE A CASE OF CHECKING OUT THE VENUE OR EXPLORING A NEARBY FOREST. IF IT’S IN A STUDIO, IT WILL BE A CASE OF FINDING A STUDIO, AND GETTING A TOUR OF IT SO THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHER KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE EVERYTHING IS. THIS JUST MEANS THAT COME SHOOT DAY, YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER IS ALREADY AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS, AND CAN PROCEED WITH THE IMAGE MAKING FASTER!
   1. SHOOTING TIME: THIS WILL SEEM OBVIOUS, BUT OBVIOUSLY PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL CHARGE FOR THE TIME THEY ACTUALLY SPEND ON THE SHOOT WITH YOU! NEED I SAY MORE?
   2. EDITING: I THINK PEOPLE VASTLY UNDERESTIMATE HOW LONG EDITING IMAGES ACTUALLY TAKES. WE DON’T JUST SIT AT OUR DESKS AND TWEAK COLOURS. EDITING INVOLVED CULLING IMAGES, EDITING SKIN (IF THERE IS SKIN INVOLVED), COLOR CORRECTING, EXPORTING VARIOUS FILES AT VARIOUS SIZES AND RESOLUTIONS, AND ENSURING THAT EVERYTHING IS BACKED UP AT LEAST 3 TIMES TO ENSURE THAT YOUR IMAGES ARE SAFE FOREVER AND EVER. THIS IS A LENGTHY PROCESS. PERSONALLY, I WILL DEDICATE ON AVERAGE AT LEAST 30-50 HOURS PER WEDDING! DEPENDING ON THE HOURS SHOT AND IF THERE WAS A SECOND SHOOTER. SO, OBVIOUSLY, ALL OF THIS TIME GET’S ADDED TO THE FEE. THE LONGER THE SHOOT, THE LONGER THE TIME SPENT EDITING, AND THE HIGHER THE PRICE.
   3. EXPERIENCE: NOW, THIS ISN’T A BUSINESS COST AS SUCH, AND IT’S A LOT MORE SUBJECTIVE… BUT IT’S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WILL MAKE SENSE. MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL PRICE THEMSELVES BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE. A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAS BEEN SHOOTING FOR 10 YEARS, HAS LOADS OF KIT, KNOWS HOW TO LIGHT A PORTRAIT PERFECTLY, AND HAS DONE A THREE YEAR LONG DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY IS GOING TO CHARGE MORE THAN SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST BOUGHT A SECOND HAND CAMERA ON EBAY TO PLAY WITH ON THE WEEKENDS. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS CHARGING LESS, NOT AT ALL. ALL I’M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO CHARGES MORE MONEY WILL (IN THEORY, AND THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE) DELIVER BETTER IMAGES. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
   4. SENDING FILES, EMAILS, FOLLOW UPS: A LOT OF PEOPLE IMAGINE THAT BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER MEANS WE SPEND OUR DAYS TAKING PRETTY PHOTOGRAPHS. SADLY, THAT’S ONLY ABOUT 20% OF WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO. I SPEND AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME SENDING EMAILS, FOLLOWING UP ON OTHER EMAILS, CREATING TIMELINES, UPDATING MY WEBSITE FOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AND SENDING OUT FILES (TO NAME A FEW TASKS). ALL THESE THINGS TAKE ME TIME, AND THAT’S THE TIME THAT I’M WORKING. SO THERE YOU GO. I’M SURE THAT I’VE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING BECAUSE THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS, BUT I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS IS HELPFUL AND INSIGHTFUL TO SOME OF YOU. THIS IS BY NO MEANS POINTING THE FINGER AT ANYONE TO SAY “YOU NEED TO PAY US!!!!” I SIMPLY WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT I DON’T THINK MANY PEOPLE SEE AND MENTION WHAT A LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS SEEM NOT TO WANT TO DISCUSS. SO NEXT TIME YOU’RE THINKING OF BOOKING A PHOTOGRAPHER, AND YOU SEE A PRICE THAT YOU THINK IS EXPENSIVE, THINK BACK TO THIS, AND TRY TO BREAK DOWN THAT MONEY INTO ALL OF THESE CATEGORIES. YOU MIGHT QUICKLY REALISE THAT IT DOESN’T SEEM QUITE AS EXTORTIONATE AS YOU ONCE THOUGHT.