Originally Posted by Mark Elberson
That was painful to read! Photography is NOT a commodity!!! Tosay that dimishes both your art and your price. Furthermore, it ultimately hurts the industry. Photography is all about product differentiation. Figure out what you want to shoot and do it either better or differently than your competition. In the world of commodities, the lowest price ALWAYS wins.
Photography may become a commodity, unfortunately. I have an acquaintance who is a professional photographer (weddings, business functions, senior portraiture, etc.). One of the other photographers he knows, who used to employ 10 people on his staff, is now operating his business with just his wife. Business is down, which is due to the economy (large part), but this was something that they both said: with pro-sumer cameras on the market (they mentioned the 7D), the average photographer can now use cameras that perform excellently, and with experience, can cut into the business of established photographers.
Yes, creativity and differentiation help. But, for a senior who wants to forgo the $400-1000 expenditure for his senior portraits, he can find a friend that will do this for him, for a fraction of the cost, using his pro-sumer camera, and some photoshop skills. Outdoor shots seem more prevalent, and with a few thousand digital shots being taken, a few of them will likely satisfy the customer, at a fraction of the professional's prices.
Thus, little by little, the industry has increased competition, reducing it to a commodity-like business.
My acquaintance has to charge what he does, because he's got to make a living, and when he hears that "so-and-so will do it for this price," he loses that business to the guy who will undercut the price.
As equipment and software evolves, we're going to see more and more of this happening, regrettably.
So, charge on the high side, based on what other photographers charge, then you may be able to negotiate the final price. Good luck.
Reply With Quote