2011 update investment. houston photographer

(If you read this, you just might have an exciting opportunity at the end as my way of saying thank you for making through this novel of  a post!). I decided to celebrate the end of the year with a new blog! It is not even close to being finished. It needs a ton of work, but here it is. (Any WordPress gurus out there who know how to do stuff like this, feel free to chime in with suggestions…I am having a hard time!)

2010 was an exciting year. I now have 92 full sessions under my belt in 2010 just since February! I have taken 11 professional development classes. I am addicted to learning & will never stop because I am obsessed! I have truly learned more than I could’ve imagined in such a short time. There hasn’t been a time all year when I wasn’t enrolled in a professional photography class & sometimes two at a time. It has been an exhaustingly busy year, but a great one. I have upgraded my camera body & now I have a sweet camera that can handle the craziest of circumstances. I’ve added many new lenses to my bag, too. Not to mention props, blankets, hats, & other really cool photography gadgets. The best part is, I have had so much fun & met some really awesome people along the way! I love my clients & appreciate them coming to me to be their photographer SO MUCH!

Before I was a photographer, I never understood why photography is so expensive. But I loved pictures of my family & valued them so much, so I did it anyway….but still did not understand it one bit. No one had ever explained it to me…. I had no clue how much went into being a skilled photographer & running an organized business. Now I understand that when you go to a real professional, you are not just paying for them to take your photographs & to drive to the session, but you are also paying for their time & expertise, talent, creativity, & all of the behind the scenes things that go one, etc.  As a professional, we also pay top dollar to have a professional grade camera (well, two of them…we need to have a back-up, too!) with top of the line lenses so your pictures look sharp & look professional. I know I am leaving off some of the steps involved, but you get the point. There is a lot to it.

Here is an excerpt from Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?

“How in the world can you charge XXXX for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at x store?”

The truth of the matter is the answer to this question is multifaceted.  Much of the cost of a photographic print produced by a professional photographer has a lot to do with the time,  equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer not to mention expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business. The cost of TIME Approaching it from a time standpoint, let’s imagine that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love.  This photographer is traveling an hour to your destination to photograph your session.  Here is an example of a time break down:

• booking time: 30 minutes to one hour (client contact time + paperwork)
• pre-session prep time (30 mins – 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
• one hour travel time TO session
• 15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
• 90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
• one hour travel time FROM session
• 30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
• 30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
• 2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
• 1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
• 2-3 hours time with client for ordering images
• 1 hour sorting through and checking order
• 30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
• 30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
• any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues

In this example, the time spent per client can range from just under 13 hours to 19 hours – dependent on the photographer’s level of service.  This is time dedicated only to ONE session.  When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot (aka SESSION FEE) you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.

I have been very conscious about being up front from the start that the prices I had in 2010 were temporary portfolio building prices. They weren’t long term or realistic prices for what a professional should make, they were simply just to build my portfolio. I don’t regret having prices like that for a second because I learned a ton & met awesome people…people which I hope to work with for a long time. But now is the time for some re-structuring to be done.  I did the math on the amount of time I spend per session with John one day using all IDEAL situations, short drive, pretty short shoot, using low end of the range of how long editing takes, etc. & I log in at least 20-25 hours of work on a session. Now, can you see why $150 for a session with the disc is not feasible? You can do the math, I don’t need to say how much that is per hour 🙂 This is not a pity party, but rather an attempt for my clients to understood why my prices are changing, because as I said, before I was a photographer I never understood why photography is so costly. I wished someone had explained it to me. It’s important to me for my clients to know why there’s a change, because I care about all of you & want to work with you for a long time.

On the subject, this year I will be more diligent about getting signed contracts in place + deposits collected 5 days within booking to reserve spaces. Even for friends & family!

More on the subject:
Why Custom Photography Costs More
A Quick PSA on Investing in Professional Photographers

I have put countless hours into figuring out what my clients would like to get from a session, based on conversations, surveys, research & come up with some really great packages for 2011. I am very excited about them. My prices are different now. Sessions are less, but there is a print minimum with either packages or an a la carte option to get to the minimum amount. A different level of print credit is given with each package & can be used towards lots of awesome things like enlargements, canvas wraps, books, birth announcements/ cards, prints, collages, etc. Multiple print orders can be made to meet the print minimum required, so go ahead & pass the gallery on to grandparents & friends to order, too! 🙂

The value of images on a disc is so high. Many photographers do not even offer to sell images on disc anymore. They want to have control over what their clients hang on their walls. They don’t want their clients going to some place like Walgreens & buying poor quality prints then having them hung up on their walls for years to come for everyone to see 🙂 (Not to mention the fear of pictures being put out all over the web unwatermarked which allows for a higher chance of them stolen off the web, but that’s beside the point). I don’t blame them..it is scary to think that you don’t have control over what gets printed & hung up BUT I do know that my clients have asked for pictures on disc, so I am going to offer that still. With each package, there will be some digital files or you can purchase them a la carte.

I love all my clients dearly & hope to continue to work with you even though portfolio building prices have come to an end. Thanks for your business & for your referrals…you guys are the best!

*If you already have a contract on a session in 2011 with a deposit down, 2010 prices are honored. If we have had specific conversations together about  sessions being held after the new year regarding 2010 pricing, it is also honored.

For a detailed list of packages & prints, prices, email me for a welcome packet! kelly@kellygarveyphotography.com

Now…on to the thing I promised above. Thanks so much for making it this far! If you are a client or a potential future client, you can go to my Facebook fan page here & click on “Reviews” at the top. Either update a previous review or add a review to get entered into a random drawing to win a free mini-session for one individual. I will pick the list of drawing contestants from the list of people who have reviewed on Facebook. For an extra entry, leave me a comment on the blog, too! You can be a current client or wannabe client either reviewing your experience working with me or saying why you’d like to schedule a session one day. I will hold a random drawing on Wednesday, January 5th for the free mini-session. Thanks for updating your reviews for 2011, reading this article & thank you for visiting this brand new blog!