Let's talk candidly about photography pricing.
For the first time in three years, I am raising my photography pricing. That decision didn't come easy or lightly. And I want to be completely transparent about it.
Yes, I am professional photographer. And I absolutely love every single hour that I spend asking photographs more than time spent on just about anything else I can think of. But aside from being a creative professional, I am also a highly-experienced, degree-holding business professional.
I can't count the number of times that I have told fellow creatives — and people in general — not to sell short their worth or the value of their time. But over the last year or so, I have became aware that I may not be practicing what I preach. Like a good business-person, it was time, I decided, for a thorough analysis of my photography rates. With this in mind, I began a assessment of the costs and labour associated with my various photography offerings. But before I jumped right into the numbers, I laid out a few general principles.
First, I was going to account for every hour typically spent on delivering the services and the experience that I provide to my clients. Next, I was going to pay myself — and my partner photographers — a fair hourly rate for labour. And third, I was going to include a fair markup so that I can cover my business overhead, invest in growing my business, and be modestly profitable.
As expected, I had quite underestimated the amount of actual time I was investigating. I had previously guessed that I was spending a total of somewhere around 40 hours delivering my top-tier offering, Wedding Bundle A. When I broke everything down (you can see the breakdown for yourself in the table below), I was surprised to learn that I was, on average, investing nearly 70 hours in my clients who chose my Bundle A. I had sold my labour very short.
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Overall Administration Time | 5 |
| Consultation Time | 4 |
| Engagement Session Prep Time | 1 |
| Engagement Session Scouting Time | 1 |
| Engagement Session Photography Time | 2 |
| Engagement Session Editing Time | 3 |
| Engagement Session Packaging Time | 0.5 |
| Engagement Session Delivery Time | 1 |
| Additional Session Prep Time | 1 |
| Additional Session Photography Time | 2 |
| Additional Session Editing Time | 3 |
| Additional Session Packaging Time | 0.5 |
| Additional Session Delivery Time | 1 |
| Rehearsal Time | 2 |
| Wedding Session Scouting Time | 2 |
| Wedding Session Prep Time | 3 |
| Wedding Session Photography Time | 14 |
| Wedding Session Editing Time | 24 |
| Wedding Session Packaging Time | 0.5 |
| Wedding Session Delivery Time | 1 |
| Print Prep Time | 1 |
| Print Packaging Time | 0.5 |
| Print Delivery Time | 1 |
| Total Hours | 68 |
Including time, incurred costs, and mileage, and using a fair $35/hour rate for my labour, the total cost to deliver Wedding Bundle A is $3200. Remember, this total cost does not include any margin. And my previous sales price of that bundle was $3500. The reality is, for the past three years, I have been barely breaking even on Wedding Bundle A.
I ache to grow, both as a photographer and as a business. I want to continue to add to the tools of my trade so that I can deliver an even better level of value, quality and artistry to my clients. And I want to acquire a permanent business and studio space so that I can offer an even more memorable and impactful client experience.
To accomplish growth, I have to include a reasonable margin in my pricing. As I mentioned earlier, this is not a decision that I make lightly. The last question I have to ask myself to justify this choice is "am I worth it?" There are a lot of photographers out there for you to choose from. And a good number of them may offer lower rates, either because they are less experienced, or because they are selling themselves short with their pricing. Does what I have to offer justify it?
Without hesitation, yes. And yes, I am worth it. I am highly experienced, having photographed more than 100 weddings. I am completely confident in the remarkable level of service that I provide every one of my clients. And I provide you a service that can literally last you a lifetime.
As I did with Wedding Bundle A above, I performed a similar assessment for all my photography offerings. And I have adjusted the rates of many of them. I do so in good conscience. I know my worth, and I am beyond confident that my clients will receive the entire value of their investment in return, and then some.
