Little Angels Photo Blog

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

A father is someone who lifts you up and holds you there forever.

In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home “photo printers”, we hear this all the time.  How do professional photographers charge $x for an 8×10, when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore?  Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photography; they are also paying for time invested in the photo shoot, the education the photographer has had to become a professional photographer, and large cost of professional equipment.

First, let’s look at the actual work involved in the average one hour session:

The Session:

• 45 minutes: Talk to the client, answer questions, send informational and pricing email.  Once the client books the appointment, we like to have a short consultation over the phone about what the client wants to accomplish at the portrait session. We will also mailed to client before the session a consultation packet with directions to the studio.  All consultation packets are classy elegant packaging featuring a lot of information about our studio.
• 30 minutes: Photographer will arrive 30 minutes before the session to prepare the studio, turn lights on, prepare memory card and camera.  Also to turn the heaters on for the newborn babies.
• 1-hour session: The portrait session
• 30 minutes:  If the session was a newborn baby.  Most likely there will be a laundry basket full of soiled blankets and sheets from the naked baby.  These need to be washed and dried immediately.
• 45 minutes: Back up the files onto the studio computer.  Also back up all files from session onto a secondary back up drive.  Download images into proof viewing program for customer viewing.  Filter all bad images and duplicated images out.  Crop, edit and change tones on all images.  Prepare slideshow for client of favorite images to music.

The Portrait Viewing Session:

• 30 minutes: The digital artist needs to arrive 30 minutes before the session time to turn the projector on, load the program and images.  (and incase clients arrive a little early)
• 1-hour portrait viewing session: Showing clients the slideshow.  Going through and helping clients narrow down their favorite images.  Discussing any retouches the client may want.  Answer any questions the client may have.

You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into over 4 hours or more from start to finish.  So if you see a professional photographer charging $100 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $100 per hour.

The Expertise and Cost of doing Business:

-Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience and training.  Even though a DSLR now cost under $1000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most professional 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 produce high quality portraits.  And don’t forget backdrops, equipment, props, rent, utilities, taxes, employee expenses and insurance.

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.    Most likely the photographer shooting has had very minimal training.

Consider the time and effort that a professional photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store.  Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a professional 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 patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.

The truth is that many chain store studios lose money.  What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos… and while there, spending $100 on other items.  They are there to get you in the door.

The Real Deal:

Professional photographers are just that–professionals.  No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician.  The difference is that a professional photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.

A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore.  Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hairdresser to cut their hair.  The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.

In the end, isn’t a result like the one below worth it?

Thanks to Shawn, Pamela and Gavin Richter with Caught on Film Photography for the inspiration of this article.

Image taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera.

Image taken with a professional camera under studio lighting.

Call the studio today at 801-593-0027 and schedule the making of your memories!

Purchase a session in April (perfect timing for our Tulip Days!) and receive a free session of equal value to bounce back and use in October. Just in time for those gorgeous fall family pictures you’ll cherish forever and Christmas cards that will make everyone on your mailing list jealous.

Call our studio today at 801-593-0027 and reserve your opportunity to own memorable portraiture of your children and family.