Feature from guest blogger Shauntelle Sposto of Sposto Photography

We all know that one of the biggest struggles we have as photographers and business owners is with the dreaded “P” word: pricing. Whether you’re a hobbyist who loves taking photos of your kids, a part timer who shoots when you can and tries to stay creative while juggling your other job, or a full time, business owning, self-promoting, photographing machine, determining pricing for our photography can seem like a confusing and daunting task.

“Am I priced too high? Am I priced too low? What are other people charging? How does my work compare to theirs? That person is charging what for their work?” I’m not afraid to tell you: the worst thing we can do is compare ourselves to others.



My parents taught me at a very young age to find something I loved to do and figure out how to make money doing it. This, in turn, would pave the road to a happy life. After all, that’s what they did. That’s the dream, but it’s obviously not that easy.

The industry is flooded with photographers trying to make a dime. It seems like everywhere you look there’s a photographer willing to do it cheaper, faster, and with tons of freebies. That kind of competition can force young artists to believe that competitive pricing is the key to success.



It’s this unfortunate belief that causes our industry to suffer. The truth is we are creative artists who, just like my parents, want to make an honest living doing what they love to do. Learning how to price your services appropriately requires us to introduce a new word to our professional vocabulary: value.

How much is my time and artistry worth? Would I pay for my services? The answers to these questions are key to determining your price as a working artist.



The first question you should ask yourself: What is my time worth?

Working for ourselves doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a living wage. What would your time be worth if you were working for someone else? What about a different job? I think we can all agree that most photographers who start to work professionally have acquired a good amount of experience and equipment to provide a professional experience to their paying clients, not to mention all the education and time invested to reach that level of professionalism.

For those reasons alone, shouldn’t we be paid fairly just as everyone else is in the working world? What would be a fair wage if you were to walk into an office job with experience and education under your belt?



Finding that number can be difficult at first. But when you do, it’s important to apply that to the actual amount of hours you are spending on each job. This includes, but is not limited to: client correspondence, location scouting, time spent shooting, travel to and from an event or session, uploading, editing, more correspondence, sales sessions, making and fulfilling print orders, and delivery of your final product. Even the session itself is just an hour long, all the time you put into making it perfect can sure add up!



The second thing to consider is the fixed cost of running your business.

What does overhead cost? How much does it cost to host your website or blog? How much money did your computer cost? What about editing software, presets, plugins, blogging programs, branding assistance, photography templates, etc.? What about the price of gas and wear and tear on your vehicle? Plus, you can’t forget the obvious ones: purchase and maintenance of camera gear, memory cards, and updated backup hardware.



Determining your fixed costs can be require a significant time investment up front, but it’s very important to remember these costs when choosing a price to charge your clients. Factoring in these costs and combining it with the cost of your time is crucial to developing a price point on which you can support yourself and your business.



Thirdly, and maybe most importantly, what is your experience level and client demographic?

How long have you been photographing professionally? What education level or expertise do you possess in the field? What kind of clients do you want to attract? What are those clients expecting from a professional photographer and what can they afford? New business owners and seasoned professionals alike have to constantly answer these questions.



Lastly, once you’ve calculated all of these amounts, how do you deal with clients who contest this new-found value?

Let’s say you’re in the wedding industry, as I am. I get inquiries all the time from brides asking if I offer discounts for Friday weddings or if they can pay in cash. The answer to these questions is always (a very polite) “No.”

The bottom line is, my time and everything factored into my pricing is worth the same on Friday as it is on Saturday. And cash is never preferable when running a business (there’s no real way to keep a record of cash payments).



The important thing to remember is that if people are booking you at your current price, there’s no reason to devalue yourself just because someone is asking you to. If you walked into a department store and you brought a piece of merchandise to the counter and asked, “Can I have this for $15 instead of $25?”, what do you think the sales clerk would say? These items have been priced after appropriately factoring in all of the production and labor costs associated with making that item. We should be pricing our goods and services in the same way.



There is no “one size fits all” formula for finding your appropriate price point. However, asking yourself these questions is definitely a good start.

If you find yourself truly struggling with pricing and feel that some professional advice is needed, feel free to look at classes online at such sites as www.creativelive.com or Sarah Petty’s www.thejoyofmarketing.com. Your business is unique and will require tons of attention to get started and even more effort to ensure it runs smoothly.

It’s not easy for any of us. But the effort you put into pricing your services appropriately, I believe, is so worth it!