So you're looking for a photographer and you sign up for one of the many websites that you can type in yo9ur needs and it gets emailed to thousands of photographers.............across the world.........and the "bids" start trickling in...........so right off the bat you start declining all the idiots that are posting prices of $750.00 and up........You thingk to yourself...I told them it was only a small wedding with only a few close familoy and friends...maybe 50 people......what is up with you high priced photographers.....damn uncle sid said he'd do it for free with his new Canon S90....and most of the pros use canon don't they...........but the over a thousand dollar offers just keep rolling in.............and you keep declining.......here is why those "high" offers are as they are:
using myself as an example.....I have always done my work with the smallest amount of equipment possible....not the cheapest equipment but the least amount....like this:
2- nikon bodies (D300) - new ~$1900.00 each
1-70-200f2.8 lens - ~$1800.00
1-24-70 f2.8 lens- ~$1800.00
2 - flash units ~$500.00 each
Flash bracket ~$200.00
Memory Cards (not the cheapes nor the most expensive....middle of the road - ~$80.00 / 8gb card X3
Tripod / w head ~$375.00 on the low end that could actually reach $1500
for line products......but I use what I like not what the media
tells me I should use..............
Camera bag / case for security not just to carry $250.00
Equipment insurance for Replacement Value ~$850.00 / yr
Liability, personal injury insurance usually sold in increments of $1million ~$750.00 / yr
Indeminty insurance ~$200.00/yr
Computer: run of the mill PC ~$600.00
Adobe Photoshop $700.00 / download
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom $300.00 / download
Decent 22" Monitor ~$300.00
Monitor Calibrator --decent not high or low ~$250.00
Vehicle - must be totally reliable ..... Min. $5000.00
Car insurance Liability Only $300/6mo...so X2
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Total for the above is...............................................$19015.00 .....if I did my math correctly
and this is with out the rest of what we have to pay for:
Vehicle Maintaince ..........................Hmmmmmmmm............$$$$$
Accountants
Tax Preparers
Equipment maintenance (cameras must be periodiaclly cleaned and calibrated especially digital cameras, computers must be maintained with virus protection and cleaned also or they stop working)
assistants and 2nd shooters
insurance on the assistants and 2nd shooters...............
Websites for online portfolios and for clients to be able to make orders for prints from the comfort of YOUR OWN HOME.............
Weekly or Daily computer back ups to a min of 3 hardrives in at least two off location sites.....in case of total computer crash or main harddrive failure...without the back ups your precious memories could be lost for ever.....................
And yet you grumble and complain about spending a little money for what should be the most important day of YOUR NEW LIVES together.........but yet uncle sid shoots your wedding cuts off heads and most of the pics are too dark or too light (under and over exposed) and are printed at one of the Marts and in 6 months the colors start to shift and your wonderful golden tan is now turing a weird magenta color ........but we still love uncle sid he tried........but if this had happened to a hired photog well then we'd be on the phone with an attorney to sue the pants of that Photogrpaher that ruined our memories.................
Folks there is a reason that we Photographers charge $1500.00 and up for a days work.......for every hour I shoot I spend a lot more in front of the computer processing YOUR MEMORIES 1 image at a time (a wedding usually takes around 40 hours to properly process from raw file to finished jpeg or tiff)......unlike so and so MART that will take a memory card and load it into the printer that is already set to process and print with presets that are supposed to make decent prints...not great prints........I only use the best processor Printer, the same lab that Printed my film photos and still does my film when i shoot film today........their prints will last upwards of over 100 yrs and then who is gonna care if your wonderful golden tan is turning a little magenta...............unfortunately we cannot sit in front of the computer and do a straight 40 hours on your wedding and then hope another client comes along we must be ready to spend a few hours every day shooting portraits, commercial shoots: whether shooting food for a restaurant or toys or clothes for a local manufacturer or go to another town and shoot the city for a book publisher that saw your work on your website....the camera must keep clicking to keep us even with our bills.................
Hope this helps to explain why we must charge the fees we charge and there are incidentals I have left out............like suits to wear to YOUR wedding.............
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