Behind the Business: What the Cost of a Session Covers
Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my business. One of the most frequent ones is “Why is professional photography so expensive?” I understand that it can be difficult to understand why something as “easy” as pressing a button could be so costly. Especially in today’s digital age, almost anyone can grab their phone, snap a picture, add a filter or two and create a decent photograph that won’t cost them a cent. However, there is so much to consider when examining the cost of a professional photography service.
Hours of Work
Although my interaction with my clients is extensive (emails, phone calls, the actual session, proofing galleries, etc.) there are hours and hours of work that go on behind the scenes. This includes everything from set up and clean up to researching the best locations for outdoor sessions (I wrote a full post detailing the time that a photography session takes, which you can read here).
Professional Expenses
Being a professional isn’t cheap! I am obsessed with getting the best quality equipment and training so that I can deliver the highest quality experience for my mommies and their families. That means that I’ve invested a LOT into things like:
Floors, backdrops, props for the session
Outfits and posers
Software for editing
Software for booking
Software to host galleries
Website hosting and creation
Legal contracts
Studio space
Utilities
Assistants and or outsourcing
Insurance
Photography equipment including backup cameras, lights, modifiers
Photography equipment repairs and replacements when they expire (we have to plan ahead for such expenses)
Credit card processing fees
Travel (for on-site sessions)
Education
Taxes
Cost of Living (we need to also make sure we make enough to support our mortgages kids, cars, and everything else that a normal job needs to cover)
Professional Editing
This is the most detailed portion of what I do, and it’s what sets apart the amateurs and the professionals. Photography editing takes up the greatest chunk of my work, and it requires a tremendous amount of focus and skill. With my focus being on maternity and newborn photography, there is an even greater amount of editing to be done to blur out things like birth marks, stretch marks, skin discolorations and scars. Every mommy and baby are breath-takingly beautiful just the way they are, but the beauty of professional photographs is that they are works of art that allow you to see yourself however you’d like to be seen.
Delivering a professional photograph requires planning, preparation, editing and a great deal of skill. I wish it were as easy as simply pressing a button, but there is a lot of work that goes into this profession, along with a tremendous amount of love and care.
