Why We Charge What We Do: What it Means to Run a Profitable Photography Business

We sometimes get a few questions about our rates, because quite honestly we know there are a lot of hobbyists that charge very little for boutique photography services. 

What other photographers charge is not our business, but I can tell you that it hurts our hearts to see so many creatives and artists get paid far below their worth....and that is why we want to explain a bit more about what goes into a custom photo session, and a bit about running a photography business.

When you hire a photographer, a lot of people only think about the time spent actually clicking the shutter in front of the client. While that is an essential part of the process (and the best part!), there is much more that happens behind the scene to the create beautiful galleries full of memories for our clients.

Like any business, we spend time and money on marketing, building a website, reaching out to potential clients, building a following on social media, and time spent answering emails/handling general business tasks. That stuff is pretty boring, but everything would fall apart without properly taking care of the less glamorous tasks. It’s just part of running a business....like paying taxes! And, of course, we have to do that too, because we run a legal photography business. 

After setting up a custom session tailored to our clients, we travel to a location, and then the most rewarding part of what do: we photograph the fun and the memories for families, children, seniors, couples—all of that!

After the actual time spent behind the camera, we photographers will then edit the raw files created by our very sophisticated camera equipment into the art we deliver in the final digital gallery or in printed art pieces. An artist’s editing process goes far beyond slapping on an filter like you see in Instagram—and it should be noted that this action isn’t editing, that is simply adding a filter. None of our images work with a “one size fits all” solution like a filter, each is hand edited and custom adjusted for a consistent look.

When we edit, we adjust exposure and clarity. We remove distracting background elements. Imagine a trash can in the background of 15 images, well, then we remove that trash can 15 different times. It can be a laborious task, but an important one! We fix slight skin imperfections like acne, or bug bites on children, we reduce redness from sunburn, and we lift darkness under tired eyes.  On average, we personally spend *8-12 hours* editing each session. That’s on top of the 2-3 hours of time that have already been invested into a session through emails, travel, and shooting time. 

So now let’s revisit the session rate. If a photographer chooses to charge $150 for a custom photo session, and they subsequently spend around 12 hours working on that session, they are making $12.50/hour before paying taxes.

Now consider the minimal costs associated with running a photography business:

Camera Gear: For our business, we have 3 camera bodies and 7 different lenses that we paid over $13,000 for, and all that equipment will always require occasional repair and service, and eventually, replacement costs.

Computer(s) for editing: We have both a desktop and laptop that are top of the line, and even they still sometimes struggle with the massive file sizes and programs we work with—which usually means it slows down editing time.

Editing software, web hosting, gallery hosts, insurance, internet service, business phone line, merchant service providers, customer management software...more of that boring stuff. Boring yet essential to running a business smoothly.

Now let’s revisit that $150 session that generates about $12.50/hour before taxes—it simply cannot cover the costs of running a business. It isn’t even close to sustainable, much less profitable!

You can make more at most fast food restaurants than you ever will as a photographer at those rates. 

Can’t you just have more sessions?

Well in theory, sure, but there are only so many office hours available for editing. More importantly, there are limited times we can take photographs in that magical flattering light before sunset if we are a natural light photographer. For us, working on the beach where there is no shade, we are pretty tethered to that hour before sunset.  That limits us to only 7 hours in a week we can photograph on the beach—if we choose to work every single day with no days off, and if the weather cooperates every single day (it doesn’t).

So we are left with a few limited hours a week to have sessions, and anyone working full time will tell you that it is a struggle to support a family and pay expenses on $450 (before taxes and business costs) a week. Again, an hourly W2 position without business expenses would be much more of a livable wage than as an owner/photographer unless they charge appropriately for what they do.

All this information serves to demonstrate a little bit of what it takes to run a photography business. While we wish we were swimming in money from all the hard work we’ve put in, it just isn’t the case.

We also want to reiterate that we believe with all of our hearts that artists deserve to be adequately compensated for their talent. 

I first learned to shoot a film camera in manual, develop my own negatives, and then my own prints in a darkroom when I was only 15. I then went to college and earned a fine arts degree in studio art and art history. I logged so many hours in drawing studios, painting, behind a camera and in the darkroom creating art, not to mention learning the history of various art forms, including photography. I am now a mother of 4 and have been married for a decade, so you can guess how old I am—but basically, I have a LOT of experience, as I have been running a business and taking clients for many years. At this level in a career, like in any career, one deserves to be paid a bit better than working entry level at a fast food restaurant. 

We applaud anyone who decides to invest in a professional level camera and wants to learn the art of photography. However, as consumers we can’t expect that someone who is starting out and has no idea how to effectively run a photography business should dictate what a sustainable cost for a boutique service is—what a customized photography session costs. It doesn’t exist in any other industry, but we see it often in creative pursuits. We don’t walk into a hair salon and suggest that they should be paid 1/4 (or less) of what they are currently charging.

Just because there is a cliche of the “starving artist,” doesn’t mean we should support that idea if we value the talent and creative gifts of artists. 

Just like we support small and local businesses—let’s lift up our artists, and artists’ businesses, and teach them that we do value their gifts—

and that we do think what they do is worth a sustainable wage (all the heart emojis here).