Home › Forums › Am I a Fauxtog? › its america land of the free? › Reply To: its america land of the free?
“I’ve definetly not put myself out there as a pro”
But you have. By marketing your services and charging your clients, you have put yourself out there as a pro.
“Some people don’t have thousands of $$ to pay for a wedding photographer that’s why I’m happy to be there for people thcandor have the money”
This is a really nice gesture, but as I said before, you are selling yourself short. You would make more working part time at mcDonalds, and what you do is worth a lot more than a happy meal.
Pricing isn’t just about what you feel is fair for the customer to pay. It’s about receiving a fair price for what you provide. Even hobbyists of any kind price their products/service to make a profit. You have to figure in what it costs you to do business, fees, taxes, web hosting, equipment maintenance, data back up, printing services, insurance, etc and you also have to figure in your time spent doing business. Lot’s of variables from tog to tog as far as expenses and time goes, but most togs just starting out in being for hire usually have to charge or sell approx $100 to $200 per portrait session and average at least one gig per week just to try to make the equivalent to minimum wage. Of course their prices would have to go up from there as their business grows, but minimum wage is the goal for the first couple of years. Photographers aren’t trying to rip people off by charging $2000 (or more in most cases) per wedding, they are just trying to make a modest living from their chosen profession. By you and so many others not knowing what the true value is of what they do, and charging so unfairly, it makes it very difficult for those who legitimately want/need to make a living doing what they love and what they have worked so hard to excel at. Because in turn the consumer also learns there isn’t much value to photography, and they begin to expect cheap prices.
What you do is worth more Amber. You deserve to make a profit. You have developed a skill that your clients don’t have, and work hard to develop it further each and every session.
If you are unwilling to rethink your business plan, could you at least explain to people why you can afford to charge so little? That it’s not a main source of income and that it’s because you aren’t in it to make a profit, that it’s just a hobby for you, and a way to pass the time doing something you enjoy doing? Maybe a little change in your about to let people know you are not running a legit profitable business? I swear this is not written in such a way that I am swinging my finger in your face. It’s just instead of just wishing people had a respect for this profession/photography genre, I like to try to educate them into understanding what that means. In no way is this a way to start any sort of argument or to make you feel even worse than you already do.
Please take some time to fill this form out with your expenses and what not. Enter a salary that is equal to minimum wage, and see for yourself what you would have to charge per gig to achieve that goal. I think if you were to enter in your expenses and time in honestly and accurately you’ll find that I’m not completely full of BS over here