What you’re paying for when you hire a professional photographer.
When you start shopping around for a professional photographer the prices can sometimes seem quite daunting. What very few consumers realize though is that there is a lot more to photographing your event than just clicking a button at the right time.
So what are you paying for when hiring a professional photographer?
- Time is money. Just like any other professional, a photographer needs to put in the hours to get the job done. This includes the consultation, traveling to and from the location, shooting the photos, editing and processing the orders. You’d be surprised at how long it takes to get the end result that is finally delivered to you. Once they shoot the photos, it’s not as simple as downloading the images and delivering them to you. They have to process the files, convert it to the correct file type as well as make sizing and color adjustments to make each image pop. If your photographer is also creating a book or album for you, they need to spend time designing it too.
- Equipment is expensive. Even though this is a very small part of why photographers charge the prices they do, it’s important to remember that quality equipment plays an important role in being able to produce the photos that they do. Professional equipment not only allows for the production of high quality images, it also gives photographers the ability to work in areas with less than favorable lighting conditions or at venues where using a flash is prohibited.
- They have spent years acquiring a very specific skill. Photography, like any other profession, requires experience and specific skills. From knowing what lighting and camera settings to use, to knowing how to pose people and help them feel comfortable in front of the camera. Great photographers don’t rush the editing process either, it takes time to produce the desired result and turn your photo into a work of art that you’ll proudly want to display in your home.
- It’s still a business. A professional photographer is still running a business, which means they will more than likely have overhead costs such as rental fees for their studio and the upkeep of equipment. Photographers also need to budget for professional association fees, equipment and liability insurance and fees for courses that will allow them to stay ahead by continuously honing their craft.
A professional photographer who is dedicated to their art and willing to go the extra mile for their clients is always well worth the price. This is also a good time to bring up the fact that I LOVE giving back. I volunteer a lot of my time photographing in the NICU’s. Photographing NICU babies and their families means these families are getting the opportunity to receive beautiful images of their babies FREE of charge. They get a free session and all the digital images from that session gifted to them. It is my pleasure to participate in such a wonderful cause but I can only do it because of my wonderful paying clients who schedule their sessions with me on an ongoing basis. Without clients willing to pay my fees I wouldn’t be able to gift half as many sessions. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Michele is a participating photographer with The Tiny Footprints Project a non-profit organization
Michele is a lifestyle portrait photographer in North Oaks, Minnesota. She photographs children and their families both on location and in her studio in Northeast Minneapolis. To schedule your next session with Michele please visit mQn Photography | Twin Cities Photographer or e-mail michele@mqnphotography.com
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