According to Wikipedia, the word “photographer” means: A person who makes photographs. The word “professional” means: A member of a profession or any person who earns their living from a specified professional activity. So according to this a “Professional Photographer” would be anyone who makes money “making photographs”. There are no requirements as far as obtaining any degrees or even certifications to become a Professional Photographer. So why do some photographers seem to charge so much while others are very cheap? This is a question I see all the time. Often on social media platforms like Facebook Swap pages I see people searching for photographers and it looks something like this: ISO (In search of- for those of you who don’t do the swap pages) Photographer that doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. Actually I see these posts for all kinds of professions and I suppose the obvious response to any of them would be “you get what you pay for” but I get it. If there are two photographers and one is charging $50 for a session and the other is charging $400, how much more could you possibly be getting? The answer is: “More than you can probably even imagine”.
Experience- The more experience a photographer has the more they will most likely charge.
Quality
I have to preface by saying that everyone starts somewhere and just because a photographer is new does NOT necessarily mean that you shouldn’t give them a chance. New photographers are usually trying to build their portfolio and develop their style and skills and hopefully gain a loyal client-base along the way. This means that they may offer sessions at a cheaper price which can be a great way to update those frames or get grandma and grandpa off your back if they are asking for new photos of the grandkids. 😉 They may even be a great option for a small, casual wedding. However, if you are looking for consistently high quality work you might be better off to go with a photographer with a few more years under their belt. Experienced photographers will have a developed style that you can count on. They will have more knowledge of things like “what to wear”, locations to use, posing and how to get your kids to smile. They will have more editing skills to make your finished images look their best. Just like any profession, photographers with more experience are typically going to cost more. I certainly would never charge the same fee for photography from “beginner me” who started their photographer journey 14 years ago as I would for “current me”!
Safety
When you think of scheduling a photo session, “danger” is not usually something that crosses your mind. Surprisingly though, experienced photographers keep many things in mind to make sure everyone stays safe during your session that inexperienced photographers may not be aware of. For instance, we have all seen great photos of people standing or even sitting on railroad tracks. Did you know that those photos are not only extremely dangerous but also illegal? Almost 600 people die each year from taking photos on railroad tracks. This includes both clients and photographers. Most people think they will hear or see a train coming in time to get out of the way but trains are moving fast and take a long time to stop and by the time you hear them it may be too late not to mention you could trip or get caught up on the tracks. An inexperienced photographer might also choose a location that could be dangerous to have young children around such as close to a busy road or body of water.
Another common photo that we have all seen is the adorable newborn baby laying propped up on it’s elbows with it’s little chin propped up on it’s fists. Experienced newborn photographers know that this pose should ONLY be done in editing. It is what is called a composition (or a combination of two separate images that are combined in post processing). An inexperienced photographer could seriously injure a newborn attempting this shot incorrectly.
Expenses- More than likely, photographers that charge more also offer and provide more. That means they have more expenses!
Website
With all of the social media platforms available, it is possible for photographers to get found without a full blown website. However, having a website not only makes it easier to find a photographer, but it also allows clients to much more easily see examples of the photographers work, find information like pricing and package options, check out examples of locations you might want to use, view and order photos after your session and so much more. While a website may not seem like a large expense, there are hosting fees, domain name fees, and added software fees just to name a few of the possible expenses associated with providing this feature to clients.
Business License
Like any business, photographers who are running a legal “professional business” are required to have a business license. Does this mean that all of them do? No. So that might be another expense that the photographer charging more has that cheap photographers don’t. What difference does this make to you as a client? Well maybe not that much other than you are dealing with someone who is not running a legal business. And if they aren’t handling this part of their business correctly it makes you wonder what else isn’t legit or going to be handled professionally.
Taxes
Ahhhh…taxes. We love taxes right? But we all have to pay them. Or maybe I should say we are all SUPPOSED to pay them. How can taxes be an expense that one photographer has and another doesn’t? Well, like I mentioned above, a lot of photographers start out by just charging a little and shooting for friends and family and gradually branching out. If they are doing well and decide to start a business hopefully they then take all of the steps needed to run a legit, legal business. Since photographers don’t need a brick and mortar storefront or even a business website though, many decide to continue their little “business” by just shooting their little hearts out and pocketing the money. As a legit business a photographer should be declaring their income and paying taxes on that, have personal property taxes on their business and if they offer any prints or products charging and paying sales tax.
Professional Printing Lab
Many professional photographers offer prints, albums, canvases or other products that you can purchase directly through their website after your session. This is a wonderful convenience for you as a client. Although professional labs don’t charge the photographer any kind of fee to use their services (other than paying cost for the products) they do typically require a sales tax ID so if they don’t have a legit business set up, this may be a luxury that they cannot offer you.
Permits
With the huge increase in “Photographers” in the past few years, there has also been a huge increase in people using and unfortunately in some cases, damaging popular photography locations. This has led to many “hot spots”requiring a permit to shoot there professionally. Permits can cost anywhere from $25 to $100 or even more. So chances are, unless they are informing you that you will be responsible for the permit fee, if you hire a photographer that is only charging around $100 or less for a session, they are not purchasing a permit. This will either A) drastically limit your location choices or B) they may choose to shoot there hoping that no one will ask to see their permit. This could result in not being able to obtain admittance into the location or being asked to leave in the middle of the session.
Insurance
Insurance is another “not-so-fun” expense that photographers may have, but it is an important one…for both the photographer and the client. Let’s say you hire a photographer for a family session in a rose garden. Your 4 year old wants to pose next to a statue. The next thing you know, CRASH! The statue topples over breaking into pieces. Who is responsible for the damages? This can get messy (and expensive) but a photographer who is insured should be covered. For this reason many locations require proof of insurance to obtain the permits mentioned above.
Equipment
While I truly believe it’s not as much what kind of camera and equipment a photographer uses, as much as it is the ability of a photographer that makes great photographs…having the right equipment does help and often times is just downright necessary. A variety of lenses may be needed to achieve certain styles, in places where space is limited or to be able to get a large group into a shot. Artificial lighting is often needed in poorly lit areas or low light times of day and is a MUST for any photographer shooting weddings. A high-quality back up camera is so important for wedding photographers (what if one camera quits working in the middle of a ceremony?) but also is a great idea for any professional who may not be able to get a camera that is malfunctioning repaired prior to a shoot which would lead to cancellations or reschedules. Then there’s the memory cards, camera bags, tripods, backdrops, props and so many other “extras” that photographers need to be able to fulfill client’s needs. That adds up to several thousands of dollars!
Editing
In this time of digital photography, if photographers want to take their photos to their full potential, editing is a must. Even if they aren’t making a lot of big changes to a photo, most professional photographers shoot in RAW mode, which means the camera makes no changes to the photo at all so that they can start with a completely fresh image and slightly (or sometimes greatly) enhance it to their style. You can’t use RAW images for anything (prints, social media, etc.) so at the very least their images must be converted to another format in software like Lightroom or Photoshop. Many photographers us both. Software can be a fairly big expense on it’s own but there are a lot of additional expenses that a photographer might have to reach their full editing potential. Like taking great photos, learning how to edit them takes time…and sometimes some money. There are a lot of great courses, classes and workshops to help photographers learn the art of editing or specific editing skills. Some are free, but many are not. There are also add-ons called “presets or actions” that photographers can purchase for their software to make editing in certain styles or adding certain effects faster and easier. And obviously editing requires a decent computer and most likely a large external hard drive to store all of those images!
Studio
Most photographers choose to shoot “on location” utilizing the great outdoors, a client’s home, or maybe they have an in-home studio. But some photographers still have a brick and mortar photography studio which means rent or mortgage and utilities. This can be a great bonus to clients, especially in instances where you only have a specific time/date available so rescheduling due to bad weather is not an option. It also allows for sessions that can be hard to find a good indoor place for such as headshots or boudoir photography. Photographers with a studio most likely also have additional lighting and backdrop expenses to achieve the best studio photography look.
What are your memories worth?
Hopefully this has shed some light on the many expenses photographers have beyond the camera that you see them carry. Some photographers might be forking out a good portion of their hard earned session fees to provide all of these services (and a legal business). Others may be just starting out and getting by with the basics, while some fall somewhere in between. When choosing a photographer for your photo session, consider what your specific needs are for that session and then budget appropriately. A quick family session for a Christmas card photo might be a great time to look for a bargain, while once-in-a-lifetime events and milestones like weddings and senior photos might be worth saving up for the best. Just know that just because one photographer appears to be charging much more than another, they are probably giving that back to you in services and quality and not just trying to take all of your money…or your arms and legs.