Who makes a living out of photography

[JodieO]

ridiculous prices butif people are rich enough and stupid enough to pay them then go for it.

they say 'a fool and his money are soon parted'

Why is that ridiculous prices? Working backwards with your equations and finding out EXACTLY how much it takes to run a succesful business, you would be surprised how much you actually need in order to pay yourself and all the expenses associated - just think, as a business, you have to pay 35% taxes. Custom photography is not for everyone. The price is based on custom - not WalMart or JC Penney.

I find it funny how people think the price is ridiculous - when you are a real business owner and know what the expenses are, it opens your eyes.

Since you bring up "stupid"... I can't figure out why some photographers don't charge enough to cover their basic expenses, and soon as a business fold and go out of business because they can't turn a decent profit to continue.

My clients aren't stupid, and I would never call them that. My clients appreciate. Very seldom I have someone who complains about pricing, and that is usually someone who knows nothing about the value of custom photography.

And again, the figures I state above are actually bordering the lower end of a professional established photographer's sales, a photographer who will LAST in business because they know how to run one.

If you don't value your own work, no one else will.

 

[Antithesis]

Why is that ridiculous prices? Working backwards with your equations and finding out EXACTLY how much it takes to run a succesful business, you would be surprised how much you actually need in order to pay yourself and all the expenses associated - just think, as a business, you have to pay 35% taxes. Custom photography is not for everyone. The price is based on custom - not WalMart or JC Penney.

I find it funny how people think the price is ridiculous - when you are a real business owner and know what the expenses are, it opens your eyes.

Since you bring up "stupid"... I can't figure out why some photographers don't charge enough to cover their basic expenses, and soon as a business fold and go out of business because they can't turn a decent profit to continue.

My clients aren't stupid, and I would never call them that. My clients appreciate. Very seldom I have someone who complains about pricing, and that is usually someone who knows nothing about the value of custom photography.

And again, the figures I state above are actually bordering the lower end of a professional established photographer's sales, a photographer who will LAST in business because they know how to run one.

If you don't value your own work, no one else will.

I don't think your prices are outrageous at all. If you calculate your expenses, take enough to live and for your business to grow, then it seems like you've found a market clearing price. I think a lot of people will be shocked to hear that you charge a few thousand dollars for your work, but that's how much these things cost.

A wedding photographer that my buddy works for (and I hope to start working for in the next few months) charges around $6,000 for a normal to high-end wedding, which is mostly what he does. The price can fluctuate depending on the size and extravagance, but people are happy to pay it for top quality work. I'm back-up shooting a wedding in july that's going to have around 4500 people. I'm pretty certain that we won't be doing it for peanuts.

I've been given a pretty good opportunity, and in this case, it is who I know that's giving me a small window into professional photography. I've been told that I will be offered more jobs as times go on, but for the time being I'm just gaining experience and getting what I can from it. I don't plan to make any real money off it for a long time, if ever. I do plan however to continue doing it, find a normal day job in the meantime to pay the bills. If my motivation gives me the opportunity to do something I love and make ends meet at the same time, then hooray for me. I've just become painfully aware how competitive the field is, and either I'll succeed or look for something else.

 

[craig]

I went to college (SVA) and worked my way up from assistant to photographer. Photography is a tough racket, but it pays well. If you are interested then you have to commit. Takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Tell us about the route that you are interested in and we can help further.

On a side note: I will be leaving my cozy photographer's position here in Jackson for the uber competitive SoCal market. Scared as hell, but I know I will make it.

Love & Bass

 

[judson]

ridiculous prices butif people are rich enough and stupid enough to pay them then go for it.

they say 'a fool and his money are soon parted'

If you want to know why you will never be successful, just look at your own quote.

There are photographers that get paid that kind of money and more. And there is a reason for it. You can whine that rich people are idiots, but if it takes being an idiot to be rich and you aren't rich, what does that make you?

You can be a photographer, starving like 90% of the GWC's or you can be the owner of a photography business. I'm working on the latter!

 

[craig]

Big up judson! That is the attitude that will help you make it in this biz.

Love & Bass

 

[Seefutlung]

I used to be photo journalist for major market media newspapers and wire service. After a decade+ I got out because ... well ... because I wanted to make more/real money and have a life which would acomodate a wife and children ... a family.

I think I got burnt out ... one day, the Superbowl became just another football game, the Oscars another grip-n-grin, fires only kick up your asthma not your adrenaline, you're more upset because of the bullet hole in your car than you are for a 15 y/o victim face down in the gutter ... when covering yet another war you walk out of the jungle after releaving yourself to find that you are surrounded by hyper Green Berets explaining that you just walk down a trail laced with booby-traps ... any one of which could have taken you out ... and you start wondering about how close to death were you ... was this closer than the helicopter that was shot out from under you ... or the RPG round imbedded in the sandbaged bunker ... et cetera.

Then one day you feel old and that it's time to grow up.

Would I do it again ... in a heartbeat ... a news photog is one of the greatest jobs in the world ... for a kid ... One helluva ride ... all of it on someone else's nickel ... except for the small price you have to pay of your own innocence and a bit of your sanity.

Gary

 

[Just_Brian81]

Why would you give away your stuff like that? I'm just curious - I mean, do you not need to pay yourself for your time and talent?

I understand you have expenes and all, but honestly what is the point of hoarding all of your shots to youreslf? Why cant one charge a flat rate for the occasion, charge for the prints, and include the 50 cent cd with all of the pictures taken for free. If the customer is already paying you 1500-3000 Just to show up, Why cant they get a 50 cent copy of all the pictures you take for free. This is the reason people are going with frends of frends to do their photography, and having all of their family running around with their own cameras. Normal people like me just cant be shelling out 7 grand for wedding pictures.


Sorry if i got off on a rant. I'm just getting really into this because i'm looking for a photographer for my own wedding right now, and its absurd what some people will charge for. i wish I made 7 grand in a day that's all i can say.

 

[MichaelT]

Brian81, it's not about the money. If you want a friend-of-a-friend to take snaps of your wedding in trade for some free beer, that's one thing. If, on the other hand, you want to hire an artist to create beautiful photographic images of the biggest day of your life, that's another thing.

I've seen the $999 photographers work, and it's nothing more than a 1000 snapshots dumped onto a CD. They spend 6 or 7 hours partying with you and laugh their way to the bank with $998.50. What do you have? A cd filled with crap. And you're worried about a rip-off?

We do weddings for $5000. Our clients receive beautiful retouched and lacquered portraits mounted in leather albums, images that bring tears to the mom's eyes, and friends say "WOW". In our company, a typical wedding represents over 40 hours of work on the part of our staff. And I tell you what... nobody gets ripped-off.

 

[craig]

I think the important thing to keep in mind is that there are 200 dollar photographers and there are 7000 dollar photographers. High end photographers are not charging an outrageous fee. They charge for the quality of their work. Their clients are willing to pay and have thousands of dollars to spend. Certainly there is a market for the 200 dollar photographer. I am sure they are good, but you get what you pay for.

Moral of the story is that it takes a lot of work to get to a profitable level in photography. Shooting weddings and portraits on the weekends is cute and fun. In this industry you have to commit full time if you are going to be successful.

Love & Bass

 

[jols]

If you want to know why you will never be successful, just look at your own quote.



but i am successful thanks and charge nowhere near these prices.

maybe it is just different in england the americans always have to be bigger and better after all.


english people would not pay that thus we are more refined

 

[craig]

We are straying way off course. We need to keep the original post in mind. Insert happy smiley here.

Love & Bass

 

[jols]

sorry i get carried away :hug::

 

[craig]

No need to be sorry. We are all friends here. I am going to start a new thread. Things are just starting to get interesting.

Love & Bass

 

[JodieO]

I just want to clarify something. My clients are not all rich. My biggest spenders are middle class, normal people, just people that appreciate art and quality.

 

[JodieO]

I understand you have expenes and all, but honestly what is the point of hoarding all of your shots to youreslf? Why cant one charge a flat rate for the occasion, charge for the prints, and include the 50 cent cd with all of the pictures taken for free. If the customer is already paying you 1500-3000 Just to show up, Why cant they get a 50 cent copy of all the pictures you take for free. This is the reason people are going with frends of frends to do their photography, and having all of their family running around with their own cameras. Normal people like me just cant be shelling out 7 grand for wedding pictures.


Sorry if i got off on a rant. I'm just getting really into this because i'm looking for a photographer for my own wedding right now, and its absurd what some people will charge for. i wish I made 7 grand in a day that's all i can say.

I wouldn't touch a wedding for under $10,000.

That's just me though. I have no desire to do weddings. I only do portraits, and I dont' work on the weekends. :thumbup: but if I did weddings, I wouldn't do weddings "just showing up"... proofing would take hours, putting thought into artistic pictures is not easy. I wouldn't shoot a wedding in snapshots. My parents paid for one of those "friend photographers" and I have no good pictures to show for it - I have NO WEDDING PICTURES framed or on display because they are so bad. Granted that was 13 years ago, but you know what? All the pictures look like hell. Sure, we have the negatives, but he was an AWFUL photographer. You truly get what you pay for.