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Why Does Photography Cost So Much?
Well, let me tell you.
I get this a lot. Maybe not that exact question, but commonly in the form of asking for a discount. This happened recently when someone called about getting a professional headshot. She sent me the link to her workplace’s employee photos— which she wanted me to match — and she needed it within 24 hours.
When I told her the price, she said “But I only need one photo”.
Sigh. I explained to her that she could pick out her favorite of all the photos she receives, but that I would be taking more than one photo. I take a lot, always, just to ensure that the client ends up with a photo they love.
But it is so much more than that.
I used to rent a storefront studio where I did such sessions. I had a dedicated space for photography for 20 years. I closed that a few years back, but that’s another story for another day.
When I’m not on location, I do small sessions, like individual headshots, at my house.
So when someone calls for a headshot, first I have to clean (but that’s not your problem), and set up the studio in my living room. Since I, well, live here, that’s just what I have to do. I am spared the expense of the dedicated photo studio, so it’s worth the extra time and trouble, and a little bit of that savings is passed on to the client (I would have to charge much more if I still rented a studio).
This studio setup consists of a couple lights, a couple backgrounds, background stand, remote triggers, and miscellaneous accessories. I estimate the total cost for all this stuff to be about $2000. In case anything happens to one of the lights, I have backups at the ready (more $$). This is my third (or fourth?) set of studio lights.
Oh, and then there’s the camera. The body and lens together cost $5000+. And I have another one ready in case anything goes wrong with that one. And another one after that. I have backup equipment for my backup equipment.
These cameras don’t last forever, either. I’m on about my 8th digital camera, and I’m looking to update my system. It will be necessary for me to do that in the next year or two, at a cost of about $10K (for 2 camera bodies and 2 lenses).
