Why Photographers Charge so Much, and Redefining your Practice

A couple of interesting things were sent to me by my Yukon colleague Cathie Archbould this week about pricing photography and working in a market that won't or can't support paying photographers decent rates.

The first is a post from Josh McCulloch, a Victoria based photographer, and the second is an article from the Yukon News.

Here is an excerpt from Josh's blog:

On occasion I have clients asking why my rates are what they are, and I often go into a spiel about rights, usage, copyright, etc, along with the unique creative aspect that only I can bring to the job. All of these are valid points, and I have no qualms in justifying them. The other side of this though, that I rarely explain to the client, is that I spend a large portion of my "working" time (and personal time - I do still shoot for fun!) refining aspects of my workflow in order to serve them better. I am investing financially in the hardware and software to deliver better files to them faster, and, like today, investing my time learning how to do it.

And here is what the Yukon News has to say:

While digital technology forces down the costs for amateur photographers, professionals have seen their costs rocket upwards.

Computerizing cameras has made them slaves to upgrades.

Darkrooms didn’t need yearly replacement.

Professionals generally need to spend between “10 to 20 per cent” of their income upgrading equipment, said Archbould.

“The days of buying a camera and a few lenses and using them for years are gone,” she said.

These are things to ponder if you are thinking of entering photography as a full-time profession.

So why do I bring this up? At this time of year (my year end) I also ponder whether it's worth it to stay in the photography business at this level. This year I have been hit with corporate clients who have a freeze on contract photography work, and personally wondering if I am still physically up to the challenge of running around industrial sites with 45 pounds of gear on my back.

Change of Focus. This year instead of upgrading my camera body, I upgraded my computer. (I just can't justify yet another $5,000+ purchase.) I have taken courses on InDesign, Dreamweaver, and a course for instructors on using multimedia for teaching. I learned a lot and have also increased my skills in these areas, not necessarily to become a designer, but rather to understand how software works, so I can offer better products and instruction on photography that gets used by designers using this software. I also learned how other people teach.

I have consciously diversified my market and am investigating ways to earn new streams of income. One of those ways is teaching either in institutions or by doing one-on-one training. Though I have been teaching for 5+ years, it was never my prime focus. I have also placed a couple of small ads for photography work and teaching in Uppercase magazine, which targets artists and designers. I have always done a bit of work for artists, but it's never been my main focus. I definitely see a need for artists to have good photography of their work. Many of them want to learn how to take good photographs of their own artwork, which they will later sell on sites like Etsy, or their own web sites. I teach artists how to use their cameras properly to photograph their arts and crafts. Many of them have a keen interest in photography anyhow, so it's a natural progression that they should want to shoot their own work.

An example of one of my clients who is doing this is Paige Smith. Paige makes wonderful jewelery holders out of orphaned china saucers. I worked with Paige when she was developing her ideas and creating her original portfolio. She did the art direction and styling (and did an amazing job), and I provided the location and the photography. Once her product line was fully developed, Paige hired me again to help her set up a lighting booth so she could photograph individual pieces for her Etsy store. A few months later, she hired me again to show her how to use her new camera and to shoot in raw format. By spending a little money on photography training up front, Paige is able to keep her web site and Etsy store looking good by photographing her work with professional standards in mind.

Self reflection and redefining your business is good. It's good to have a solid plan of action, rather than "seeing what happens". If you have a plan, you make measurable goals and you work towards those goals rather than worrying about, or depending on, the old clients that have cut their budgets.