How many times have you heard yourself, or someone you know say "professional photographers charge to much", or something to that effect?
You know you take pictures as good as theirs, your friends and family tell you that you do, and that you ought to become a professional. You could charge less, and more people could afford a good quality session, and you could make a killing, right?
So I'm here to talk to you a little about why those professional photographers charge so much. We really aren't ripping the general public off, I promise. If you work out of your home, or out of a small store front in your home town, or a large warehouse size area, I think you might be surprised.
So one of the very first things you want to do is to determine the quality of your work. You already know that by examining your work, and from the encouragement of your friends and family that your work is fantastic right? Now, I'm not saying that it's not. This isn't a personal attack on anyone. But here is what you want to do. First, go on line and start looking at photographers web sites; and continue to look at photographer web sites. You are going to come across web sites where your work is equal or better than, and then you are going to come across web sites where you should be saying, I'm nowhere close. If you can't find a web site where you can't say "I'm nowhere close", then you either need to keep looking, or you need a reality check. I have never met a photographer, great or otherwise that hasn't been able to say "I need to keep improving". There are some incredible photographers out there. Have people that aren't friends or family take a look at your work, and ask them to be totally honest with you. Not to be mean, but honest. What they like, what they don't like. You need that honesty to see where you are really at. There is your first step. If you still feel like you are ready to take the leap, then move on.
Showing posts with label cost of professional photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cost of professional photography. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Friday, November 19, 2010
IT COST HOW MUCH?!?!
The next thing you need to do is to determine if you have the initial equipment that you need. Do you need the top of the line DSLR? No. You really do need a DSLR though. A point and shoot camera isn't going to cut it in the professional world. For one, if you show up to a shoot with a point and shoot, it isn't going to do anything for your credibility, but two, there really is a difference in the quality between the two different styles of cameras.
There is a really good chance you already own a DSLR. This is a good thing. It will save you that initial investment. To save a little time at this point, we're going to go with that assumption. (we'll talk about purchasing DSLR's a little later) Owning a DSLR is the first step in the right direction. More than likely you did get it with a lens, case and all the things that you felt you needed. It's a good start.
Now, the following items aren't necessities in life, but they sure don't hurt when you are wanting to be a professional. The first thing is a tripod. I know, you want to be that shoot on the go, move and shoot, move and shoot kind of photographer. And that's a good thing. But if you are going to shoot a family session, maybe a large family reunion, or possibly end up in a low light situation, there is no need to take that chance. So invest in a tripod. With that said, don't go with an inexpensive tripod. You probably don't need the most expensive heaviest tripod out there either. Remember that you have an expensive piece of equipment that you are going to be sitting on top of this three legged friend, and you really don't want it blowing over in the wind. Take a look at the weight of your camera plus the lens, and at a minimum get a tripod that is going to manage the weight of those items. It is probably going to be best if you make sure you get a tripod that is going to handle more weight than that for the simple reason that if you end up getting a heavier lens, you'll want your tripod to handle the whole package. As an example, if you are currently shooting with the lens that came with the camera, and then you eventually buy (assuming you shoot with Canon) a 70-200 f2.8, you are suddenly going to be adding at least a pound to your set up. That's pretty significant. Doesn't sound like much, but with a lens that runs around $1500.00, do you really want to take a chance on a $30.00 tripod that is designed for a light weight camera? So buy for your future needs. A good tripod could very well be one that has the body, then you buy the head separate. You might be looking a little over $100.00. But again, if you have over $2000.00 in camera equipment, what's $100.00?
As far as future needs are concerned, you will find that you will probably never have enough "toys" as a professional. You'll buy a lens, and realize that it's the best lens for xyz shots, but it doesn't quite cover abc shots.... You get the idea. And it's pretty much true. There are a couple of lens' out there that can cover all needs, almost... Now, I shoot with Canon equipment, so I'm going to be using examples with their equipment. The reason for that is that I don't know about the other brands equipment. It's all good, but I know Canon fairly well. The reason I say that you'll really never find one lens that's going to take care of all of your needs, is that unless you are shooting with what is known as a "full frame" camera, you just aren't going to be able to truly do it. In the Canon world, there are only two camera's that are Full Frame, and I don't know, but I think Nikon might have one. Full Frame camera's are capable of giving you the ability to have the true focal length of your lens, like a 35mm film camera would. As an example, if you have a 100mm lens, you actually have the focal plane of 100mm. All other DSLR's out there are going to have a magnification factor of around 1.5. What this means is take your lens focal length, and multiply it by 1.5. If you have a 100mm lens on it, you now have 150mm lens. Now, this is great if you have a long "reach out and touch someone" lens. Especially for wildlife or sports. If you have a 300mm lens, you now have a 450mm. Can't beat that. But, if you want wide angle, it's not so good. Now, that isn't to say that you have a bad camera. There isn't a thing wrong with and DSLR. What happens though is that it makes it harder to use just one lens if you are wanting to do several things. As an example, most portrait photographers absolutely love the Canon 70-200 f2,8. I don't know if there is a lens out there that has better depth of field (DOF)(That is in reference to a zoom lens. There are set lenses out there with a 1.8 or less that will blow your mind.). It's incredible, with an incredible price, but well worth it. Has image stabilization... Just makes your heart melt the first time you view images on your computer after you've shot with it. With a full frame, it's so nice to be able to have that full availability of the 70-200. But I've also used it on a camera with a mag factor, and there still isn't anything wrong with it, i just have to stand back a little further. I have to adjust where i'm at. So it is possible. Canon also has a lens that is somewhere along the lines of a 28-300. Perfect for a full frame. And is pretty much designed for it. It's about a $2800.00 lens. Why is it perfect for a full frame? It has a nice wide angle. On a camera with a mag factor, you lose that nice wide angle ability. So you kind of get the idea. In short, it doesn't matter what kind of body you shoot with, you will always read about the next best lens that has come out for your brand of camera and you'll want it.
I need to put this in right now, DO NOT go into debt for any piece of equipment. Save save save and save. Camera equipment is going to do nothing but come down in price. So buy the time you have saved, more than likely, the price will have come down. Lens' are about the only thing i have never seen come down in any significant amount. But do not let yourself fall into that trap of "it will pay for itself". I've seen to many people do that in order to get that new camera body, or whatever it is. If it takes you two years to save, more than likely not only will the price come down, but there will be a newer better camera body out, and that price will have come down. **Watch where you equipment is coming from. A lot of equipment is made in either the U.S. or Japan, both of which are quality equipment. I saw a lens on line the other day which had a price which was to good to be true, was showing all of the Canon markings on it, and it was made in Malasia. Had never heard of anything Canon being made in Malasia. So if you see a lens that normally runs close to $1000.00 for around $150, and it is brand new, be aware.
The Lens: There is more to the lens than the "length" of the lens. It seems like you'll hear people talk about their lens is a xxmm-xxmm. Most of they time when you hear a professional talk about their lens, they may say it's a xxmm-xxmm, but they will also throw in it's a 1.8, 2.8, etc... What we're talking about is the depth of field. In other words, the simple way to put it if you've never heard the term, is if we focus right on your nose, how much behind you is going to be out of focus if we have our lens set on 2.8. It also helps a whole lot in low light situations. You might ask yourself "how much difference can there possibly be between a 2.8 and my 3.5 or 4.0?" The difference is HUGE!! All i can say is when I switch from my 70-200 which is a 2.8 to my 28-135 which is a 3.5/4.0 (depends on where my length is), I get so frustrated because of the amount of light I can shoot in, and my depth of field is sooo much less. Still a good shot, but so much different. This is where you need to study, take a class, or whatever method of learning suits you best if you aren't familiar with these things. I could be here forever talking about it. And I'll talk about how to utilize these properly later on. On the cost aspect of them, a "good piece of glass" (or a good lens) is going to start around $1000.00, where a lens which is still a good quality with a higher f stop, is going to start around $400.00 or so. So there has got to be a reason in there somewhere.
Camera Bodies: In the Canon line, you can buy an 18 megapixel body with lens for around $1400.00, or you can buy their newest body without lens, at 10.1 megapixes for about 2000.00 more. Now, logically you'd say that the $1400.00 is the best buy right? More megapixels, has a lens... Well, research your choice of cameras before you even go buy. Think about it, why would that 10.1 newest body cost so much more? Well, for one, the body is almost impossible to destroy. Also, could one fit your needs more? Is one built more for sports type photography? And, are megapixels really the thing you want, or are you just a "megapixel snob"? Here's what I mean. On Canon's top of the line model, 21.1 megapixels, if you looks at the specifications, you can shoot RAW (we'll get into this debate later), and have all 21 megapixels, or shoot the highest jpeg and have all 21 megapixels. So as far as that goes, it doesn't matter right? I will concede it doesn't matter. Now, while you're looking at that, look at the megabytes available in each file. The jpg file as about 25% of the available megabytes that the RAW file has. Now, if you go to print an image, the company that is printing your image could really care less how many megapixels your camera has, but megabytes are going to play a little more importance. Being a professional, I would hope you are trying to sell that 30x40, and not just an 8x10. So, I'm not saying you have to buy a $4000-$6000 camera, but research what your needs truly are. If you are a sports photographer, yup... you are definately going to need a camer that has a high rate of fire, and can load those images onto the card really quickly. If you don't plan on shooting sports but maybe on rare occassion, then that high rate of fire isn't as important, so when you are looking, if there are other things in a camera that are more important, look for those. If you are going to be out shooting outdoor portraits, or in the mountains, or wildlife, you might start looking at what the camera body is made of. It's going to take a beating. So I hope that helps. Research, research research. Reading reviews are helpful, talking to friends are helpful, but reading the specifications on the makers sites are going to tell you more than anything. If you aren't quite sure what something means, look it up. But truly understand what you are getting, not just off the word of someone else.
Being a professional photographer can be a never ending money pit. These are just three things that are the very basics that are going to get you started. We'll get into more and more items that you are going to be looking at later on. But start adding it up now.
There is a really good chance you already own a DSLR. This is a good thing. It will save you that initial investment. To save a little time at this point, we're going to go with that assumption. (we'll talk about purchasing DSLR's a little later) Owning a DSLR is the first step in the right direction. More than likely you did get it with a lens, case and all the things that you felt you needed. It's a good start.
Now, the following items aren't necessities in life, but they sure don't hurt when you are wanting to be a professional. The first thing is a tripod. I know, you want to be that shoot on the go, move and shoot, move and shoot kind of photographer. And that's a good thing. But if you are going to shoot a family session, maybe a large family reunion, or possibly end up in a low light situation, there is no need to take that chance. So invest in a tripod. With that said, don't go with an inexpensive tripod. You probably don't need the most expensive heaviest tripod out there either. Remember that you have an expensive piece of equipment that you are going to be sitting on top of this three legged friend, and you really don't want it blowing over in the wind. Take a look at the weight of your camera plus the lens, and at a minimum get a tripod that is going to manage the weight of those items. It is probably going to be best if you make sure you get a tripod that is going to handle more weight than that for the simple reason that if you end up getting a heavier lens, you'll want your tripod to handle the whole package. As an example, if you are currently shooting with the lens that came with the camera, and then you eventually buy (assuming you shoot with Canon) a 70-200 f2.8, you are suddenly going to be adding at least a pound to your set up. That's pretty significant. Doesn't sound like much, but with a lens that runs around $1500.00, do you really want to take a chance on a $30.00 tripod that is designed for a light weight camera? So buy for your future needs. A good tripod could very well be one that has the body, then you buy the head separate. You might be looking a little over $100.00. But again, if you have over $2000.00 in camera equipment, what's $100.00?
As far as future needs are concerned, you will find that you will probably never have enough "toys" as a professional. You'll buy a lens, and realize that it's the best lens for xyz shots, but it doesn't quite cover abc shots.... You get the idea. And it's pretty much true. There are a couple of lens' out there that can cover all needs, almost... Now, I shoot with Canon equipment, so I'm going to be using examples with their equipment. The reason for that is that I don't know about the other brands equipment. It's all good, but I know Canon fairly well. The reason I say that you'll really never find one lens that's going to take care of all of your needs, is that unless you are shooting with what is known as a "full frame" camera, you just aren't going to be able to truly do it. In the Canon world, there are only two camera's that are Full Frame, and I don't know, but I think Nikon might have one. Full Frame camera's are capable of giving you the ability to have the true focal length of your lens, like a 35mm film camera would. As an example, if you have a 100mm lens, you actually have the focal plane of 100mm. All other DSLR's out there are going to have a magnification factor of around 1.5. What this means is take your lens focal length, and multiply it by 1.5. If you have a 100mm lens on it, you now have 150mm lens. Now, this is great if you have a long "reach out and touch someone" lens. Especially for wildlife or sports. If you have a 300mm lens, you now have a 450mm. Can't beat that. But, if you want wide angle, it's not so good. Now, that isn't to say that you have a bad camera. There isn't a thing wrong with and DSLR. What happens though is that it makes it harder to use just one lens if you are wanting to do several things. As an example, most portrait photographers absolutely love the Canon 70-200 f2,8. I don't know if there is a lens out there that has better depth of field (DOF)(That is in reference to a zoom lens. There are set lenses out there with a 1.8 or less that will blow your mind.). It's incredible, with an incredible price, but well worth it. Has image stabilization... Just makes your heart melt the first time you view images on your computer after you've shot with it. With a full frame, it's so nice to be able to have that full availability of the 70-200. But I've also used it on a camera with a mag factor, and there still isn't anything wrong with it, i just have to stand back a little further. I have to adjust where i'm at. So it is possible. Canon also has a lens that is somewhere along the lines of a 28-300. Perfect for a full frame. And is pretty much designed for it. It's about a $2800.00 lens. Why is it perfect for a full frame? It has a nice wide angle. On a camera with a mag factor, you lose that nice wide angle ability. So you kind of get the idea. In short, it doesn't matter what kind of body you shoot with, you will always read about the next best lens that has come out for your brand of camera and you'll want it.
I need to put this in right now, DO NOT go into debt for any piece of equipment. Save save save and save. Camera equipment is going to do nothing but come down in price. So buy the time you have saved, more than likely, the price will have come down. Lens' are about the only thing i have never seen come down in any significant amount. But do not let yourself fall into that trap of "it will pay for itself". I've seen to many people do that in order to get that new camera body, or whatever it is. If it takes you two years to save, more than likely not only will the price come down, but there will be a newer better camera body out, and that price will have come down. **Watch where you equipment is coming from. A lot of equipment is made in either the U.S. or Japan, both of which are quality equipment. I saw a lens on line the other day which had a price which was to good to be true, was showing all of the Canon markings on it, and it was made in Malasia. Had never heard of anything Canon being made in Malasia. So if you see a lens that normally runs close to $1000.00 for around $150, and it is brand new, be aware.
The Lens: There is more to the lens than the "length" of the lens. It seems like you'll hear people talk about their lens is a xxmm-xxmm. Most of they time when you hear a professional talk about their lens, they may say it's a xxmm-xxmm, but they will also throw in it's a 1.8, 2.8, etc... What we're talking about is the depth of field. In other words, the simple way to put it if you've never heard the term, is if we focus right on your nose, how much behind you is going to be out of focus if we have our lens set on 2.8. It also helps a whole lot in low light situations. You might ask yourself "how much difference can there possibly be between a 2.8 and my 3.5 or 4.0?" The difference is HUGE!! All i can say is when I switch from my 70-200 which is a 2.8 to my 28-135 which is a 3.5/4.0 (depends on where my length is), I get so frustrated because of the amount of light I can shoot in, and my depth of field is sooo much less. Still a good shot, but so much different. This is where you need to study, take a class, or whatever method of learning suits you best if you aren't familiar with these things. I could be here forever talking about it. And I'll talk about how to utilize these properly later on. On the cost aspect of them, a "good piece of glass" (or a good lens) is going to start around $1000.00, where a lens which is still a good quality with a higher f stop, is going to start around $400.00 or so. So there has got to be a reason in there somewhere.
Camera Bodies: In the Canon line, you can buy an 18 megapixel body with lens for around $1400.00, or you can buy their newest body without lens, at 10.1 megapixes for about 2000.00 more. Now, logically you'd say that the $1400.00 is the best buy right? More megapixels, has a lens... Well, research your choice of cameras before you even go buy. Think about it, why would that 10.1 newest body cost so much more? Well, for one, the body is almost impossible to destroy. Also, could one fit your needs more? Is one built more for sports type photography? And, are megapixels really the thing you want, or are you just a "megapixel snob"? Here's what I mean. On Canon's top of the line model, 21.1 megapixels, if you looks at the specifications, you can shoot RAW (we'll get into this debate later), and have all 21 megapixels, or shoot the highest jpeg and have all 21 megapixels. So as far as that goes, it doesn't matter right? I will concede it doesn't matter. Now, while you're looking at that, look at the megabytes available in each file. The jpg file as about 25% of the available megabytes that the RAW file has. Now, if you go to print an image, the company that is printing your image could really care less how many megapixels your camera has, but megabytes are going to play a little more importance. Being a professional, I would hope you are trying to sell that 30x40, and not just an 8x10. So, I'm not saying you have to buy a $4000-$6000 camera, but research what your needs truly are. If you are a sports photographer, yup... you are definately going to need a camer that has a high rate of fire, and can load those images onto the card really quickly. If you don't plan on shooting sports but maybe on rare occassion, then that high rate of fire isn't as important, so when you are looking, if there are other things in a camera that are more important, look for those. If you are going to be out shooting outdoor portraits, or in the mountains, or wildlife, you might start looking at what the camera body is made of. It's going to take a beating. So I hope that helps. Research, research research. Reading reviews are helpful, talking to friends are helpful, but reading the specifications on the makers sites are going to tell you more than anything. If you aren't quite sure what something means, look it up. But truly understand what you are getting, not just off the word of someone else.
Being a professional photographer can be a never ending money pit. These are just three things that are the very basics that are going to get you started. We'll get into more and more items that you are going to be looking at later on. But start adding it up now.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I CAN DO IT SO MUCH CHEAPER!!!
We all know that you, or someone else can charge so much less than the current established photographers. There is no doubt in anyones mind. So let's explore that for a couple of minutes. I'm not here to tell you that you shouldn't reach for the stars and go for your dreams. If this is your passion, you need to do it. What I am doing here is giving you a reality check. I'm wanting you to truly understand what you are in for if you want to do this for a living, and then at the end, if you even want to do it part time.
So if you are wanting to go into photography as a full time business, here are some things you need to keep in mind, and also ask yourself:
1) The business of photography is just that. A BUSINESS! People tend to forget this. It's one of those 80/20 things. And unfortunately it isn't 80% for the fun part. It is 80% business and 20% photography. You are going to need to get your tax id, you'll need to open a business checking account (for the simple fact that in order to get any discounts from the good photography suppliers, you're going to need it), you'll need to register your business name with the state, or if I wanted to, i could see your really neat studio or business name, come along and register it, and come to you and say i have that name registered with the state and you would have to change it. Getting the idea? Now, with all that paper work filled out and submitted, you'll have to start submitting your monthly sales tax, which could eventually lead into a quarterly submission. Then you'll be filing on your annual income tax. BUT, this isn't all together a bad thing, because you'll definately be taking a loss for awhile, so it will bring your taxable income down. Oh ya, you need to keep every receipt, keep track of every mile you drive for your business, etc... Ok, so that's where the 80% starts to take place. The other part of the 80% comes in the form of marketing, advertising and things like that. We all want to just use word of mouth, but when you are starting against the established guys, you have to spend some time doing that stuff. Somewhere inbetween all of that, you do get to spend your 20% doing the fun stuff.
2) Most people will start off with the idea that they will just charge like $45 for a session and give the client the disk of images, and let them make the prints themselves. So let's go on that assumption. It is cheaper by far than what the other guys are charging. So if you are planning on doing this for a living, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself, how much do you want to take home each year... what do you want your salary to be? Just for the ease of the thing, let's say $20,000. In Boise, that's reasonable unless you're giving up a great job. But, for a photographer starting off in his first year, that's almost a dream, but let's use it anyway.
So the thing you need to ask yourself now is do you want to take anytime off the first year? If you have kids that are school age, do you take family vacations during the summer? For this example, we'll say you normally take 1 week. So here's the basic breakdown so far:
20,000 a year
51 weeks
= $392.00 week
= 9 sessions a week
= 1.25 sessions a day
Now, if we break it down like that, 1.25 sessions a day doesn't sound like much. Remembering this is $45 a session, giving the disk with the images away. But let's be a little more realistic. This is 7 days a week. Ask yourself if you want to work 7 days a week. Ok, you're a go getter, so you're willing to do that the first year. I applaude you. This is assuming you can get 1.25 sessions every day, without missing a day except that 1 week of vacation time.
Now, the next thing you need to ask yourself, is are you strictly going to be shooting on location? Like outdoors so that you don't have to go to the expense of buying studio lights, and everything else that goes along with getting that to work properly? If the answer is yes there, here's something that is a little more realistic.
January, traditionally dead, studio or not. It's dead. Photographers pretty much plan on not doing anything, but if they get business they aren't going to turn it away. December is pretty good if you have a studio, but I've still had people want to do stuff outside. You just have to be quick when you shoot. But nowhere near enough to consider doing 1 a day. Same way with November. February, still cold as you know what. If March warms up, let's say that you start getting your customer base back up. So now we're down 17 weeks out of the year.
20,000
35 weeks
=777.00
=111 sessions a week
=15 sessions a day
Again, that is 7 days a week. So you kind of see where I'm going with this.
The other drawback about giving the disk to your client, is that you don't know where they are going to print your images at. If they do it at home, and their printer isn't calibrated, or they use bad paper, poor ink, etc... and your images come out looking terrible, they show someone the pictures, the person looking at them isn't going to say "oh the paper is bad and the ink quality is bad", they are going to say the photographer wasn't any good. Gauranteed. I'm not just saying that. Another photographer might say that, but the general public doesn't think like that. You know the saying "any word of mouth is word of mouth, good or bad". Ok, it's a combination of sayings. So, if you do that, you're taking a big chance. Why do I bring that up now? It is going to become clear, but it has to do with that $45 session and giving away the disk not working in the above scenario.
3) In the Boise area (Treasure Valley) one of the problems you'll run into if you are solely shooting environmental, is that when it comes to high school seniors, you are going to somehow have to come up with a way to get the year book pictures done. Right now, I know there is one or two schools that allow for an environmental shot to be used, there are 2 schools that shoot the tux and drape shot themselves, but the rest are requiring the seniors to have their head shots to be done by a photographer. So while you can do the Seniors outdoor shots, how are you going to do their actual yearbook picture? Now, while you can charge them however much for their session, you can refer them to another photographer for their head shot. If you can work out somesort of a relationship with another photographer, you might be able to work a deal. Otherwise, you are going to find that a photographer is going to charge $50+ to just shoot the headshot for the yearbook. More than likely on the + side. So, if you are honest with your customer, you are going to tell them that your session is going to cost $xx, but then their headshot for the yearbook is going to cost them at least $xx. More than likely you're going to lose business for the simple fact that people are going to go ahead and go someplace that can take care of all of it.
4) Which leads us into the "I'll buy studio lights". That isn't a problem either. It can be done. I've known plenty of people who set up in their homes, then tear down, or set up in their garage, or somehow make it work. The cost of studio lights can run anywhere from $500-$2000. It's up to you on how much you spend. Again, do your research. Make sure you're going to be able to shoot straight out of the package. Are you going to need instruction from someone, and if so, where are you going to get it? If you are the type that can read about the different types of lighting (there are so many), and learn that way, that's a good thing. Then you'll need a background. The schools require a certain color. Luckily they all require the same color. But that is probably going to run you around $80+. You're going to need someway to hold it up, but that can be fairly inexpensive. On the cost of the lights, if you are going to be in this for the long haul, get the best you can afford. You won't get your money back out of them. If you spend $500 on a set of lights, no one is going to give you $500 on a used set of lights when they can buy a band new set of lights for $500. And Boise isn't exactly the mecca of photographers looking for used equipment. So can you see where I'm going with cost and your prices? What was once a $45 session giving away a disk, breaking down the number of session per day, to suddenly, possibly having to add equipment, increasing your cost... (NOTE: You will want to check your instruction book that came with your camera. Some DSLR's aren't equipped to automatically shoot with studio lights. In this case, you are going to have to purchase something along the lines of a Pocket Wizard, which allows you to "fire" your lights. One will attach to your light, and one to your camera. This will add another $300 or so. Remember you will need two of them. Also, you can just play around with your lights to get what you think is the right look with shadows and stuff, or you can buy a good light meter to get it right the first time. There is another $200+. So again, the cost just keeps adding up)
5) Increasing your cost: Speaking of which... How old is your camera right now? How old is your computer? If you don't have an external hard drive, you need to get one. And honestly, every session you shoot, in addition to moving it to your external hard drive, you need to be copying it to a disk. If you aren't getting it off your main hard drive, and you are shooting a ton of sessions, your computer is going to bog down. Ideally you will have a computer dedicated to your business (good thing is that it may be a write off, check with your accountant). If you are starting to use your camera more, the greater chance of having to send it in for a possible repair. Do you have a back up? If your computer goes down, hopefully you have backed up all your images in case your external hard drive bites it. These aren't things that are to scare you, these are things you can ask any professional photographer about, and they will tell you horror stories about. Showing up at a wedding and having their main camera go down, and if it wasn't for their back up.... That kind of stuff.
6) For those of you wanting to start a full time business, the outlay of $$ never ends. Again, this isn't to scare you off from following your dream. It's a reality check. Know that in the beginning you will spend more time at home when your family isn't there, and less time at home when they are there. As time passes and you become established, you can call the shots and say you won't work past 5:00, or on weekends, or however you want to work it. But at the beginning, can you really afford to pass up on a session? So do your homework.
7) On the idea of charging for prints. If you have someplace that charges say $3.00 for an 8x10, you can't charge $6.00 for that print and get away with it. Again, start adding everything up. How many 8x10's are you going to have to sell to make the salary you want? Even in addition to the session fee you want to charge. Even if you're making your bills this month, what happens during the months when nothing is happening? December, January, etc... What happens when your camera finally dies on you? Ya, you paid maybe $2000.00 for it, but that doesn't gaurantee that it isn't going to break down. I just put a roll of black and white film in a 20 year old film camera that works like a charm. On the other hand, i have a 10 year old digital camera that I can tell maybe has another year on it if I'm lucky. Digital cameras have limited life spans on them. Don't shoot less, shoot like you normally would. Most digital cameras are rated to get 100,000 shutter releases. Some of those get less, but most get more. But there are other things that can go wrong sometimes. So don't think of your business and the amount you charges as of "if I charge this much, I can pay these bills this month". Think of it as "If I charge this month, I can pay these bills for the next 6 months plus pay for anything extra that comes my way". Figure all of that in to what you charge.
8) Part timers: You may not feel like all of this pertains to you. A lot of it does. Equipment if still going to break down on you. The quality of prints people show others are still going to effect your word of mouth, so take a lot of that to heart.
9) The thing you need to worry about, is if you are fortunate to be able to stay home with your children during the day, and you are photographing other children, if you are taking your children to the session with you, you have to make sure that they aren't constantly crawling on you interrupting you as you shoot. If you are photographing other children, hopefully you are down on your knees at there level most of the time. So if your children are at the age where they are going to crawl on your back are tackle you from the side, or want to play with the other kids, and make it hard for you to do your job, it's not going to be as easy as you thought. And even though your kids are the greatest kids in the world at home, Murphy's Law is going to kick in as soon as you break that camera out and start to photograph other kids. They will go from the angel that everyone in the world knows, to Satan's little helper, than no one in the world would know. So be prepared.
10) The other hard part, is that when you start to really get good, you are going to find that all the other parents who want you to photograph for them will have kids that are school age, so they need you after school. Well, suddenly that starts to put you later in the day. Even if you don't have kids that age, you are suddenly working later and later. At first it isn't a problem, plus it's extra spending money. Then it's can you maybe do it on Saturday. "Well, it's a good friend". Then it's another good friend on a Saturday. Well, then you know someone who wants a sunset shot at the lake. It would be so beautiful. Then suddenly it's no fun anymore, and the money isn't worth it, so you stop. Well, you have to ask yourself is it that it isn't fun, or do you want to just go back to doing it during the week day? Maybe charge more, and set specific guidelines... You have that option.
Overall, please remember that there are reasons that professional photographers charge so much. I hope some of these examples help you to understand why. Some of the things I didn't add are that the majority of us attend continuing education courses throughout the year. (you didn't know they even existed did you). They aren't cheap, and they cost to get there, plus the hotel cost, etc... That's how we stay ahead of the competition. Just like any other business, we have to make a living. We all know that a Big Mac meal doesn't cost McDonalds anywhere near $5.00, but we still go there. They probably have a bigger mark-up than we do if the truth be known.
The cost of equipment insurance alone would blow your mind. So things like that aren't even taken into consideration. There is a lot more than just taking pictures involved in being a professional photographer. Again, please please pleas follow your dreams. But go into this understanding what it's about. As soon as it stops being fun, get out of the business, and start shooting for fun again. As a matter of fact, never stop shooting for fun. In the midst of the 80% business, always keep shooting fun. The first time you go to a session and think anything along the lines of "what am i doing here", get out!
So if you are wanting to go into photography as a full time business, here are some things you need to keep in mind, and also ask yourself:
1) The business of photography is just that. A BUSINESS! People tend to forget this. It's one of those 80/20 things. And unfortunately it isn't 80% for the fun part. It is 80% business and 20% photography. You are going to need to get your tax id, you'll need to open a business checking account (for the simple fact that in order to get any discounts from the good photography suppliers, you're going to need it), you'll need to register your business name with the state, or if I wanted to, i could see your really neat studio or business name, come along and register it, and come to you and say i have that name registered with the state and you would have to change it. Getting the idea? Now, with all that paper work filled out and submitted, you'll have to start submitting your monthly sales tax, which could eventually lead into a quarterly submission. Then you'll be filing on your annual income tax. BUT, this isn't all together a bad thing, because you'll definately be taking a loss for awhile, so it will bring your taxable income down. Oh ya, you need to keep every receipt, keep track of every mile you drive for your business, etc... Ok, so that's where the 80% starts to take place. The other part of the 80% comes in the form of marketing, advertising and things like that. We all want to just use word of mouth, but when you are starting against the established guys, you have to spend some time doing that stuff. Somewhere inbetween all of that, you do get to spend your 20% doing the fun stuff.
2) Most people will start off with the idea that they will just charge like $45 for a session and give the client the disk of images, and let them make the prints themselves. So let's go on that assumption. It is cheaper by far than what the other guys are charging. So if you are planning on doing this for a living, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself, how much do you want to take home each year... what do you want your salary to be? Just for the ease of the thing, let's say $20,000. In Boise, that's reasonable unless you're giving up a great job. But, for a photographer starting off in his first year, that's almost a dream, but let's use it anyway.
So the thing you need to ask yourself now is do you want to take anytime off the first year? If you have kids that are school age, do you take family vacations during the summer? For this example, we'll say you normally take 1 week. So here's the basic breakdown so far:
20,000 a year
51 weeks
= $392.00 week
= 9 sessions a week
= 1.25 sessions a day
Now, if we break it down like that, 1.25 sessions a day doesn't sound like much. Remembering this is $45 a session, giving the disk with the images away. But let's be a little more realistic. This is 7 days a week. Ask yourself if you want to work 7 days a week. Ok, you're a go getter, so you're willing to do that the first year. I applaude you. This is assuming you can get 1.25 sessions every day, without missing a day except that 1 week of vacation time.
Now, the next thing you need to ask yourself, is are you strictly going to be shooting on location? Like outdoors so that you don't have to go to the expense of buying studio lights, and everything else that goes along with getting that to work properly? If the answer is yes there, here's something that is a little more realistic.
January, traditionally dead, studio or not. It's dead. Photographers pretty much plan on not doing anything, but if they get business they aren't going to turn it away. December is pretty good if you have a studio, but I've still had people want to do stuff outside. You just have to be quick when you shoot. But nowhere near enough to consider doing 1 a day. Same way with November. February, still cold as you know what. If March warms up, let's say that you start getting your customer base back up. So now we're down 17 weeks out of the year.
20,000
35 weeks
=777.00
=111 sessions a week
=15 sessions a day
Again, that is 7 days a week. So you kind of see where I'm going with this.
The other drawback about giving the disk to your client, is that you don't know where they are going to print your images at. If they do it at home, and their printer isn't calibrated, or they use bad paper, poor ink, etc... and your images come out looking terrible, they show someone the pictures, the person looking at them isn't going to say "oh the paper is bad and the ink quality is bad", they are going to say the photographer wasn't any good. Gauranteed. I'm not just saying that. Another photographer might say that, but the general public doesn't think like that. You know the saying "any word of mouth is word of mouth, good or bad". Ok, it's a combination of sayings. So, if you do that, you're taking a big chance. Why do I bring that up now? It is going to become clear, but it has to do with that $45 session and giving away the disk not working in the above scenario.
3) In the Boise area (Treasure Valley) one of the problems you'll run into if you are solely shooting environmental, is that when it comes to high school seniors, you are going to somehow have to come up with a way to get the year book pictures done. Right now, I know there is one or two schools that allow for an environmental shot to be used, there are 2 schools that shoot the tux and drape shot themselves, but the rest are requiring the seniors to have their head shots to be done by a photographer. So while you can do the Seniors outdoor shots, how are you going to do their actual yearbook picture? Now, while you can charge them however much for their session, you can refer them to another photographer for their head shot. If you can work out somesort of a relationship with another photographer, you might be able to work a deal. Otherwise, you are going to find that a photographer is going to charge $50+ to just shoot the headshot for the yearbook. More than likely on the + side. So, if you are honest with your customer, you are going to tell them that your session is going to cost $xx, but then their headshot for the yearbook is going to cost them at least $xx. More than likely you're going to lose business for the simple fact that people are going to go ahead and go someplace that can take care of all of it.
4) Which leads us into the "I'll buy studio lights". That isn't a problem either. It can be done. I've known plenty of people who set up in their homes, then tear down, or set up in their garage, or somehow make it work. The cost of studio lights can run anywhere from $500-$2000. It's up to you on how much you spend. Again, do your research. Make sure you're going to be able to shoot straight out of the package. Are you going to need instruction from someone, and if so, where are you going to get it? If you are the type that can read about the different types of lighting (there are so many), and learn that way, that's a good thing. Then you'll need a background. The schools require a certain color. Luckily they all require the same color. But that is probably going to run you around $80+. You're going to need someway to hold it up, but that can be fairly inexpensive. On the cost of the lights, if you are going to be in this for the long haul, get the best you can afford. You won't get your money back out of them. If you spend $500 on a set of lights, no one is going to give you $500 on a used set of lights when they can buy a band new set of lights for $500. And Boise isn't exactly the mecca of photographers looking for used equipment. So can you see where I'm going with cost and your prices? What was once a $45 session giving away a disk, breaking down the number of session per day, to suddenly, possibly having to add equipment, increasing your cost... (NOTE: You will want to check your instruction book that came with your camera. Some DSLR's aren't equipped to automatically shoot with studio lights. In this case, you are going to have to purchase something along the lines of a Pocket Wizard, which allows you to "fire" your lights. One will attach to your light, and one to your camera. This will add another $300 or so. Remember you will need two of them. Also, you can just play around with your lights to get what you think is the right look with shadows and stuff, or you can buy a good light meter to get it right the first time. There is another $200+. So again, the cost just keeps adding up)
5) Increasing your cost: Speaking of which... How old is your camera right now? How old is your computer? If you don't have an external hard drive, you need to get one. And honestly, every session you shoot, in addition to moving it to your external hard drive, you need to be copying it to a disk. If you aren't getting it off your main hard drive, and you are shooting a ton of sessions, your computer is going to bog down. Ideally you will have a computer dedicated to your business (good thing is that it may be a write off, check with your accountant). If you are starting to use your camera more, the greater chance of having to send it in for a possible repair. Do you have a back up? If your computer goes down, hopefully you have backed up all your images in case your external hard drive bites it. These aren't things that are to scare you, these are things you can ask any professional photographer about, and they will tell you horror stories about. Showing up at a wedding and having their main camera go down, and if it wasn't for their back up.... That kind of stuff.
6) For those of you wanting to start a full time business, the outlay of $$ never ends. Again, this isn't to scare you off from following your dream. It's a reality check. Know that in the beginning you will spend more time at home when your family isn't there, and less time at home when they are there. As time passes and you become established, you can call the shots and say you won't work past 5:00, or on weekends, or however you want to work it. But at the beginning, can you really afford to pass up on a session? So do your homework.
7) On the idea of charging for prints. If you have someplace that charges say $3.00 for an 8x10, you can't charge $6.00 for that print and get away with it. Again, start adding everything up. How many 8x10's are you going to have to sell to make the salary you want? Even in addition to the session fee you want to charge. Even if you're making your bills this month, what happens during the months when nothing is happening? December, January, etc... What happens when your camera finally dies on you? Ya, you paid maybe $2000.00 for it, but that doesn't gaurantee that it isn't going to break down. I just put a roll of black and white film in a 20 year old film camera that works like a charm. On the other hand, i have a 10 year old digital camera that I can tell maybe has another year on it if I'm lucky. Digital cameras have limited life spans on them. Don't shoot less, shoot like you normally would. Most digital cameras are rated to get 100,000 shutter releases. Some of those get less, but most get more. But there are other things that can go wrong sometimes. So don't think of your business and the amount you charges as of "if I charge this much, I can pay these bills this month". Think of it as "If I charge this month, I can pay these bills for the next 6 months plus pay for anything extra that comes my way". Figure all of that in to what you charge.
8) Part timers: You may not feel like all of this pertains to you. A lot of it does. Equipment if still going to break down on you. The quality of prints people show others are still going to effect your word of mouth, so take a lot of that to heart.
9) The thing you need to worry about, is if you are fortunate to be able to stay home with your children during the day, and you are photographing other children, if you are taking your children to the session with you, you have to make sure that they aren't constantly crawling on you interrupting you as you shoot. If you are photographing other children, hopefully you are down on your knees at there level most of the time. So if your children are at the age where they are going to crawl on your back are tackle you from the side, or want to play with the other kids, and make it hard for you to do your job, it's not going to be as easy as you thought. And even though your kids are the greatest kids in the world at home, Murphy's Law is going to kick in as soon as you break that camera out and start to photograph other kids. They will go from the angel that everyone in the world knows, to Satan's little helper, than no one in the world would know. So be prepared.
10) The other hard part, is that when you start to really get good, you are going to find that all the other parents who want you to photograph for them will have kids that are school age, so they need you after school. Well, suddenly that starts to put you later in the day. Even if you don't have kids that age, you are suddenly working later and later. At first it isn't a problem, plus it's extra spending money. Then it's can you maybe do it on Saturday. "Well, it's a good friend". Then it's another good friend on a Saturday. Well, then you know someone who wants a sunset shot at the lake. It would be so beautiful. Then suddenly it's no fun anymore, and the money isn't worth it, so you stop. Well, you have to ask yourself is it that it isn't fun, or do you want to just go back to doing it during the week day? Maybe charge more, and set specific guidelines... You have that option.
Overall, please remember that there are reasons that professional photographers charge so much. I hope some of these examples help you to understand why. Some of the things I didn't add are that the majority of us attend continuing education courses throughout the year. (you didn't know they even existed did you). They aren't cheap, and they cost to get there, plus the hotel cost, etc... That's how we stay ahead of the competition. Just like any other business, we have to make a living. We all know that a Big Mac meal doesn't cost McDonalds anywhere near $5.00, but we still go there. They probably have a bigger mark-up than we do if the truth be known.
The cost of equipment insurance alone would blow your mind. So things like that aren't even taken into consideration. There is a lot more than just taking pictures involved in being a professional photographer. Again, please please pleas follow your dreams. But go into this understanding what it's about. As soon as it stops being fun, get out of the business, and start shooting for fun again. As a matter of fact, never stop shooting for fun. In the midst of the 80% business, always keep shooting fun. The first time you go to a session and think anything along the lines of "what am i doing here", get out!
Do you like it RAW?
Someday take the time to look up RAW vs Jpg. It will boggle your mind. There are more opinions than you thought possible. Now, some of them were written years ago when things might have been more difficult with RAW, and some of them are more current. Some people just hate RAW and will let you know in no uncertain terms. A lot of people will have pro's and con's of each.
Oh ya, what is RAW? In short, if you turn you camera to your manual setting, and go to your menu, you will find a setting for RAW and I know Nikon at one time at least called it NEF. They may use RAW as well now, I'm not sure. One of the first things it will do for you is actually give you the full ability of your camera. When people see each other with a DSLR anymore, the like to start asking what megapixel your camera is. If you have an 18 megapixel camera, and you aren't shooting RAW, you aren't getting that 18. Sorry, I'm not making it up. Get out your instruction book, and it will show you how many megapixels you are getting with each setting. RAW is traditionally the only way you are going to get the full bang for your buck. Remember earlier where I mentioned the Canon 21.1 where the jpg did give the same number of megapixels, but the megabytes were way less? Well, it doesn't matter if the mpixels are the same. Anyway, if you are shooting the highest jpg, your camera is shooting smaller images. It's still going to be shooting high, but not the 18 your think you're getting.
The best way RAW was ever explained to me was imagine you have a box of 500 crayons; everytime you take a picture in RAW, those crayons are thrown in the air and are mixed up. When you go in and download them, you get to go in and reposition them how you want them. They are going to be in the order so you can see the picture as you want them, but you get to easily manipulate them. Now, your image should be on exposure and such right out of the camera, but RAW is going to allow you to manipulate those images in batch format in your RAW window. It's incredible. You can set saturation, contrast etc... several at a time. Now, with JPG, you take your picture and the crayons stay in nice neat rows. When you download your images, they are there. In order to manipulate them, you open them up one at a time, and it takes a lot longer. You do lose a little image strength, and a little (just a little) quality everytime you manipulate a jpg image.
People usually don't like RAW because they have to shoot in Manual mode, and that scares the heck out of them. They have this incredible DSLR, and they leave it in auto mode, with auto focus, and never have taken it out. It's a pet peeve of mine. By doing that it's kind of like having a real fancy point and shoot. You usually buy a DSLR so you can be more creative, if you think so or not. To shoot Johnnies football game, Susies volleyball game, etc... If you still aren't getting the pictures that you think you should be and you are shooting auto, try manual, mess with your ISO, and play around with your depth of field, and shutter speed, and you'll probably get what you're looking for. Also, if they are looking yellowish when you are shooting indoors, if you are shooting RAW, that's easily fixed. So, don't be afraid to take that great new camera and use it to it's fullest extent.
The one thing with RAW however, is there is a special program you need to read the files, or to see the pictures on your computer. BUT, it doesn't cost anything. If you already have a program like Photoshop, you have it. But if you transfer your images and you can't see them on your screen, go in and do a search for a RAW reader, and you'll find them as a free download. If you have windows, you'll find them on the Windows site. I would think that Apple has them as well, I don't know. It's a simple download, nothing fancy. But you will still need a photo enhancement program that can open RAW files. If you don't have one, and want a great program that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, Photoshop Elements is a great program. I think the newest version if $99.00. Elements will basically do everything a portrait photographer will need, plus more. Not only that, but if you are going to be a competetive photographer in todays world, you are going to have to be familiar with how work your way around something like Photoshop. if you aren't working your images before they leave your studio whereever it is, you are going to sink yourself.
So, RAW or jpg, it's up to you. BUT, i do recommend shooting on Manual either way. You've got the camera, stop shooting auto so much. Use that camera for everything it's worth. Oh, and stop shooting like you've got an automatic rifle in your hands. Coming from the days of film, we knew that everytime we pushed that shutter down, it was costing us money. We bought the film, had to have it proccessed, etc... We couldn't look at the back of the camera. So, in a way digital was a good thing. But, to this day, i don't think I really look at the back of the camera. My point is that if you are going to be a professional, you have got to stop looking at the back of the camera after every shot. You should exude confidence, and one way to do that (just my opinion) is to have confidence in your own abilities, that you have framed the image in the camera, that you have your exposure correct, etc... When you are shooting, and practicing, place a sticky note or something over the back of the camera. Don't let yourself see what's going on back there. Just like in the days of film, give yourself an assignment, and don't shoot anymore than 24 or 36 images that day. Don't look at the back of the camera, and trust that you are getting it right through the camera. Trust yourself and your abilities.
Oh ya, what is RAW? In short, if you turn you camera to your manual setting, and go to your menu, you will find a setting for RAW and I know Nikon at one time at least called it NEF. They may use RAW as well now, I'm not sure. One of the first things it will do for you is actually give you the full ability of your camera. When people see each other with a DSLR anymore, the like to start asking what megapixel your camera is. If you have an 18 megapixel camera, and you aren't shooting RAW, you aren't getting that 18. Sorry, I'm not making it up. Get out your instruction book, and it will show you how many megapixels you are getting with each setting. RAW is traditionally the only way you are going to get the full bang for your buck. Remember earlier where I mentioned the Canon 21.1 where the jpg did give the same number of megapixels, but the megabytes were way less? Well, it doesn't matter if the mpixels are the same. Anyway, if you are shooting the highest jpg, your camera is shooting smaller images. It's still going to be shooting high, but not the 18 your think you're getting.
The best way RAW was ever explained to me was imagine you have a box of 500 crayons; everytime you take a picture in RAW, those crayons are thrown in the air and are mixed up. When you go in and download them, you get to go in and reposition them how you want them. They are going to be in the order so you can see the picture as you want them, but you get to easily manipulate them. Now, your image should be on exposure and such right out of the camera, but RAW is going to allow you to manipulate those images in batch format in your RAW window. It's incredible. You can set saturation, contrast etc... several at a time. Now, with JPG, you take your picture and the crayons stay in nice neat rows. When you download your images, they are there. In order to manipulate them, you open them up one at a time, and it takes a lot longer. You do lose a little image strength, and a little (just a little) quality everytime you manipulate a jpg image.
People usually don't like RAW because they have to shoot in Manual mode, and that scares the heck out of them. They have this incredible DSLR, and they leave it in auto mode, with auto focus, and never have taken it out. It's a pet peeve of mine. By doing that it's kind of like having a real fancy point and shoot. You usually buy a DSLR so you can be more creative, if you think so or not. To shoot Johnnies football game, Susies volleyball game, etc... If you still aren't getting the pictures that you think you should be and you are shooting auto, try manual, mess with your ISO, and play around with your depth of field, and shutter speed, and you'll probably get what you're looking for. Also, if they are looking yellowish when you are shooting indoors, if you are shooting RAW, that's easily fixed. So, don't be afraid to take that great new camera and use it to it's fullest extent.
The one thing with RAW however, is there is a special program you need to read the files, or to see the pictures on your computer. BUT, it doesn't cost anything. If you already have a program like Photoshop, you have it. But if you transfer your images and you can't see them on your screen, go in and do a search for a RAW reader, and you'll find them as a free download. If you have windows, you'll find them on the Windows site. I would think that Apple has them as well, I don't know. It's a simple download, nothing fancy. But you will still need a photo enhancement program that can open RAW files. If you don't have one, and want a great program that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, Photoshop Elements is a great program. I think the newest version if $99.00. Elements will basically do everything a portrait photographer will need, plus more. Not only that, but if you are going to be a competetive photographer in todays world, you are going to have to be familiar with how work your way around something like Photoshop. if you aren't working your images before they leave your studio whereever it is, you are going to sink yourself.
So, RAW or jpg, it's up to you. BUT, i do recommend shooting on Manual either way. You've got the camera, stop shooting auto so much. Use that camera for everything it's worth. Oh, and stop shooting like you've got an automatic rifle in your hands. Coming from the days of film, we knew that everytime we pushed that shutter down, it was costing us money. We bought the film, had to have it proccessed, etc... We couldn't look at the back of the camera. So, in a way digital was a good thing. But, to this day, i don't think I really look at the back of the camera. My point is that if you are going to be a professional, you have got to stop looking at the back of the camera after every shot. You should exude confidence, and one way to do that (just my opinion) is to have confidence in your own abilities, that you have framed the image in the camera, that you have your exposure correct, etc... When you are shooting, and practicing, place a sticky note or something over the back of the camera. Don't let yourself see what's going on back there. Just like in the days of film, give yourself an assignment, and don't shoot anymore than 24 or 36 images that day. Don't look at the back of the camera, and trust that you are getting it right through the camera. Trust yourself and your abilities.
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