A Photo by Ashley: December 2008

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Scanning Prints

I found this article very interesting... (you can click on the link above) This is a very talented photographer speaking the truth of copyright - scanning and reprinting - it's only obvious this day in time that people do it.

"I'm all steamed up and am going to get on my soapbox here, so bear with me. Photography has to be one of the few professions where it is socially acceptable to steal. I just don’t understand it. It’s as if people think we photographers don’t deserve to get paid for our work. I was at a class with my daughter and overheard one of the moms on her cell phone explaining to a friend how to scan a 5x7 from a photo studio in such a way that nobody would know she was using it to make birth announcements from it at Walmart. I mean, seriously… how is this acceptable? This particular mom is a teacher, and if I were on my cell phone in a public place talking loudly about how to steal from teachers and pay teachers less than they were worth, it would be a total outrage and everyone who overheard me would think I was a complete bitch. Yet somehow it’s totally acceptable to steal from photographers, and openly admit to stealing from photographers, simply because “everyone does it.” What a load of BS, huh? It’s going to get to a point where we photographers will have to charge some astronomical upfront fee just to cover our costs and our time, or else we will be out on the streets." www.jessicagwozdz.com

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A NEW POST!?!?

Can you believe it? Well, I can... because I wanted to post everyday for over the past month now but I had no time in my crazy (use to be organized) world. It is a goal in 2009 to become organized and on a better schedule AGAIN! However, 2 more sessions to complete. I got through one holiday (Thanksgiving) with sessions and still working during that holiday. Christmas is approaching and I cannot wait to take some time to relax.... ummmmm yeah right. Many other things to do... like... get ready for the new year! I will be slowly posting the new changes from now until the New Year. I will be finally charging for sessions. No FREE sessions any longer... I have worked many many many countless hours for FREE in 2008. Stay tuned for the new products as well. I have posted a few images on the site over the past month or so, some are still waiting to be posted due to "SURPRISES" for Christmas gifts. Here are a few holiday shots to get you in the spirit... most were taken on-location at different homes. Thank you for being patient and I hope to see you all in 2009! I CANNOT wait until some PRETTY weather!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

(This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is now referred to by countless Photography websites, blogs and forums (such as LDPT, ILP and DWF)around the world).

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time

- How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:
- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order.
Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.
You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish.

So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.
Now for the expertise.
Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.
And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?
Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.
The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.
Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Shawn, Pamela & Gavin RichterCaught on Film Photography

A Photo by Ashley

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Scanning Prints

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A NEW POST!?!?

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Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?