When is the price of photography expensive?

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“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!”
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Underspending Is Overspending

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Charles Mortimer was the CEO of the former General Foods from 1954 to 1965. During this time he doubled the company’s sales and tripled its earnings. Mortimer’s background was in marketing. He was once quoted as saying:

The surest way to over-spend on advertising is not to spend enough to do a job properly. It’s like buying a ticket three-quarters of the way to Europe; you have spent some money, but you do not arrive.

If you replace the word “advertising” with “professional photography”, the saying would still hold true.

When a company seeks the lowest-cost corporate photography, that company is shooting itself in the foot, or more accurately, in the wallet. When spending on photography for business marketing, it’s not what you pay that’s important but rather it’s what you get.

Cutting corners and paying just enough to get ineffective or low quality business photography is a form of overspending because you’ve bought a ticket to nowhere.

If a job is worth doing then get someone to do it properly. – anonymous

 

Photography On Purpose

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Photographers, why are you in the photography business?

“To take pictures and make money,” I hear someone say.

 

While walking through a park, a young girl sees a photographer taking pictures of some people and she asks him what he’s doing. The photographer replies, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m taking pictures.”

She continues her stroll and a few minutes later, the girl sees another photographer taking pictures of people and asks him what he’s doing. The photographer answers, “I’m busy making a living.”

After walking further through the park, the girl finds another photographer taking pictures of some people and asks him the same question. The photographer says, “I’m making a special portrait for this family’s photo album.”

 

For corporate and commercial photographers, you should be in business to help grow the value of your customer’s business. Your job is to use photography to help their business succeed. If their business doesn’t succeed, neither will yours. You are their business partner just as much as they are yours.

 

Picture Perfect

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Pictures interest people more than text.

People get information faster from pictures than text.

People can get more information from pictures than text.

People understand pictures better than text.

People remember pictures more than text.

Pictures have greater emotional impact than text.

People trust pictures more than text.

Pictures have more credibility than text.

More emotional impact, more trust, more credibility.
This means pictures influence people more than text.

So what should your company use for your marketing, more pictures or more text?

 

More Memorable Corporate Photography

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Everyone wants to save money. Presumably that’s why some companies use cheap stock pictures on their web sites. But using such pictures is counter-productive. Cheap stock pictures actually push customers away.

By design, cheap stock pictures target the lowest common denominator. This means the pictures are bland, generic and very simple to understand, just like the pictures in a children’s book.

A 1988 University of Texas study, “Effects of Color and Complexity in Still Photographs on Mental Effort and Memory”, showed that: (i) viewers pay more attention to complex photos; (ii) complex images are processed by the viewer just as easily as simple ones; and (iii) viewers remember complex pictures more than simple pictures.

This means that using cheap stock pictures serves no purpose other than to save money. But spending any money for something that delivers nothing is actually a waste of money.
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Put a price on your head

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What price would you put on a headshot of yourself – $50? $100? $150?

What’s the value of a business marketing tool that you can use for several years on your business cards, web site, blog, marketing collateral, social networking profiles, e-mail signature, press releases, newsletters and media handouts – $200? $300?

What’s the value of something that will catch the attention of customers, build trust, increase your credibility, make you look important and more competent, and enhance the perceived value of your business – $400? $500? $600?
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When To Pay Less For Corporate Photography

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All companies need some type of corporate photography to help market their business. When hiring a photographer, every company is looking for a deal, a bargain, a discount.

Professional photography isn’t like selling widgets or any low marginal-cost item. When a photographer has a very low price, it means something is off, something is missing. But is this always a bad thing?

It’s okay to go with cheap photography when:

— You want less.

— You’re happy with good enough.

— You don’t mind working with a less-experienced photographer.

— You like to cut corners.

— The pictures aren’t really important.

— Your business marketing doesn’t have to be effective.

— You don’t need to make a good impression.

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