How photo pricing works.

Back in the good ol’ days, photographers often billed by the hour. Clients would hire us for a day and pay the same fee whether we made one shot or ten. Trouble is, we always did ten. We ended up doing more and more work in less and less time. Obviously we want to make our clients happy, so this in and of itself was not bad. The real problem with the situation was that it forced photographers to walk the line between compromising quality to get things done fast, or doing things the “right” way even if it meant taking more time and costing more money. It put the budget at odds with the quality of the finished image. And as far as the photographer was concerned, it punished efficiency.

In the end, compromised work doesn’t sell, nor does it make clients happy. It’s a bad long-term strategy for photographers and clients. Thankfully, times have changed.

Today most photography (certainly advertising and corporate work) isn’t priced this way. Sure the time still factors in to a quote, but it’s not the main focus. A quote today is primarily based on the number of images to be created, and the usage of those images. This is good news for photographers, who are now free to do the best work they can without having to keep such a close eye on the clock. It should also be good news for clients, if only they’d see it that way.

With pricing based on the number of images to be delivered, everyone is protected. Whether it takes me five hours or seven to create the cover shot for your new brochure, you know you’ll be paying the same price. And if you decide that you want to do more shots, or use that shot in a worldwide ad campaign instead of just a local internal company use, it’s easy to understand that it will cost a bit more too.

The value has been assigned to the finished product–not solely the process it takes to get there. One shot costs less than two; three shots cost more. Pretty simple.

The point is this: clients shouldn’t fret about usage-based pricing. It’s better for them, it’s better for the photographer, it’s better for everyone involved. As a great photographer once told me, “You’re not paying me for the two hours it takes to make this shot: you’re paying for the decades of experience I have, which allows me to make this shot great for you in two hours.”

If you’ve got any questions about pricing, or photography in general, I hope you won’t hesitate to give me a call.

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