Why does custom photography cost so much?

Custom photography is not for everyone. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand onces… “how come this photographer charges X amount for an 8×10 when Walmart sells them for $3???” I know. I once questioned the same thing before I started this business. Once I was neck deep in images to edit, cards to design, orders to place, and prints to be packaged and working 14 hours a day to keep things on schedule… I understood. I am a one-woman show people. I have spent countless hours and invested thousands of dollars into learning this craft… learning to produce images that would be literally impossible to achieve otherwise. I am passionate about it. I wanted to give 1000% of myself to it… and I did. Somewhere along the way I started spending less and less time with my family… missing my kids while plugging away at shooting, editing, ordering, packaging, book-keeping, etc. When I saw what little profit I actually got to keep and contribute to my family…I broke down… I was ready to quit altogether. I had nothing left in me. I felt I had given all of myself to this business and in doing so… I cheated my family out of what was most important…. me… and for what?? I finally came to the conclusion that my time is worth something… and if I am going to invest my time in something… there must be reasonable compensation for it. Even the Bible says “The worker deserves his wages.” (Luke 10:7 & 1 Timothy 5:18) Life is short. Children are only small once. While I would be honored to capture that brand new beautiful baby that is absolutely perfect or your incredibly good looking senior… I can’t do it at the expense of my own three little ones! For those of you who think my work is a worthy investment… I so appreciate your business and I will work hard and do my best to capture images that you won’t be able to take your eyes off of!

Some FAQ regarding pricing:
So… once you get a fancy camera and some expensive glass… you’re all set and the rest is profit… right???

Ha ha… I’m hoping no one really thinks that. So after the $10,000 I invested just for the equipment in my camera bag (oh… and let’s not forget the $200 bag)…. there are still so SO many expenses for running this business including but not limited to: studio mortgage, heating and electricity, internet and phone, insurance, water and garbage bill, props, backdrops, backdrop stands, lighting equipment, wireless triggers (with extra cords always sold separately), taxes and other fees, workshops/seminars, website/blog templates, web hosting, prints (of course), packaging (boxes, ribbon, stickers, wrapping paper), branding, design elements, marketing,laptop, printer, software, external data storage, mileage on my car, gas, product samples, accounting expenses… just to name a few. Most of what I make…. goes to pay for all this stuff… what’s left over after all the taxes and expenses are paid compensates me for the time I spend: driving, shooting, editing, preparing galleries, designing wall groups for your home, designing cards, putting together storyboards, putting in print orders, answering e-mails and phone calls, packaging print orders, cleaning/maintaining/hauling equipment, searching for/acquiring new props…. and, of course, the list goes on.

Session fees??? Why do you have them???

Session fees pay for the photographer’s time and talent only. If a client decides not to order any prints from their session (yes, unfortunately it does happen), I get at least some compensation for the time I’ve invested. Such as the time I spent on the shoot plus what comes after the shoot such uploading photos to computer, sorting through photos, color correcting, editing and retouching, uploading and paying for galleries, etc..

Why do you have a minimum order requirement?

I have minimum order requirements to ensure that I am compensated for the time I’ll be investing. Or I wont have myself a business..SO I either have to enforce a minimum order… or I have to increase the amount I charge for prints.
One of the questions I’m often asked is “Why are your print prices so high?” I’m happy to give an honest answer to anyone who asks me this question. But most people don’t just ask, they take one look at price, think “I could get a print at Wal-Mart for a fraction of what she charges!” and move on without ever asking why Professionals charge what they do. Many automatically assume it’s because we’re trying to rip people off, or we’re so full of ourselves that we have these thoughts of grandeur that our prints are worth more simply because we’re “artistes”. Not the case. At least not for myself and many other Professionals I know.

I can promise you we are not trying to rip you off. We charge what we do because we put alot of effort into your portraits and use professional labs, that use quality materials. We use these labs because we take pride in our work and we care about our clients’ memories.


Another question that is asked that I would like to address is … Why does a 4x6 cost the same as an 8x10 the best way I can explain is this is how it works for sizing .. ok you go to a clothing store and go into the kids section and there's this cute dress.. and there's small med and large and they are all $50 ... ( so for me that would be like my desk print sizes whether you get the small med or larger size desk print.. its all the same.. the same time ,work and money was all put into that piece no matter what size..) then you go into the adults section and there is a FAB dress for $195 whether you get the small medium or large its all going to be the same price.. your just going to find the size you need.. (this would be like my medium wall portraits section) .. and so on up the ladder. So Hopefully that gives you all a better visual on how it works.

But, I have a CD of the digital files. I can just print them at walmart or wallgreens!

Sure you can do this! BUT there is a HUGE difference between the paper used by pro labs, the paper used by places like Walgreens and Wal-Mart, and the paper you use in your inkjet printer.
Kodak Professional Supra Endura VC Digital Paper (what pro labs use) is the most popular paper used by Professional Photographers. Accurate color, realistic saturation, excellent neutral flesh reproduction, and greater intensity are just a few of the benefits. Plus, standard Archival Value of 100 years in home display; 200 years in dark storage. Impressive huh? Wal-Mart can’t guarantee that. Neither can Walgreen’s. Think an inkjet home printer can do that? Nope. Why? Because the paper they use, as well as the paper used in inkjet printers, is nothing more than thick paper with a glossy film put on top. Prints from a pro lab are printed on professional paper and are created with printers that expose light sensitive paper that is then run through a chemical process. These are real photographs, not inkjet prints. HUGE difference.

I could go on and on about the differences in color spaces, monitor and printer calibration, etc. but if you try to print a Professional’s work at a consumer lab, you could end up with blue or magenta skin tones, shadows that are too dark, and highlights that are washed out (this will degrade the quality and detail of the photo). There’s a reason Professionals are so discerning when it comes to how and where their images are printed. Our reputation is on the line whenever we lose control of the printing process, and if a potential client sees an image with our name on it, and the quality is sub par, they’re going to question our knowledge and skills. If you’re investing in the cost of a Custom Photographer, take the extra step to invest in Professional-quality prints as well, I promise it will be worth it.

So If you are going to choose the portraits on a cd route I would suggest mpix online. Are you going to get the same quality as you would from a pro lab? No. But the company seems good, mid-grade materials that won’t degrade like those cheap prints. They have good prices and good customer service.

So… if the expenses are so great… and the time investment so heavy… why do you continue to do this???

Well.. because I love it…. the photography part anyways (not so much the business part). I’m an artist at heart. It’s the way God created me. If I ever get to the point where I just don’t enjoy ‘the business’ anymore and want out… I’ll quit and use that extra time to photograph my own family. For now I’m going to keep at it and hope to meet many more fabulous clients that also value photography as much as I do!