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FREE ARTICLES
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As a Photographer, Are You
Charging for the Wrong Thing?
With the introduction of digital photography,
the world of professional photography is changing rapidly. It's
becoming more difficult to make money from selling photos, but
that doesn't mean that you should close up shop and find a new
profession. You just have to change some of the rules and
reposition your method of making money.
From my experience in consulting and presenting workshops and
programs for photographers, most are charging for the wrong
thing and need to make some simple, yet dramatic changes to
continue to excel.
Your Real Service
Back before digital became so popular,
photographers made their money on prints. Makes sense, right?
Well now, dependence on selling prints to the client is the
worst way to run a wedding or portrait photography business.
Your real value is in the professional vision you have that
makes you different from every other wedding and portrait
photographer out there. The thing that makes you better than the
photography studio at Wal-Mart is how you choose to take the
photo-not the photo itself. So, if your true value is your
photography skills, then why set your prices on the actual
print? The photo would be nothing if you didn't have the unique
picture-taking skills you have.
You need to make a paradigm shift-for yourself and then your
clients-regarding those things for which you are charging.
How to Make the Paradigm Shift
What I have found works beautifully for my photographer clients
is a complete overhaul of their pricing strategy. The focus
should be placed on the photo session itself, not on the prints.
The most crucial part of the photography session is capturing
the images-not the printing of the images. Anyone can print an
image, but not everyone can capture the perfect moment. It's the
capturing of that moment that the client really wants, and
that's why he or she is hiring you. Therefore, you need to focus
on charging for the photographic process.
How Do I Charge for the Real Value?
Sit down and decide the minimum you want to make
on each wedding or portrait project. Then, set your prices
according to that minimum.
For example, let's say you want to make a minimum of $5000 for
each project; simply set your baseline there. Then, create three
"packages" that your client can select. The $5000 becomes your
price just to take the pictures. Each package selected from
there is then a bit more.
Package A could be $6000, package B could be $7500, and package
C, $10,000. While your clients can select the package they want
after seeing the images, they should be asked to pay the $5000
up front. That $5000 acts as a paid credit toward the selected
package.
Stop "Nickel & Diming" the Client
Charge your clients for value and avoid charging
in ways that "nickel and dime" them, and they will actually pay
you more! Really, we all know the expenses to make a 3x5, 4x6,
and 8x10 don't really vary all that much, so why charge the
client for a specific size? While some people don't value an
8x10 as better than a 5x7, they do value choosing what works
best for them. Rather than giving them two 4x6 images, two 5x7
images, and one 8x10-inch in the package, give them the option
of getting five images of their choice up to an 8x10-inches.
This approach makes things simpler, and it shifts the focus from
the prints to the value of choice.
Now, I know what I'm about to say next is quite controversial,
but another way to raise value is to offer what most
photographers wouldn't ever dream of in their packages-all the
digital images (gasp!). You could, as part of your most
expensive package, give the client the digital images to do with
as he or she pleases. This will raise the value of your premium
package option dramatically, giving the client incentive to pay
even more!
Really, if your focus is on your talent for capturing the right
moments, then why not give the client every digital image should
he or she choose to pay for it? It's an option few photographers
are willing to offer, and one that would certainly make you and
your packages stand out.
Also, stop charging for exact amounts of time or other "nickel
and dime" items, such as dinner at the wedding. The client is
paying you to capture moments. You shouldn't be charging them
for your meals or your time. Refocus how you think about what it
is you are getting paid for. Get comfortable pricing those
services that the client values, and I promise you, the client
will pay the bills.
Every industry has ups and downs, though it's during the down
times that the smart businesses succeed. If you want to continue
making money in this business, you have to make some dramatic
changes in how you charge and for what you charge. Many
photographers are killing their businesses by hanging on to the
old ways of pricing or doing just what "everyone else is doing."
Break away from the pack and start charging for what the client
really values, and you will see an increase in revenue and an
increase in high-paying clients.
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