April 4, 2016 | Posted in blog

I’ve seen so many times on local Facebook groups, people asking for “cheap” photographers.  And whenever I’m tagged in, it’s like running the gauntlet jostling for prime position with other photographers to justify your costs and convince said poster to book you over others.
Which got me thinking… Where do professional photographers get off charging so much for a picture? I mean, it’s a PICTURE, right? In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home photo printers, where you can upload your photos to Tesco or Photobox, have them printed for 12p and delivered the next day, why are photographers so “expensive”?

Imagine saying the same of a hairdresser… I can buy scissors from Boots for £1, home hair dye for a fiver. Do you get the relaxing two-hour salon experience at home? Nope. Do you get salon-quality results? Depends on what you’re aiming for (definitely not with my two-tone-hide-the-grey-regrowth-blonde-brown-combo)…

Or take a massage therapist… They work with their hands, maybe use a little oil. What’s the big deal? I love my husband dearly but I’m sorry, there’s no way he measures up to the pampering I receive from the salon.

Image credit: fstoppers.com

In both above examples I’m happy to pay a professional. These are SKILLS which take years of training, and have overhead costs.

The same is true of photographers, although our work still isn’t done once you’ve paid. Many think it’s all done and dusted once the session is finished, when actually this is when the real work begins… It’s not just the time spent behind the camera that goes into creating that “picture”.
This is what you’re paying for when you select one of my packages:

• Quality: Many hours (and £££’s) spent training to give you quality you can be proud to display.
• My equipment: Thousands spent on camera bodies, lenses, high-end computer and backup equipment and digital software.
• Other overheads: The tax man, electricity, banking, advertising, website hosting, internet, phone bills.
• My time: preparation for the session including talking to the client, answering questions etc; up to an hour travel (sometimes more) to and from the session; time spent photographing during the session itself (most of which are on weekends, spending time away from my family); 20+ hours of editing on my computer (a lot of which is done at night whilst the kids are asleep and not jumping on my head).

So, for example with my smallest Mini Session package, I’m not making £115 in 30 minutes – when you break it down after all my overheads, I’m not even making minimum wage. Not even close. But I love what I do. I LOVE seeing the end results. And I LOOOOOOVE seeing the responses from satisfied clients!

If you would love some quality images to display in your home or send to loved ones abroad, simply get in touch by emailing umoyaphotography@gmail.com