I’m about to let out the secret world of running a photography business,
successful or not. This is not a complaint, but rather my personal thoughts and the thoughts of other professional photographers out there. It’s the why and how of what I do and I
am not alone.
…
For a little background I
left my full time job to devote everything to my business I am now a full time
mother of 3 and full time college student, the last few months I have really
put my Photography business on hold for my schooling because I am almost done
with school. But as soon as I’m finished with school I will go back to devoting
my everything to my business after all I’m going to school for Business management
and Accounting, so that will come in handy.
When I left my job 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. Once I started realizing that I
was spending more than I was making for two years, I had
to increase my prices. Guess what? That wasn't well received. With digital
photography, everyone and their uncle is now a photographer and offering $50
sessions with a disc. I will admit that I once priced my sessions that way too,
but I learned later on that there is no profit in
that.
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. These are rounded numbers of my personal expenses and
other professional photographers since being in business – no
holding back, now you know:
This is want a professional
has or should have
2
professional camera bodies (pros have to have at least one backup) | $2,600
each x 2 = $5,200- I only have one but will soon have another
2
external flashes | $500 each x 2 = $1,000
4
professional lenses (all for different looks) | $6,700
UV
filters to protect said lenses | $100 each x 4 = $400
Desktop
computer for editing | $1,200
Laptop
computer for remote business use/editing | $1000
Protection
plan for computer | $300
External
hard drives to keep your images safe | at least 1 per year at $100 each
Camera
strap | $125
Business
license | $50 annually
Business
liability insurance | $295 per year
Professional
Photography Memberships | $40 per month
Studio
Management Software | $40 per month
Website
hosting | $6 per month
Website
setup | $300
Logo
design & branding | $1,000 (that is on the low end)
Rolling
camera bag | $400
Lens bag
| $200
Photoshop
| $700
Lightroom
editing software | $300
Studio
lighting setup | $1,500
Continuing
education to make me a better photographer | $2,000 annually
Memory
cards | $400
Miscellaneous
expenses:
Gas, car
care, merchant fees, professional clothing, gadgets I've bought and then sold
and lost money, networking events, advertising
_________________________
Total = $35,000+ (YES,
THOUSAND)
Let me pause for a second while you digest that.
…
Most professionals spend more
on their business than what they took home when working a full time job. I know
I am definitely in that category.
I tread water to do this
because I get joy out of it. Otherwise, no one in
their right mind would spend that much money (and time!) on something they kind
of liked, right? My pursuit is to make a living from
this hobby-turned-profession that I love, but I can’t do that – and
no freelance photographer can – if we don’t price
ourselves accordingly.
…
One might say, “Well, Walmart
only charges $7 for a package and prints and 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.
On top of that, I don’t have a big advertising budget, so 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 of course my schooling helps with that.
…
As for that $50 per session
with a disc that everyone and their uncle is offering: When you do the math,
I’d have to shoot 600 – SIX HUNDRED –
sessions just to break even with my expenses to date. And guess what? If I’m
running a legal business, I would have to pay Uncle Sam about 1/3 of that. So,
actually, I’d need to shoot about NINE HUNDRED sessions
at $50 each to break even.
Do you want to know what
costs me the least? You’re right – the disc. The prints and the disc cost very
little, comparatively. I don’t have to tell you that because you know that Walgreen's offers 19 cent prints (even though I use a professional service)
and Wal-Mart offers 25 cds for Around $20.00. But here’s the thing…
I've told you about all of
my expenses. What I didn't tell you about was all the time
that goes into creating these images.
…
Factor in the blood,
sweat and tears. I’m not being dramatic.
At the end of a wedding, I've carried around 15+ pounds of gear for at least 8 hours. I've sweated out so much water that I’ll be dehydrated for days, and I've hardly
been fed. Perhaps I got one bathroom break. My feet,
legs and back are killing me. Chances are, I was
wearing black and it was also 90 degrees outside. I may have to lean against a
prickly thorn bush or lay on the ground in an ant pile to get the perfect shot
of the bridal shoes and now I’m bleeding from
the scratching. I may even cry because I’m so tired, my workload
is backing up and I had to miss my favorite band in concert.
BUT
I LOVE THIS I wouldn't put myself through all this and then spend an additional 20 or so
hours sitting in front of the computer late into the night, answering emails, meeting
clients for coffee down town, or spending an entire Saturday away from my
family.
I also spend thousands of
dollars learning from the best of the best photographers so
I can make my clients look amazing and learn how to adjust to harsh lighting
conditions. So, when I work hard and pay a lot to become the best photographer
I can be, please know it’s because I love it and I can’t afford to put all that
time and effort in and shoot weddings for $200 including an album
and an engagement session. I cut my self just shooting weddings for the price
that I do charge.
…
Aside from expenses, I spend
hours each day pouring over forums, watching webinars, reading, researching
and shooting to further my artistry. I have a commitment to this craft and I
always want to be better. It has taken years and probably thousands of hours to
arrive to the place I’m at now.
I not only want to be able
to make a profit now, but be able to afford children and save
for their college as well as pay off my own student loans. I
have no 401k and I may have to have a second job to have health
insurance.
…
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.
Sincerely always,
Andrea
Custom Creations
Photography
