Why Your Photographer Charges Their Prices

This guide to educate clients on why photographers charge their prices

How South African photographers charge their photography services.

Professional photographers offer services that stand out and charge prices that justify their work – based on their knowledge, skills expertise and their talent.

There are multiple ways to figure out how much to charge for photography based on the output that professional photographers are delivering to the client.

The cost of running a photography business should include:

Equipment costs - These are essential for the photographer to have. It includes, cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, etc. Professional photographers need to be sure to factor these excessive costs in their business to ensure the business runs sustainably.

Studio - Photographers either own a studio or rents it. It's usually their productive workspace and depending on where one is based, it adds up to their cost price. It is therefore their responsibility as business owners to ensure that the business earns and pays up for that.

Marketing costs - Professional photographers, like any entrepreneurs, need to network their business to potential clients, advertise through social media platforms, create a great portfolio website and do digital marketing activities - these costs add up and are essential to growing your businesses.

Admin cost - These include accountant to do the bookkeeping and other administrative tasks. Assistant photographers are crucial to have from the photographer's point of view. This happens when there are big gigs like weddings that require a second shooter. A photo editor might be also needed once the business is fast in productivity. All these fees must be taken into account in the cost and expenses of the business.

Note: If photographers under-price, they may end up leaving money on the table or, worse still, come off as a low-quality provider.Over-pricing photography might lead to loss of business as clients review many photographers and choose based on photographer prices.

In closing, professional photographers factor in the value of the time and labor they invest in their business. This includes the time they spend in pre-production, traveling and meeting up with the client, setting up equipment, the actual shoot time and the post-production time.

So next time you grumble as a client to the photographer about their "expensive" pricing, think about these factors that contribute to the sustainability of the business.