Investment Breakdown
Hey friends!
I’m going to be real, transparent, and let you guys know what is true for me, my business, and the service I provide to you - my clients. So, here goes:
I know money has been tight for a lot of people over the last couple of years, I truly understand, I have been there! When you are looking around for a photographer, price is a huge thing! I know when you see that quote or estimate, it might be overwhleming because it’s a pretty big chunk of change. This is why it is called an Investment, meaning you are investing in my work; I’m not just snapping photos, batch editing, and calling it good. I am seeing life moments happen before my eyes and using my camera to capture those moments - creating cherished images. I am constantly moving, burning energy, looking at lighting, the weather, locations, backgrounds, etc. to make sure that the images I capture are quality.
MEMORIES
I get to take photos like this one of my babies and remember all those sweet moments, years later! I do photography in my free time because I love it. I truly think God gave me this gift, and even though I have had to learn a lot over the years (heck, I’m still learning), photography comes naturally to me. I don’t have to offer it as a service to others, I do it because I WANT to.
I think everyone should have access to quality professional photos at a price they can afford.
But just like anyone else who provides a service; lawyers, hair and make up artists, caterers, electricians, etc., they would like to be paid a fair amount for their work. We are all out there working! Just because I offer a service I enjoy and like doing, doesn’t mean I should be paid any less.
Here’s an example: Before we sold our last house we had a company come out and give us a quote on putting on a new roof and siding. The total of the job was a whopping $20k. Yeah you read that right, but broken down, that was the cost of the materials, time, and LABOR. We put a deposit down, then when the job was nearly finished, we wrote huge check for the remainder. Yeah, it sucked parting with all that money, but it had to be done. I wasn’t going to get up on my roof and do it, I don’t have those skills! I wouldn’t know what the heck I’m doing, so we left it to a professional. We were so happy with the results that we have recommended that company to several people and would definitely use them again. (It’s Valley Roofing, btw).
So, what if you stick a photographer into that scenario? Granted, I don’t charge $20k for photos, but I do know that $1,000+ for wedding photos does sound like a lot as a whole, but when you break it down, is it? at the end of the day, the photos are one thing that will last. The food and cake will be eaten. The decorations will be tossed. You probably won’t ever go back to that venue and the dress will go into a box. Is the food or venue more important than the photos that you will have for years? Is the price for updated family photos that you can proudly hang on your wall, not worth it?
Do you see what I’m saying? You WILL want to look back at your wedding photos! Maybe in the moment you think, “Oh I can live without them, people have their phones.” etc. etc. That may be true in that moment, but what about 5 years from then? I have had too many people disappointed that they didn’t hire a professional - MYSELF INCLUDED!
This is one of my favorites of two of my girls while we were on a walk at Minto Brown. Nothing was planned, I was just lucky enough to capture this sweet moment and I want to capture moments like this for you!
I live in a small town so I usually have to drive to a location for a shoot. I try to get their early so I can set my cameras and be grounded and ready to go. Drive time aside, my sessions usually range from 20 minutes to 4-6 hour weddings! That is a lot of time of taking photos! I am constantly moving around, getting into different positions to get good angles (squats, so many squats), walking back and forth to fix weird hairs or tilted heads or show people where to sit or stand or how to pose. I follow little kids around while they play, I try to corral them so they don’t wander off or get hurt and taking photos between all of these things that happen during shoots! I am involved with every person at every single shoot. I literally have put my blood, sweat, and tears into doing this! Don’t worry though, that wasn’t all at one shoot lol!
I know those aren’t the best pictures, but as you can see, I wrap sweet newborns and lug around all the props for those in home sessions, I climb on things to get good angles, I get down on the ground at your level, to show you what to do, I hold babies that are upset, and so much more. This is a labor of love for me!
I do all of this, I work this hard, because I want to make it a good experience for you. I want you to love your images, and want to have another session in the future. I want you to recommend me to your friends and family because that is how my small business grows!
I actually had a friend text me a few months ago saying she had been up in the middle of the night bawling her eyes out because she had gone with a different photographer for her wedding (totally fine, anyone is allowed to choose whoever they want). But she was so disappointed because she didn’t get enough photos of her kids at the wedding! You can check that post out here!
I understand that photos might not be important to you at the time, or you think your memory is super amazing and will last forever, buuuut after all is said and done, a few weeks to months later, I can guarantee that you’ll want those wedding photos. And not just ones taken from cell phones.
RIGHT?!
I put this here because it is so true. Before every shoot, I fuel up with Dutch Bros- this is actually in the ladies bathroom of their Barnes location in Salem, lol!
I also constantly have to fuel my dream of being a photographer and small business owner because sometimes it gets really hard. Not the work of it, but all the behind the scenes stuff, the background things that people don’t normally see and it can take it’s toll.
What I’m trying to say here is hiring a photographer is a big decision, I know this! I also hire them! But if the price tag scares the crap out of you, don’t let it. Look at it as an investment; see the breakdown, it doesn’t all go in my pocket.
Taxes: When you have a legit business, you have to pay taxes. Yeah, I pay taxes on what you end up paying me. Yeah, it sucks, but it is what it is. Roughly 25% of what I make.
Management: Managing the business & all the costs that go with that, from paying for my website, to equipment (do you know how much cameras cost?!), to marketing and mileage that adds up. One of the biggest expenses for me is my time. The time I spend with you is valuable, the time I spend with my family is also valuable, so I don’t want to waste any of it!
Editing: After a shoot is done, my work is not! I have to come home and upload and backup all the images and spend a few hours culling, editing, and exporting all the images I choose to keep from a session. Some are small where I only have to go through a few hundred (that is usual for a mini shoot) and it goes up from there to a few thousand. Yes, I go through each and every image to see which ones are the best.
Final Price: A whole hell of a lot less than you’d think.
I’m not about overcharging people.
I hate it when people do that to me, so I’m not going to do it to you.
Need it broken down further? I got you ;)
Family session of 5 or less = $345
‘They’ take ~25% taxes = $86
Management & Equipment Fees = 50% after taxes
Leaving me with $129.50 divide that by 5 hours = $25.90 per hour.
I spend an average of 5 hours total with clients from emailing, texting, setting up a time/location, shooting, culling, editing, exporting, uploading to an online gallery, etc. That is an average, sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less.
Weddings are a different equation all together, but I’m still not profiting as much as you’d think.
Dude, I also have to point out that I have 5 kids who eat their weight in food every week and almost all play some sort of sport and let me tell you (in case you didn’t now), that crap is not cheap. Especially for 5 of them! So, anything I make isn’t going to lavish vacations or expensive cars, it literally goes to feed my kids or get new tires on my mom-van lol. Seriously, can I make myself sound ANY cooler right now? *smh*
Passion
Doing this; sharing this gift that God gave me is not about the money for me - it never has been. It is a passion for me. I honestly explain it as “photographer brain” to people because I know I see things differently and I want to share that with everyone.
On my most recent meeting with a bride-to-be, I was explaining why I take photos the way I do, why they are so important to me, and she said something to me that I will probably never forget. She said, “You’re making up for it”. No one had ever said it that way - I completely agreed and I was like, “YES! Exactly!”
Let me just tell you, I have some not-so-great wedding photos of my own wedding. Like, I completely regret not hiring a professional. But my husband and I were poor-poor. There was also a season in our young lives when I, as a young mother, took my kids to JC Penny to have their milestone photos taken because I didn’t have the right equipment or very much money. Yes, I had a phone, but it’s just not the same, plus I wanted to be in the photos, cause like - I’m the mom. And those are fine, I still love them because they are photos of my babies, but I don’t want people to have to do that anymore!
I want to give you an experience you and your family will remember! I want to take all those things that I don’t like and NOT do them and give you a better experience than I’ve had in the past.
*I want the moms to be in the photos, regardless of how you look, because your kids don’t care.
*I want to get photos of the groom when he sees his bride for the very first time because there just aren’t enough of those!
*I want to get sweet moments between siblings, or grandparents with their grandkids, because I never had any of those. I don’t have a lot of photos of me growing up and neither does my husband, so I cherish all the images we have of our kids and I want to be able to give that to you.
I hope this breakdown has eased your mind a little bit about hiring a photographer. Granted this is my breakdown, other photographers may do it differently, but I hope that you can see that the investment is worth it. For you and for me.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
With all the love,
