How many times have you heard or said the following expression: "I wish I could go back in time to x or y moment". We've all been there. There's certain moments in life we wish we could relive. Unfortunately time machines don't exist, but what we do have, is photography.
Photography has the power to take you back in time, and help you feel almost like you were right there reliving that moment, experiencing it again. Photos become heirlooms, families share them through generations, they're cherished treasures.
In our last blog post we answered, why to hire a professional photographer. Now the next question is: Why is professional photography so "expensive"?
Notice the air quotes around "expensive". Why did I do that? Because price is relative. What's expensive to one person isn't to another. The real question here is. How much do you VALUE your memories? Are you okay with just anyone capturing your families most important moments? Or do you want someone professional that values their work and understands the value of capturing these moments for you?
So what goes into pricing photography?
Photography is an art that requires skill, creativity and time to be able to provide you with a result that not only meets your expectations, but when done professionally, can even exceed them. Like any other professional service, photographers price their work in rates, that rate will vary depending on the level of expertise of said photographer. Someone who just bought a camera and is in the beginning stages of becoming a photographer won't charge much or might even do it for the experience. Whereas a professional photographer will take into consideration what they have invested in training, equipment and software in order to provide their clients with high quality and consistent images every time. Clients who are looking for a photographer with a higher level of experience, understand and value their work, therefore, are willing to pay more.
Depends On Your Photography Needs
The type of photography you're looking for will also produce a variable in pricing. A portrait session and a wedding are in entirely different ends of the pricing spectrum. Because each type of photography requires different levels of skill and equipment or even editing. Take a wedding for example, such an event requires much more time, effort, creativity and a larger number of images. Therefore, wedding or event photography will always have a higher price.
Editing And Post Production Time
Last but certainly not least, creative editing and post production time also has to be taken into consideration when charging a rate. In order to provide you with a final product that you will love, photographers spend many hours selecting and editing photos, retouching images, creating galleries and making sure they have a high quality end result. Which means you're not only paying for the time it took them to take your photos, you're also paying for the entire process and time of post production.
So is it really โexpensiveโ?
When we take all of this into consideration. Is photography really "expensive"? I hope this gave you more insight and understanding towards what it takes for photographers to provide you a professional high quality result, and how much work truly goes into creating this art. At the end of the day how much value you place in these memories you're looking to create is what will help you to decide how much you're willing to invest in them.
