“Aren’t your photography prices too high?”
Compared to an amateur photographer, a Craigslist photographer, or an inexperienced photographer then I certainly hope that my prices are much higher than any of those.
But I’m not expensive when compared to a photographer with similar experience and knowledge.
I quoted $1,560 for a job last month that required eight business headshots. A few days later, someone from the company called to let me know that their project was cancelled. She said that she had received quotes from four Toronto photographers, including myself, and all were within $300 of each other. Unfortunately, she continued, “My boss budgeted only $500. I told him it wasn’t enough!”
My point is that the other photographers and I had similar prices because we probably have similar experience. We all understood what the job was worth to both the photographer and the customer. Had a photographer quoted $500, it would’ve meant that this photographer was inexperienced and didn’t understand the value of the work.
Cost is price paid. Expensive is lack of value.
Value is not defined by price paid. It’s defined by the importance of the photography to the customer. Higher importance means the photography requires more attention, more technical skill, more creative ability and more experience. Or to rephrase it, low-priced photography can’t deliver the value that an important project might need.
The price of photography is expensive only when the photography doesn’t deliver. It doesn’t matter whether it costs $500 or $5,000, poor photography is expensive at any price. High value photography is a bargain at any price.
