One of the toughest things to figure out in a photography business is how much to charge your clients.
Charge too high, you might scare customers off, too low, you are leaving money on the table and you may look like an amateur, don’t charge enough to cover your overhead costs, you won’t stay in business long.
So what should you charge and what should You be paying for professional photography?
There is no definite answer here, but I want to raise a few points for both photographers figuring out what they should charge and for people looking to hire a photographer, what they can expect.
The main difference between hiring a $500 dollar photographer and a $5000 photographer is marketing and brand reputation.
Huh? Chances are if a photographer has a hefty price tag it is because they have built up a reputation for themselves through years of experience and marketing. There may be other factors involved as well, such as they offer their clients a higher end experience.
My goal as a photographer is to attract people to my business because of me, and what I can offer. No two photographers have the same eye, personality or business structure. I don’t want to attract clients just looking for any old photographer, I want clients looking for ME and wanting what I have to offer.
So what should you base your choice of photographer on? There are a few things to consider. From my perspective, I need to try and put myself in a clients shoes and try to determine their needs and what they may or may not know about the photography industry. It is my job to educate without undermining my clients beliefs about photography.
Like any consumer, the more you know about an industry and businesses you are buying goods and services from, the easier it is to make an informed decision.
Hiring a photographer comes with a certain amount of risk. How do you know they will do a good job? Will they deliver on their promises? Often times photographers are hired for a one-time event, if that event is not captured the way the client wants and you under deliver, they will be left feeling cheated and un-happy with the service they paid for. The fear of loss, making a poor photographer selection, and the fear of paying too much are all considerations for the photography buyer.
The good news for folks looking to hire a photographer is there is an abundance of them to choose from in all price ranges. The bad news is there are so many that you may become overwhelmed with choice.
Now this next statement may be a bit controversial for some, and it is also coming from the perspective of a seasoned photographer, but if you retain the services of a cheap or free photographer, expect cheap, mediocre results.
Yes, I was once the cheap mediocre photographer myself when I was learning my craft. Now it’s not to say my photos were terrible, in fact, I look back on some of them fondly, however, I’ve come a long way in terms of technique, finesse, consistency and business acumen.
It all depends on you, the consumer and what your expectations are. If you are ok with hiring a student or someone learning photography, and it’s all you have the budget for than great! Just don’t expect that higher arena of expertise from someone just starting out. No matter what your priorities are for hiring a photographer, the vision for how you want your photos to look should be top of mind. Can the photographer you are hiring deliver that vision?
How to best determine this? See samples and MANY samples of their work.
Do you like their style? Can you see yourself in their photos? Will the photographer help you to prepare to look your best in your photos? Do you like how their photos are posed or seemingly un-posed and natural looking?
Each photographer has a style they try to maintain throughout their work. Consistency is key. Is the photographers portfolio you are looking at fairly consistent, or all over the place in terms of editing styles, lighting posing etc? These will be some key factors for you to consider. Often the amateur photographer will not have a defined editing style yet (this was me in the beginning) and it is only something well developed over time.
So why can professional photographers be so damn expensive anyway?
Well, we do not work a traditional 40 hour week. We are basically independent contractors who need to pay for our very expensive equipment, keep software programs maintained, as well as all the memberships, marketing, continuing education and overhead that come with running a business (and it is more than you may think!). Don’t forget to include the long hours of post processing we do AFTER the photo shoot.
Imagine if you only worked an average of 10-15 hours a week could you survive on $25-$35 an hour? Not likely. Photographers have to consider these things mentioned above to stay in business. While this is not your problem, this is the reality of a photographer trying to stay in business in an over saturated market.
You can find a photographer for less, don’t get me wrong. Many photogs do not use photography as their entire income and many do it on the side, so they do not depend on the money as much as a full time photographer. This may also be a factor in getting a cheaper photographer. Remember also, that those not doing it full time, cannot always give you their full attention either.
For best results, seek out a photographer who has chosen to specialize in a certain niche. For example, don’t hire a landscape or wildlife photographer to shoot your wedding. Do not hire a wedding photographer for your real-estate photos or newborn photos, do not hire a family or boudoir photographer to specialize in your personal branding pics.
While true, most photographers can cross over niches to a degree, if you are looking for the full experience as well as expertise in one particular genre of photography to get amazing results, look for someone who has the most experience in that niche.
Ok, so now that we have gone over how to look for a photographer and why some of us charge what we charge, what are some reasonable expectations when it comes to pricing? I’m going to break it down in general terms. Take this with a grain of salt, as there are many factors, some mentioned above as to what photography prices are today.
If you hire a:
Hobbyist
– You can usually expect to get a service for free or often under $100 why? They still have invested in likely a good camera and a couple of lenses, but they only do this part time for fun and do not have the skill in running a business or consistently delivering top notch photographs. Be sure to check their work and make sure it matches your vision before you ask them to shoot for you.
Amateur photographer
– Expect to pay $25-$100 per hour. Many amateur photogs are still hobbyists, but have more experience selling their work.
Student Photographer
– $25-$90 per hour. Student rates will vary depending on industry experience, genre of photography they shoot and whether or not they have apprenticed under a professional photographer outside of school or not. Some full time students apprenticing under professionals should and do charge more, often their work is phenomenal and they are learning how to properly run a business. Again, check the consistency of their work.
Semi-Pro Photographer
– $50 – $160 per hour. These are photographers who would like to join the ranks of the full-time professional photographer. They may have a job or income source to keep them afloat, however their aim is to combine their current talent, or leave the old job behind. Many compete with professional photographers for jobs, but are not quite ready to jump in with both feet. Some are happy to create photographs part-time, and will integrate the photography into their full-service package price.
Professional Photographer
– $65 – $325 per hour. Some professional photographers also charge by the image. Expect to pay $50 -$375 per image. I would classify a pro photographer as one that uses photography as their full time income. Don’t get me wrong a semi-pro who depends on other sources of income can be just as talented, but does not choose photography for their full-time living. A pro will also have an extensive portfolio, plenty of experience in their chosen niche or niches and a solid commitment to their business.
Top Professional Photographer
– $250 – $500 + per hour or $300 – $2000 per image.
In any industry there is always an elite group that can command a higher price. In the photography industry, these would likely be considered in the top 5%.
So what should you expect to pay for different genre’s? Again, this can vary greatly depending on the photographer, but I will break a few of them down from personal experience.
Wedding Photography
– Wedding photography can be high stress, a lot is on the line for the consumer and the photographer. It requires plenty of planning as well as being able to think on the fly, specialized lenses and lighting and great customer service skills.
Professional photography in the Ottawa area will run you from about $1500 (on the lower side, some may be semi pro at this range) to $6000 + for higher end photographers. If photographers are charging less than this starting price, there is a good chance they are just getting started and need experience, or do it part time. There is nothing wrong with either, just make sure they can fulfil your vision if you are shopping on a budget. Also what a wedding photographer offers in their package can sway prices one way or the other too. (ie engagement session included, second shooter, album, prints etc)
Family Photography
– Family and portrait photography can vary greatly. It depends if you are getting a boutique experience with in person guided viewing and selection from the photographer. They may include prints, canvas or other finished products as part of the package, or it could just a quick mini session or one hour session with digital images delivered.
In many cases the photographers place a higher value on a digital image than a print, simply because you can reproduce a digital copy as many times as you like and the photographer will never make another penny off of that image if they release it to you. In the Ottawa area I find a 1 hour family session can run you $200 to $1000 + if that is the photogs main genre they service. Professional prints and products may be extra on top of that price. Of course you will find fluctuations on either side of the coin.
Personal Brand Photography
– I’m going to spend a few extra minutes explaining this one, so bear with me. Personal brand photography is the latest and fast growing genre trend in photography. I would sum it up as a cross between lifestyle, retail and commercial photography, telling the story behind you and your business.
Like many of the other genre’s the price range varies greatly. Sessions can run anywhere from 2 hours to an entire day, moving locations, changing wardrobe and utilizing many props and possibly various people within the business or models to achieve storyline. The pricing is based on time shooting, how many wardrobe changes, how many people in the photos, how many locations we travel to, are there product shots involved also? And providing our clients with a commercial license.
Providing a commercial license to our clients is a big factor that can make personal branding a little pricier than some other genre’s of photography.
What is a commercial license and why do you need one? Firstly, let me give you a description of the three genre’s of photography whose terms are often confused: Commercial, retail and editorial. I stole this excerpt from this very informative article if you would like to learn more about photography licensing. https://www.diyphotography.net/photo-licensing-look-basics/
COMMERCIAL photography is used to sell or promote a product, service, or idea. Advertising, marketing, and promotional activities all fall into this category.
EDITORIAL photography is used primarily for journalistic or educational purposes. Images featuring people and things not licensed for commercial use can be used in newspapers, magazines (print and online), as well as text books and educational blogs.
RETAIL photography is generally commissioned or purchased for the client’s own personal use (e.g., wedding photography, senior portraits, pet photography, fine art, etc.). Licensing issues do not arise as often in this category. While the photographer retains the copyright, the client’s fee may include a grant of reproduction rights.
If I am photographing you, your business and you are using the photos to market, promote and sell your products and services, you need to obtain that commercial license from your photographer. You are making money from these photographs, so your photographer will charge you more, to hand over the rights of use. Not all commercial licenses will contain the same terminology, so be sure to go over those terms with your photographer and make sure you understand what they mean.
So, in conclusion this is why you are likely to pay more for personal branding and commercial photography.
Now, the part you have been waiting for: What is the price range of personal brand photography?
Again there are many variables to cost in this particular genre. Is this the photographers main specialty or do they dabble in many types of photography? Do they offer one time packages, quarterly membership packages, hair and make-up included, other details included, how many images do they offer per shoot? etc, etc. All of these things will be factors when you are pricing out a personal brand photographer.
Packages:
What is in that package, how many hours, how many images offered? A personal branding specialist on average if they have priced themselves competitively, would normally start at around $1000 for roughly 2-3 hours of shooting time, 20 – 30 edited images and commercial license. Now as I say this, it can vary GREATLY depending on the photographers experience and what they offer and who they are looking to serve.
Full day packages, again depending on what is included can run you $3000 – $5000 +
Quarterly memberships – meaning the photographer will come and shoot for you each quarter, so an annual membership on a quarterly basis can be $5000 – $30,000 +. Yes, it can vary that much, again depending on what is offered and as mentioned above, the photographers marketing and reputation.
Only need a photographer for say 10-20 images to update your website, head shot etc? Again, depending on hourly rates and what is included, this could cost you a little less than a full branding shoot, because it is not as involved. Expect to pay about $200-$800 per hour or pay per image. I usually charge an hourly rate and include a certain number of images then charge additionally for any extra photos people want on top of what the original price is.
So as you can see, there is a lot to navigate in any genre of photography, key tips I would take away however before hiring a photographer are:
- Make sure you connect with the photographers style. Do you love their work?
- Look extensively at the photographers portfolio and ask if they have any relevant images to the type of project you are looking to shoot.
- Do you connect with the photographer themselves? You should be having a phone, zoom call or in person meeting with your photographer to make sure you like and trust them to provide you with the vision you have.
- Do they have a legitimate business? Can they answer all of your questions, make sure they can and if you like the answers they give, you are heading in the right direction.
- Make sure your photographer has a contract no matter what the genre. This will give a clear outline of expectations of both you the client and the photographer.
- Don’t expect a kings photo shoot for a paupers budget. Like many things in life, you often get what you pay for.
- Don’t see exactly what you want in a package from your photographer? Ask if they are willing to take out or add to a package, there is often room for compromise.
Hopefully I have provided you with some useful information that will help you understand what to look for in the photography industry, so when it’s time for you to hire a professional, you will know what to expect.
All photos in blog post shot by Stacey Stewart of Star Brand Photography / Stacey Stewart Photography
Photos of Stacey Shot by Lisa Provencal Photography
Hair and Make up for Stacey courtesy of Shannon Doyle Beauty
