The Price of Memories
Let's say the house is on fire, (God forbid, but for the sake of this discussion let's say it). You, the kids and the pets are out safe. You can save ONE material thing....what would it be? Grandma's brooch? Your $400 Marc Jacobs handbag? Your $1,100 Jimmy Choo Espadrilles?
For me the answer is simple. There is a suitcase of memories under my bed, and they are priceless. There are photographs from my childhood. My youth. The birth of my children. Their milestones. My wedding. They are simple pieces of paper that posses images from my life, and to other people they wouldn't be worth a dollar...but to me would be worth their weight in gold (and believe me, this suitcase weighs about 75lbs). Now, I know I am not the only sentimental on the planet that values those irreplaceable pieces of paper, so why is it that people are so hesitant to spend money on photography? Why is it that brides will buy a $2,000 dress, $700 centerpieces, $3,000 catering.....but skimp on the photography? After all, after the big day, what's left? The images are. So why is it that lately everyone wants to negotiate prices? I don't go to Walmart and ask the cashier to take $5 off the pack of steaks she is ringing up. I don't go to the salon and ask my hairdresser to give me a cut and color, but only expect her to charge for the cut....So why is it everyone wants to negotiate the cost of photography?
Another thing that baffles me....people will spend $1,200 on a television that they will use for 3-5 years, or $1,000 on a weekend getaway at the casino....but won't consider spending a few hundred bucks on memories that will last a lifetime. That will become heirlooms cherished by their children's children....
A DAY IN THE LIFE:
I'm not whining, I am speaking for a lot of us in the photography community. Frankly, I do the same amount of work whether the client purchases 1 image or 50 images, so it hurts when I offer more than fair prices (do the math here...$250 for a 2 hour session with CD of 25 images....comes out to be about $9 an hour for me). I spend 2 hours shooting a session (using a senior portrait session as an example), 12-20 hours editing, arrange for childcare, pay for gas, pay to host websites, manage blogs, email, social media and purchase THOUSANDS of dollars worth of equipment, pay taxes, blah blah blah....only to feel like that what I do isn't valued. I am not getting rich off of photography, believe me, and all I hear lately is "how can I get a better price?" You can't. Well, not from me anyway. Not for a 2 hour session and not for a CD. I am standing up for myself, for my work, for my talent, for my time. BECAUSE I AM WORTH IT. YOUR MEMORIES ARE WORTH IT.
If you would let your photographs burn in the fire, then I am not the photographer for you. If you would go back in the blaze for those precious memories on paper, then I'm your girl. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this business, because beautiful images mean the world to me.
