Why is custom, professional photography so expensive??

"How can you charge $65.00 (or whatever price) for an 8x10 if I can get one printed at the drugstore for less than $2.00?" This is a question that most professional, custom photographers have heard more than once. The answer is simply that you are not only paying for the print you are paying for time, expertise, research, knowledge, artistic vision, and skill. First lets look at the actual time involved in a typical custom portrait session. - session preperation 30 minutes to an hour. This includes checking and preparing equipment and -vehicle, researching location, getting directions, etc. - one hour travel time TO session - 15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home - 90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject - one hour travel time FROM session - 30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer - 30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images - 4-6 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images - 1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering - 2-3 hours time with client for ordering images - 1 hour sorting through and checking order - 30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery - 30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped - any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 15 hours to 20 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. Next lets look at the costs to the custom photographer. Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer. Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client. Also, the professional custom photographer will have chosen a lab that provides exceptional quality products and prints - definately not the same quality one can get from the drugstore or local print kiosk. Discussion on other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc. What about the chain studios at the mall and department stores? - They offer loss leaders to get people in the door. They do this knowing that the customer will spend their money on other items while they are there. - Also, if you want prints that are not part of the loss leader special they often cost about $35-$40 for an 8x10. - One of the BIG chain stores recently closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation. WHY? They were losing $. You can't make money selling $0.99 prints. Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1on1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, "SAY CHEESE" experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer. Inspired by a blog post by Marianne Drenthe of Marmalade Photography.