Two corporate photographers were talking shop. The first photographer said that he recently charged $6,500 to produce 14 studio portraits for a company’s annual report. The second photographer replied, “They should’ve called me. I would’ve done it for $2,000.”
And there’s the problem.
The second photographer said he would’ve been happy to do the same work for less money. If this photographer was smart, he should’ve asked, “What did you do to earn that fee?”
Of course, the ideal situation is to figure out how to do the same work and be paid more. What would a photographer have to add in order to earn more?
Some photographers forget that it’s not supposed to be a race to the bottom. Photographers compete mostly with themselves. It’s not about charging less than another photographer but rather it’s about figuring out how to deliver more to the customer.
When the choice is between (a) doing the same work and getting paid more, or (b) doing the same work and getting paid less, it’s surprising how many photographers will choose less.
