Article written by: http://envywebsite.com/blog/?p=1621
All photographers have had that phone call….”Why does your photography cost so much ? Surely you can just charge us for taking the pictures and since we just want the files…all you have to do is chuck them on a disk………..”
OK…that’s what they would do !…if they could take photos in the first place. But is it that simple ? Why can’t we just download the images straight to disk and hand them over. Let’s face it, there are plenty of photographers who do…judging by the quality of work I see on facebook every day.
The thing is……..I have taken years to build a reputation as a professional photographer, who consistently produces high quality imagery and I have no reason to throw that hard earned reputation down the gurgler by handing over poor quality images just because someone does not want to pay.It does not matter that I possess some of the best camera’s available to mankind. And regardless of how good my exposures are, I am not going to give anyone an image straight out of the camera, simply because it is not ready for printing (or viewing) and it can still be significantly improved.
So here is an image straight out the camera…it has simply been converted from a raw digital negative to a usable jpg. You will notice skin tones are dark and highlights on the dress are blown out. This (for me) is not an acceptable image to give to a client, yet this image was correctly exposed for in camera.
The next image has had basic post processing. This happens to every image taken at an Envy wedding. These images have been colour corrected, and density (light and dark) corrected and spotting for dust etc. They have also been sharpened ready for printing. An average of 2-3 minutes has been spent on each image….about 3 days in total for the average wedding.
The last image has been re-worked for the wedding album. Here we spend an average of 10-15 minutes on each image. Most albums have approximately 120-130 images. Once again that is another 3 days work. There is also considerable time spent on album design…another one to two days.
Without boring you with all the details on what it costs to run my business, let me assure you that after I subtract my costs I earn an income which makes my accountant shake her head in dismay……She has suggested many times that I work to hard and for too many hours for the amount I earn. But I continue because I love what I do. To me photography is a job like no other, and there is no other job I want to do.
So I have made my bed and I must sleep in it, but please, next time you are in the market for quality photography,reflect a moment before you say “Why does it cost so much?”
Hell……I knew it wouldn’t be you anyway.
0 comments:
Post a Comment