The business side of photography
Look at the portraits of the four world leaders. Who looks friendly and approachable and who doesn’t? Who looks comfortable and who doesn’t?
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In 1985, the Getty Museum in California bought a rare sixth century B.C. Greek Kouros for $9.5 million. But before the purchase, the museum brought in scientists to examine the 1,100-pound statue to make sure it was authentic.
The scientists used scientific and technical analysis to examine the marble statue. Their conclusion was that the statue was indeed authentic.
But some art scholars also examined the work using their eyes and gut instincts. Their conclusion was that the statue was a forgery from the 20th century.
It turned out that judging the statue on its face value was correct. The statue is widely considered to be a fake.
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If you’re thinking of getting a business portrait done, you’ve probably found out that, in Toronto, the price ranges from about $50 to over $1,000. Why is there such a wide price range?
Why does the price of running shoes range from $20 to over $300? Why does the cost of a men’s haircut in Toronto range from $8 to about $450? Why does a Toronto hamburger cost anywhere from $1 to $100?
The magic phrase is: you get what you pay for.
When it comes to professional photography, a higher price means that you get more and you get better: better advice, more attention to detail, better editing, better technical quality, better artistic quality and more experience. All these combine to give you a more reliable and more effective outcome.
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Over the past month, I lost photo jobs to:
1) A photographer who quoted $1,200 for a two-day shoot, in two cities 100km apart, consisting of 22 business portraits, 11 environmental portraits and up to 66 finished images delivered.
2) Someone who quoted $1,500 to photograph a four-day business conference.
3) The “best professional headshot photographer in Toronto” who, according to the customer, quoted $3,000 for 120 business headshots. That’s $25 per headshot.
(When you have a quote turned down, try to ask the customer what the other photographer quoted. Sometimes the customer will refuse to divulge what they’re paying but tell them that you’d like to know where your price stands.)
Was I disappointed not to get these jobs? Yes.
Am I upset? No.
I am wondering how these photographers make any money.
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In Canada, the month of May is National Hamburger Month, National Salad Month, National Vinegar Month and National Motorcycle Awareness Month. More than a dozen other causes also use May as their national awareness month.
Perhaps most important ;-) is that May is National Photography Month in Canada and several other countries, too. May is also Vision Health Month and National Smile Month (in the UK). Coincidence?
The purpose of National Photography Month is to encourage people to think about photography and how important it is to them. Can you imagine your life without photography?
There are a few things you can do to boost your photo awareness this month (and every other month, too):
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They may be the tiniest details in a portrait but they’re possibly the most important. Yet many photographers don’t understand catchlights.
You may not need catchlights in every portrait. The most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa, doesn’t have catchlights:
But catchlights are very important in a business portrait. Catchlights bring attention to the eyes which are the most important facial feature for conveying emotion.
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Are you planning a business conference, convention or other similar corporate event? Would you like to add more value?
At your next conference or convention, arrange to have a business portrait photo studio at your venue. Conference-goers could then get a new business headshot while they’re at your event.
This is not to be confused with those photo booths you might see at parties and other social events. A business portrait studio has no silly props, no crazy backgrounds. It’s a no-nonsense, business photo studio with photographer, editor and makeup artist. Conference delegates would get a first-rate, professional business headshot.
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