FACTS ABOUT THE COST OF PHOTOGRAPHY...
A photographer doesn’t mean that we wake up in the morning, photograph a wedding for 8 hours and then go home and our job is done. Those of us who are lucky enough to be able to support ourselves as full time photographers don’t just work as photographers. We are also small business owners, which also comes with the job of doing all of our own marketing, sales, accounting, scouting, art directing, managing our offices and studios, being our own webmasters, doing our own post production, designing, blogging, being students, being mentors, researching, etc…
That being said, We are a small business owner, so we pay all of our taxes.
We pay rent for an apartment just large enough to be able to store and work on your wedding pictures in an environment suitable for photo editing.
Then we have cars, which we use to get me to and from your wedding, and we have to pay insurance on said vehicles.
To get to your (and my other brides) wedding consultation, second wedding pre-consultation, the wedding itself, and to and from the printers we use gas which is not cheap
We also have $500/year insurance in case you sue me, or if any of your drunk guests would happen to break any of my equipment.
You also probably found us through our website, which we pay $30/month for hosting, and another $30/month so that you can view your photos online and share the images with your friends and family.
Or perhaps you found us through our advertisements in the newspaper or local bridal magazines, or a bridal show that you attended that we paid to have a booth at.
We also pay $250/month for our own health insurance in case I were to get hurt at your wedding.
We pay a wedding photography assistant for your wedding, so that you can have more images and different angles, as to make sure you get the best images possible at your wedding.
You are also getting 2 photographers to cover your wedding, for the same price you would only get one photographer for and still less expensive.
We also need to have a new pair of shoes ($100) every season because our shoes get worn out and dirty from season to season.
We need high speed internet so I can upload all of your images online, our home phone for our business and our cell phones, so we can communicate with you.
Oh yes, and we also pay a lawyer to make sure our contracts are iron clad and an accountant to make sure that we are paying all of the taxes we need.
Sometimes we attend workshops and seminars to teach us how to better my business, and make our clients happier (that would be you), as well as keep up on the trends and learn new techniques so that we can make sure you have the best quality images available.
We still have to feed ourselves, buy groceries, pay for heat and electricity, clothe ourselves, etc. But, We usually I end up reinvesting whatever we make photographing a wedding on upgrades and new equipment:
During your wedding, We bring my professional equipment that we use so that we can make sure you have the highest quality images.
We have 2Canon 6D Mark II cameraS, and 1 Canon 5D Mark II, which cost at least $2,000/camera = $6,000
We also have quality lenses which can capture your special moments in low light situations:
Canon 24-70 f/2.8 lens = $1,200
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens = $2,300
Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens = $500
Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro = $600
…and we have speed lights to catch the fun moments at your reception:
2 x Canon 580EX II = $1,200
Also multiple battery backups and memory cards, lens filters, light stands, umbrellas, light boxes, external battery packs and a bag to carry everything in = $3,000+
Because this is equipment, sometimes we need to have it serviced or cleaned to make sure it is all working properly = $200
After spending 8-10 hours at your wedding, we then go home to our home office and spend about 20-25 hours editing your images, creating your album, blogging about your wedding, posting pictures on Facebook, ordering you prints and burning your DVDs.
We edit your photographs using a 27-inch iMac computer = $2,500.
We edit your photographs on Adobe Lightroom ($200) and Adobe CS5 ($400 for the upgrade and $900 for the new program).
We print your DVDs on a printer which costs $300 and which uses $200/year in ink.
We buy the DVDs and jewel cases you’re getting printed for $300/year
We archive all of your photographs on 2 x 2TB external hard drives = $500.
We also back up all of my photographs online so if there was ever a fire in my office, you would never lose your photographs = $400/year.
We also have office expenses as far as buying paper, staples, envelopes, packaging, filing cabinets and files, etc…
We also spend time and money ordering your prints and albums, paying for shipping, going to the post office etc.
All of that being said, We're usually in the hole at the end of the year, and take on many family portraits, senior portraits and corporate jobs in order to make ends meet.
Photography is our passion and my livelihood, and it is also expensive. Yes, it seems like a lot of money for one day, but one day isn’t all we spend on your photographs or on our business. You will spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress or flowers or a venue or on catering which you are going to have for only one day, but your photographs will be the only thing you have to remember that one day for the rest of your lives.
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