It seems that this is one of the most commonly asked questions whenever I get an inquiry from a bride.
It's understandable. Weddings cost a lot of money. Budgets have to be considered. And, who wouldn't want a "good deal" if they can get one?
On the other hand, leading with a question like, "How much do you charge" can give you a false sense of value. Some new photographers charge very little for their services. Does that mean this is a good deal? Other more experienced photographers can charge exhorbitant fees for their services. Are they overpriced?
I think everyone has a different perception of what is considered a good deal. For some, a good deal is simply a low price. It doesn't really matter what kind of service it is or what products are received for the price. A low price, is a low price and that's a good deal. But for others, getting lots of services and lots of products like prints and albums are more important.
How do you judge value?
When I priced my services, I had to make some decisions on what to offer my clients. As one of the more experienced wedding photographers in my market area (this is my 17th year photographing weddings) I could easily charge a lot of money for my services and not offer a lot of services or products. There are some people who would simply pay me for that experience. On the other hand, I could offer better services and better products like "top of the line" albums. Or I could charge very little for my services and then book every potential client who inquires for my services.
I always feel a little funny answering email inquiries or phone inquiries that start off with, "How much do you charge for a wedding." If I give a low price, will that guarantee a booking? Or, if I give a higher price, will that scare someone away?
Often, brides who lead off with this question never decide to meet with me to see what I offer for the price I give to them. Sad, but true. I'm not sure why this is, but I can only guess. Now I will tell you that I am not the cheapest photographer out there. I do charge a little more than the guy who is just starting out photographing weddings. Experience does count for a higher fee... I think everyone knows this. And, I offer some of the best albums on the market today. That costs money, so it raises my prices.
But I think it's necessary for me to offer better quality products and a higher level of service than someone who is just starting out in this profession. It makes no sense to me to be one of the most experienced wedding photographers in a market area and offer a poor quality in both service and products. Sure, I could lower my prices and simply minimize my time with clients and give them albums that are cheaper to guarantee a booking. But I believe those who seek out my services prefer to get a higher quality all across the board.
When I was looking for new albums to offer my clients, I had to weigh the factor of high quality and higher costs versus average quality and lower cost. In the end, I felt it would not do my clients any justice to offer low priced, low quality albums. After all, they pay for quality when they hire me. How could I offer inferior albums? So I decided that my clients will only get the best of everything. Sure, it adds to the overall cost of hiring me. But that's just something my clients have to accept. Matching an experienced photographer with cheap products makes no sense. And the reverse is true too. Gettting a quality album with poorly shot images in it looks really bad and makes no sense either.
So when weighing value in wedding photography, you need to ask yourself, "What is most important to me?" If the answer is, "I have a low budget and need to get a low price regardless of what is offered in terms of serice and products," then I'm probably not going to be the best choice to photograph your wedding. But if you answer, "I want an experienced photographer and I want a nice album to go with that," then I might be your right choice.
Many of my past clients have told me that initially, they thought my prices were a little higher than the competition. But after they reviewed the cost of everything they needed and wanted before and after the wedding, I actually came out slightly less expensive than many of the other photographers! Since I am very "upfront" with my clients regarding pricing and do not charge a lot of money on things like reprints and other things you might want later, in the end, I'm very competitively priced. But you need to look at everything being offered to judge the value of what I offer.
Am I expensive? I don't think so. Do I charge more than the average photographer? Probably. Do I give more services and products than many photographers? Most likely. Am I more experienced than the average wedding photographer? Probably.
How do you value quality?
It's understandable. Weddings cost a lot of money. Budgets have to be considered. And, who wouldn't want a "good deal" if they can get one?
On the other hand, leading with a question like, "How much do you charge" can give you a false sense of value. Some new photographers charge very little for their services. Does that mean this is a good deal? Other more experienced photographers can charge exhorbitant fees for their services. Are they overpriced?
I think everyone has a different perception of what is considered a good deal. For some, a good deal is simply a low price. It doesn't really matter what kind of service it is or what products are received for the price. A low price, is a low price and that's a good deal. But for others, getting lots of services and lots of products like prints and albums are more important.
How do you judge value?
When I priced my services, I had to make some decisions on what to offer my clients. As one of the more experienced wedding photographers in my market area (this is my 17th year photographing weddings) I could easily charge a lot of money for my services and not offer a lot of services or products. There are some people who would simply pay me for that experience. On the other hand, I could offer better services and better products like "top of the line" albums. Or I could charge very little for my services and then book every potential client who inquires for my services.
I always feel a little funny answering email inquiries or phone inquiries that start off with, "How much do you charge for a wedding." If I give a low price, will that guarantee a booking? Or, if I give a higher price, will that scare someone away?
Often, brides who lead off with this question never decide to meet with me to see what I offer for the price I give to them. Sad, but true. I'm not sure why this is, but I can only guess. Now I will tell you that I am not the cheapest photographer out there. I do charge a little more than the guy who is just starting out photographing weddings. Experience does count for a higher fee... I think everyone knows this. And, I offer some of the best albums on the market today. That costs money, so it raises my prices.
But I think it's necessary for me to offer better quality products and a higher level of service than someone who is just starting out in this profession. It makes no sense to me to be one of the most experienced wedding photographers in a market area and offer a poor quality in both service and products. Sure, I could lower my prices and simply minimize my time with clients and give them albums that are cheaper to guarantee a booking. But I believe those who seek out my services prefer to get a higher quality all across the board.
When I was looking for new albums to offer my clients, I had to weigh the factor of high quality and higher costs versus average quality and lower cost. In the end, I felt it would not do my clients any justice to offer low priced, low quality albums. After all, they pay for quality when they hire me. How could I offer inferior albums? So I decided that my clients will only get the best of everything. Sure, it adds to the overall cost of hiring me. But that's just something my clients have to accept. Matching an experienced photographer with cheap products makes no sense. And the reverse is true too. Gettting a quality album with poorly shot images in it looks really bad and makes no sense either.
So when weighing value in wedding photography, you need to ask yourself, "What is most important to me?" If the answer is, "I have a low budget and need to get a low price regardless of what is offered in terms of serice and products," then I'm probably not going to be the best choice to photograph your wedding. But if you answer, "I want an experienced photographer and I want a nice album to go with that," then I might be your right choice.
Many of my past clients have told me that initially, they thought my prices were a little higher than the competition. But after they reviewed the cost of everything they needed and wanted before and after the wedding, I actually came out slightly less expensive than many of the other photographers! Since I am very "upfront" with my clients regarding pricing and do not charge a lot of money on things like reprints and other things you might want later, in the end, I'm very competitively priced. But you need to look at everything being offered to judge the value of what I offer.
Am I expensive? I don't think so. Do I charge more than the average photographer? Probably. Do I give more services and products than many photographers? Most likely. Am I more experienced than the average wedding photographer? Probably.
How do you value quality?
4 comments:
Well Said Russ!
Cristian M
Thanks Cristian.
Quality service and goods can't be compromised if you want to stay true to your craft. Charging a fair price for your quality work serves both your clients and yourself. Everyone wins.
you were the only photographer that wasnt pushing me to upsell my family and pushing me to buy their expensive albums, which i appreciated SO MUCH! for each photographer consult, i always asked to see not just the finished albums but all the proofs of someone's wedding. i wanted to see the good and the bad, which ultimately would tell a lot about a photographer. i was SO PICKY about who i was going to hire and i believe i found the best!! :D
thank you!
Thanks Gina!
Albums are always optional for my clients. Even though most of them get albums, not all do.
And yes, although I show albums to my potential clients, I always bring my laptop to the meetings too... just in case someone wants to see the 1000+ photos I typically take at any given wedding. I don't mind showing everthing because most of my clients want everything anyway!
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