I often get asked whether I think professional photography is too expensive.
The rationale for that question usually is – “photographers charge all that money for what’s essentially a few hours of work”.
As someone whose fees are in the vicinity of $400-$600 for a comprehensive family photography session, I began to reflect on that to see whether there was some truth to that argument.
Here’s a list of considerations which came about as a result of that reflection. These are some of the expenses a professional photographer (essentially a specialised small business owner) tends to incur.
[h3]Time.[/h3]
When you book a photographer, you’re partly paying for his or her time. But time spent behind the lens is just a small portion of time needed to create amazing photographs of your family.
Important to consider is time back in studio, doing what’s known as “post-processing”. Your photos are shot in specialised RAW format and require editing to make them viewable by conventional software.
(Did you know that the preview image you see on the back of the camera can be literally NOT the photo you’ve just taken? If you’re shooting RAW, don’t forget that preview is actually an ultra-small JPEG, which attempts to to approximate the information in the unprocessed RAW file).
Your photos are taken back to the studio and are first processed in a program like Apple Aperture or Adobe Lightroom. Adjustments are made to colour, tone and sharpness. Sometimes images are cropped to give better composition.
An average family photography photoshoot will produce between 400-800 photos and while software allows considerable automation and bulk adjustments, each photo most still be individually, painstakingly examined and adjusted.
Selected images are then loaded into Adobe Photoshop, where more advanced, mode precise adjustments can be made. The images are then converted into JPEG format.
[h3]Photographic Equipment.[/h3]
Camera. Ideally, a backup of everything is required. This means that a professional photographer needs a main camera body and a second camera. Cost will vary between $3000 and $6000 per body. Those need to be replaced every 1-3 years.
Lenses. This will vary, depending on type of photography and photographers’ style. Family photography adds its own unique challenges which call for specialised lenses.
Children tend to run here, there and everywhere, so fast zoom lenses are needed to keep up with them. This means having one each of wide zoom, 24-70 zoom and a medium/long telephoto zoom.
Then there are moments of peaceful stillness, which call for prime lenses and their ability to capture photos which have that dreamy feel with exquisite sharpness. Which means having a 24 and/or 35mm prime, a 50mm prime and an 85 and/or 105 mm prime. Each one of these are generally between $1000 and $2000 each.
Finally, photographers need lighting equipment like flashes, reflector screens, light meters and a dozen other gadgets which make the day run smoothly.
[h3]Computer Equipment.[/h3]
A fast computer plus a laptop for being able to show work to clients and check photographs during / immediately after the shoot. They also need to be replaced or upgraded every 2 years.
L-O-T-S of extended backup storage space. Two forms of backup are usually the norm; we use one onsite and one on cloud.
Two monitors and specialised photographic colour printer for proofing.
Adobe Photoshop and updates. Apple Aperture or Lightroom and updates.
[h3]Fees, Insurance, Taxes.[/h3]
Bills, bills, bills! The stuff no-one likes to pay, but it’s the stuff which can’t be avoided.
Also, this may include professional photography association membership fees.
Public liability insurance.
Equipment insurance.
Disability insurance.
GST, income taxes.
Business registration fees, trademark protection fees.
[h3]Ongoing Professional Development And Education.[/h3]
The learning never stops. While it’s possible to learn a lot on the job through trial and error, it’s extremely valuable for another professional photographer to offer critique, a new perspectives or new techniques.
Regular attendance at specialised advanced technical courses, conferences, trade shows is a good idea, both to learn and to meet like-minded photographers.
Then there are workshops run overseas by photographic industry veterans like Greg Gorman which cost an arm and a lens 
Most photographers also buy books, magazines and are active on paid online photography forums.
Apart from learning about photography, one needs to learn about the nature of running a small business. These days, it’s essential that a photographer, at the bare minimum, has above cursory knowledge of branding, value creation, marketing, SEO, publicity, account-keeping and so on.
Ideally, however, a professional photographer needs to be a savvy businessman with years of business training, experience and specialised business courses under his belt. He also needs to be a shrewd networker with a number of contacts who can provide specialised advice and/or resources in times of need.
Last, but not least, a professional photographer needs to develop himself.
This starts with basics like making sure all personal bills are paid, making sure the relationship with your partner is a happy one, your house is in order, and you leave sufficient time for (what one may call) spiritual practice.
For some it’s meditating or quiet solitary contemplation. For others, it may also include going to retreats, having a life coach or participating in personal development programs.
To put it simply – if your life doesn’t work, you won’t take good photographs!
[h3]Business Expenses.[/h3]
These are the same that any other small business would require, with a few unique additions.
Rent of dedicated colour-neutral space for photo editing work. In our case, it’s a second bedroom converted into a dedicated home studio/office.
CRM and Marketing Automation Software.
Accounting and legal partnerships to keep tax liabilities, copyright policies and contracts up to date.
Professional, dedicated website hosting – nothing worse than a client trying to look at your portfolio and server access is slow or – worse – server is “under maintenance”.
Online and print advertising, publicity, graphic design, website design, SEO.
Promotional expendables – flyers and business cards.
Usual business communication expenses – phone and Internet.
When you add all these up, you begin to quickly see that the time a photographer spends behind the camera is just a tip of the iceberg.
Essentially, a professional photographer is a small business owner who has to deal with same expenses which every small business does.
In addition, a professional photographer requires highly specialised equipment and skillset which requires ongoing development.
I hope this gives you an insight into inner workings of a professional photography business and helps quell concerns you might have about professional photographers overcharging you.
A good photography business requres money to run. And as I like to say, good photos aren’t cheap and cheap photos aren’t good!
Steven