A client was demanding to know why I charged $XXX for an item when my competitor only charged $XX. I asked her if my competitor only charged $XX and you were satisfied, why are you calling me? "Oh, .... well I can't find them anymore" ... Okay...
So I recently have raised my rates a bit, yet I still offer clients the availability to receive their set amount of photos on disc to print as they wish. I only have 2 requirements:
1. Do not alter the photo and present it as your own.
2. Give credit to Sassy Massey Photography when posting you photo online.
Many have asked me why I increased my rates, when there are other "photographers" who give you unlimited images and more time for much less than I charge. Here's the deal - I am not the cheapest priced photographer in town, and I am by far from the runnings of the priciest.
However - here is why I charge what I do:
When I left my job while 6 months pregnant with my daughter Kaylee, to go full time with photography, I was so excited! I didn’t know about all the expenses and the time that went into each session or wedding. Ignorance was bliss.
If you are skeptical and think snapping some pics & delivering a disc of images for 50 bucks is a darn great job, then I’d like you to consider what it takes to run a photography business. Here are a few figures of my personal expenses:
3 professional camera bodies (pros have to have at least one backup) | $1200 each x 3 = $3600
2 external flashes | $500 each x 2 = $1,000
4 professional lenses (all for different looks) | $3,200
Desktop computer for editing | $800
Protection plan for computer | $300
External hard drives to keep your images safe | at least 1 per year at $100 each
Business license | $50 annually
Professional Photography Memberships | $40 per month
Studio Management Software | $40 per month
Website hosting | $6 per month
Logo design & branding | $250 (that is on the VERY low end)
2 camera bags | $120 each x 2 = $240
Photoshop | $700
Lightroom editing software | $110
Studio lighting setup and 5 backdrops | $900
Memory cards | $75
Miscellaneous expenses:
Gas, car care, merchant fees, professional clothing, gadgets I’ve bought and then sold and lost money, networking events, advertising | $600
_________________________
Total = $12,011+
One might say, “Well, Sears only charges me $50 for a sitting and a print package…” They can because they spend such little time with you. They photograph you for 15 minutes, don’t do any retouching (unless you pay extra), make you pick your prints right there and send you on your way. Every one of my sessions is customized. We select the time & place, we discuss it, I drive there and back, I wait patiently if a client is running late, I go back home and select the best images, I retouch the best images, present them to the client, I prepare images for ordering and ship them.
I spend additional hours promoting myself on my blog and Facebook. I have to come up with promotions and read marketing books and blogs to help me figure it all out.
And guess what? If I’m running a legal business in the State of Texas, which I am, I have to pay Uncle Sam about 1/3 of my take home income. I pay Sales & Use taxes quarterly, I am licensed in the State of Texas, and report all earnings.
I am a stay at home Mommy to 3 children, Preslee (5) Kaylee (2) and Jaxy (6 months). I take care of them while editing, normally with atleast one baby on my lap while typing one handed...and sometimes must bring my 5 year old with me to sessions. My evenings are spent in front of the computer while my husband helps with the kids and does most of the housework because I have been at my desk for hours on end. I stay up late each night trying to get more work done after my family goes to bed, just so that I can stay above water. So, when I am asked to go back and change photos that have already been delivered in the styling that was asked for....it takes alot of time away from my family and current clients. I have 1000's and 1000's of photos stored on my external harddrive. In order to find a specific SOOC original and reedit it, I must go back through all those photos to find the photo I am looking for. I do not offer a gallery of proofs to choose from at this time, because I want to create my art and provide a boutique service rather than work like a large photo chain store. I am a one man show. Just me, my camera, my desk and my computer.
I not only want to be able to make a profit now, but be able to afford to give more to my children and save for their college as well as pay off my own bills.
To quote another photographer I look up to,
"Digital photography isn’t free.
We, as photographers, aren’t being greedy. We want to make a profit like anyone else.
The next time you admire a photographer’s work, please remember that it took a lot more than a nice camera and a sunny day to produce that image.
Please give credit to the photographer when you share their image online because it helps them get more business.
We are artists. We love our craft. And we want to stay in business for a long time.
Let’s build a community of respect and appreciation for the ones that get dirty, sweaty and shoot their hearts out."
Thanks!
