Photography Pricing: Part 3-MINDSET
Posted on July 7, 2024
Here we are, the last post in this 3 part photography pricing series. If you have been reading, then you know these posts are not just for clients, and not just for other photographers, the series is for both. I am a firm believer in sharing what I learn to help others, as well as providing insightful perspective that is educational when considering specific services, in this case, photography. Let’s get to it and talk about the mindset involved in our pursuits of professional photography!
MINDSET
You would not really think that mindset is an important factor when setting a pricing structure for the services you offer, but once you actually comprehend the relevant importance of pricing, you start to question other decisions you have made along the way, rightly so. I remember when I was charging $150 for my photography services…I remember $250, as well. I contemplated $300-350 for a long time, never pulling the trigger. I have known for several years that my pricing is off, but I will tell you the all reasons I justified not charging appropriately, and why I was wrong.
- 1. I live in rural southern Ohio. While many of you don’t know what that means, what I am saying is this, we are Appalachian, there are a lot of hardworking people that live here. Poverty is real, and really prevalent. We are taught to be frugal, to value things, especially a dollar, and to prioritize responsibility over frivolity. WHY this is wrong: I don’t get to make determinations for others. How you spend your money is none of my business. How you view your money is none of my business. How much money you have, is none of my business, none of my concern. My mindset has absolutely nothing to do with you and your money, it doesn’t even tell you how I feel about my own money, but it is an outdated, martyr methodology that I had to recognize and work through for myself in order to get through.
- 2. To build upon 1, photography is not a priority for many, and so a lower price will help people justify why they need to partake in photography services, thus aiding in you having clients. WHY this is wrong: People drive nice cars to work, around town, all over. They take luxurious vacations to escape everyday life, enjoying dining out, having new experiences and seeing all the things life could offer. People have a multitude of ways in which they spend their money on things they want, and yes, many of those things involve getting the best deal possible, which I get and fall in line with, but does this mean that I am supposed to give my services and pricing away for next to nothing, or at a loss, NO. This means that I am beholden to raise my own standard and charge to not only a break even point, but to a standard that allows me to live too.
- 3. Skills/Years of Experience/Seniority(Hierarchy)-Many photographers think they CANNOT charge accordingly because of other seasoned pros. Those we deem better, longer in business, that have better skills. THOSE people can charge, but not us. We are not good enough, yet. Couple this with 1 and 2, and our justifications smother us. WHY this is wrong: You are running a business and have costs associated with that. Operating costs will not change based on the afore mentioned reasons, all we will be doing with this thinking is running a charity or hobby that does not help us grow or evolve, thus killing any chance of us having an actual business, let alone a livelihood. You need to be paid accordingly to run a business and to have a livelihood. Imagine telling a teacher or nurse you are willing to pay them $5-10/per hour, because this is how you view them as a priority. Never mind they have a lot of education, skill or value, this is how you are willing to pay them. Lead balloon, that is how it would go over, obviously, and that is how we need to view professional photography.
- 4. Something deeper may be keeping us down. We all have things that have happened or that are happening in our lives to make us think we don’t deserve to run a legitmate business. We can run a charity because we are NICE. We can have a great hobby because this is NOT OUR PRIORITY. Having a business may look selfish to some, self aggrandizing to others, and just plain wrong to a lot of folks. WHY this is wrong: We are all deserving of more than being a charity. Nice is not a good word, it says doormat. We can be KIND, that says we choose to do nice things for others, one of which is not running a photography charity, unless that is our goal of course. Running a business does not mean the priority shifts away from family, but doing it for family. If my husband dies and I have no income, who is taking me and my college aged kid in? The person that wanted to pay me $150, or someone that values me? If I charge accordingly, no one has to take us in, we can be self-sufficient because I am running a business accordingly. If a two income household is okay for most people, why not for photographers?
For years, I undervalued myself, my skill set and my business, by charging a non-business-running price, taking a yearly loss for several years in a row. There is a limit to how many years a “business” can show a loss, and I am nearing my limit. So, I either have to legitimize myself, or quit altogether. Wow. Can you imaging telling a teacher or nurse they have to quit because that $5-10 hour job they have been working is not viable nor sustaining. The investments in equipment, gear, education and products cannot sustain themselves with charity/hobby work. Running a business is not about your regional beliefs, your culture, nor where you land in the pack order. Running a business is about sustainability, cost of doing business, profit margins, and profitability. In order for me to keep running this business, I have to treat it as such, and in that, I must educate people about my business.
If you feel my services are not in alignment with you, or your ideal cost, talk to me about it and we will figure out what it is you need and how we can possibly work that out, while I run my business. The solution could be you need a different photographer, or you need a payment plan. We never know the solution until we openly discuss things. I am an objective communicator, and want to serve needs to the best of my ability, while I run my business.
I hope as a client, you have gained insight in to my business while reading this blog series. As a fellow photographer, I hope this has helped you to decide to run a business, and not a charity or hobby, if it is your wish. If you would like to learn more about the photography industry, or to book a session, please feel free to reach out to me, I would the opportunity to serve your unique needs!
Photography Pricing: Part 2-Value
Posted on July 5, 2024
Thanks for coming back and reading Part 2 of our 3 part series, in relation to our 3 part equation of photography pricing!
Value to Clients
When you book a photography session, you are investing in yourself, your family, your business, etc…the important things/people in your life. There is a good chance you may be celebrating one of the major milestones in your life, with a photography session. When seeking professional photography services, you are essentially looking to pause time, capture life in that moment, mark time or events that hold the dearest memories for us, or our loved ones. Perhaps you want people to see you in your infinite self in your business ventures. Whatever the cause or reason for you to engage in professional photography services, odds are you are looking for the value in your investment, and high quality artwork is the best way to observe and preserve that.
When you know and understand quality, you seek out the best of items not only for yourself, but those you serve. Whether we are considering prints, print products, or the framing and boxes that our images will be displayed on or in, we always want the best, photographer and client alike. We have samples of those products for you to see, feel, hold and look upon so that you can better envision how your works of art, your images, will best be displayed for you or loved ones for years to come. Archival material is so important for preserving the milestones and memories, no one wants their beautiful wall art to fade in time, and while that sometimes happens, if you source the best vendors and materials, you are making every effort to circumvent that possibility, increasing the value of the product you lovingly create for, and with, your clients.
Some people love a shoot and burn photo session, they can share their digital files immediately to social media, and print at their leisure. While this is a great thing, and holds a lot of value for our clients, it robs us of the ability to present greater value through physical art work. Often, digital images are enjoyed for a minute and then forgotten on a device, jump drive, or online gallery. While this not purpose of photography, digital images are one of the most valuable things we can offer and serve up to our clients. Digital images are one of the most sharable aspects of what we do, they readily convey that important glimpse into our clients’ lives and milestones. Digitals are also easily accessible. If you could hand your client an heirloom quality product to look at every day in conjunction with the combined value of digitals, why would you not want to do that? I want people to see their images, to share their images with loved ones, and as many people do, to have the capability to gift a digital to someone in their life when a print just doesn’t work. However, I want you to see your artwork on the daily, to look upon it with love, thoughts of happiness and memories associated. I want you to have both, to understand the inherent values that both mediums possess, and that makes the most sense for you and your family to cherish indefinitely.
This is just one aspect of the value associated with your session, products. What about the value of the session itself? Your session is more than the subject and photographer, it truly is an honoring of a soul, or souls, with awareness to what makes the session important….YOU. Photographers capture a slice of time, conceptualizing the session to articulate the thing, the reason, of why you are in front of the lens. We are not only capturing the WHY, but the importance and celebration of you. You are special. You are unique. You are so indescribably YOU. Your family is important, as it’s full of unique souls that were brought to this world to experience existence together. You are extraordinary, and your essence needs to be captured, you need to be honored for being you, for doing you, and for sharing a part of you with this world, with all of us. The session is not just about your milestone, or need for photography, but it is absolutely about YOU!
Your photography session, no matter what purpose, is a reminder that you are, 100% you! Not one person walks away from their session feeling the same as when they walked in. Photography does not just capture you how you showed up for your session, but invites you to open up so we can celebrate you, to empower you, and often, to show you the person you forgot or did not know existed. Your time in front of the lens is meant to be alchemical, providing you the opportunity to nurture an inner part of you the world doesn’t always see. A photo session is a chance for you to emerge a brighter light. Often, it’s cathartic, a metamorphosis you did not realize you wanted or needed. That’s bold, but words people use when describing the experience are empowering, rejuvenating, badly needed, confidence boosting, time well spent, perfect, fun, important and valuable, to name a few.
There are a multitude of reasons why someone finds photography valuable. Has something in your life changed and you want to share that? Do you have a passion that you want to share with others? Does your business need its story told from a more personal perspective? These are a few questions that people have answered before scheduling their sessions, and sharing their stories with the world. What question would you add here, and how would a photography session answer that for you?
This may sound a bit cheesy, but I love watching people experience the transformative power of seeing themselves as they really are, the beauty of their soul shining through their image. I believe in being objective about people, taking the subjective of what someone tells me, and then listening to their soul tell me and show me otherwise. I believe in pushing limits and asking someone to show me more of their true self. How does one place a value on that? You can’t, and that is why photographers operate from a place of charging for Cost of Doing Business(CODB). It’s all part of the pricing equation.
Tune in Sunday for the conclusion of this 3 part series. Mindset is everything.
Individual Aspect: Marianna Fosson, Kindness
Posted on May 27, 2024
I swear, she was 5’9.
When I was a kid, I was fortunate to attend 4-H camp at Tar Hollow State Park. I attended with many people I know, that I still know as adults. I did not keep in contact with any of our camp counselors, but I had read news articles about them over the years, and this gave me glimpses of their lives from a very distant view point. This by no way gave me any indication of what their lives consisted of, just things that were noteworthy of them, or to someone else. One day, I was at the salon when I saw one of my favorite camp counselors, and I thought, holy sh*t, that’s Marianna Fosson!
If you have ever seen Marianna, then y0u know she is beautiful. When she was a teenager, she was beautiful then, too. What you may not know, is that she was, and still is, extremely kind. I refer to myself and my friends, at that time of 4-H camp, as little kids, even though we are talking 9-13, because the older kids were the counselors, and they were all 15-18. I digress, Marianna was a favorite counselor of all of us younger kids at camp. She was beautiful, and we girls envied that, the boys drooled over her, but she was fun, made camp fun for us, and she was so sweet and kind to us campers. Basically, my impression of her was very favorable, and I had a bit of an idolization as a youngster, but it was not misplaced.
When I moved back to Chillicothe, I started following many pages on FB to reacquaint myself with the area, the happenings, and the people. One of the pages I followed was Build Chillicothe, which Marianna’s late father, John, had started. I love people that are invested in their community, that want to help others grow or increase in awareness, and that aim to give back to those around them. Yet again, I found myself interacting with Marianna, to see what Business Focus posts I could share and not share.
I found myself at the salon with her again one day, and I thought I should just friend request her, even if I did have some hero worship of her as a kid. Marianna beat me to it, and sent me a request. The child in me felt very accepted, which sounds silly, but I enjoyed the humor of it, and I figured there was deeper reasoning behind our need to be reconnected. Little did I know.
I found that reason not too long ago, or so I thought. Marianna posted something one day, and I was able to tell her the same story I have told you here. I truly thought that was the purpose of bringing us together, and even when we made a coffee date after, I was still under the same impression. When Marianna met me in the parking lot, I chuckled internally, as I stood taller than her. Me, the kid in me, always thought this stunning creature was 5’9. I later told Marianna about this musing, and she laughed so hard, said no, I am only 5’2!!! We still laugh about this.
Back to the coffee date. As I listened, I learned so much about Marianna. I learned about her life, the struggles, the challenges and the heartbreaks, the victories too. I realized I was not meant to have idolization of her, but to relate to her as a woman, to share our stories and see ourselves in each other. We learned we had so very much in common, that we share similar stories in some ways, and that we truly understand those stories for, and with, each other. I am still amazed that life put us together to create a friendship as adults, that is based on two differing experiences as kids. I did not know I needed Marianna Fosson in my life, but I see that I do. We are both on healing journeys, alike, but so different, and yet the timing could not be more perfect. Friendships are an amazing thing, when you meet each other where you stand, and Marianna and I definitely do that.
I told Marianna at one point, that she was very kind to me as a child, which her mother Cris was not surprised by in the least, and that she now, as an adult, has provided something for me too. I am a firm believer in returning kindness, and so I asked Marianna to come in for a photo session with her lovely mother Cris. The session was full of emotion, joyous laughter and fun. We had a spectacular time, and I could not be more pleased with the results of our efforts. So, what is Marianna’s individual aspect that makes her so special? It is her kindness. Through everything, through the years, she is and has remained kind, and that is something we could all use a little more of.
Business Focus: Joe Snyder, Realtor
Posted on May 26, 2024
Life holds many transitions for us, one of which is buying real estate. We buy property for investment, for resale, and mainly for residency. We take a dwelling, and we make it our home, we find what’s best for us, what ticks our boxes of wants/needs, and where we can see ourselves growing, finding comfort, and love being daily. If we are lucky, we find a great realtor that guides us on this journey, that works for our best interest, and that helps us find the place we will call HOME.
Joe Snyder, realtor with The Amanda Wilson Team at ERA Martin Associates, Gallipolis, and I recently sat down and had a great conversation about his journey on becoming a realtor, what he loves about real estate, and how he came to naturally transition from his former career of serving people, to how he is doing that in a new capacity. Let’s learn more about Joe and his journey!
Joe recently became a licensed realtor after spending many years of a career in cosmetology. He has always been in pursuit of bettering himself, beautifying his clients, and delivering the best service possible for those that sought out his talents. Joe not only had a styling shop for his business, but provided a space for others to be able to conduct their related businesses too. He is an entrepreneur, has been involved in other pursuits in addition to his hair company, but real estate has been calling to him for several years now, and he recently decided to take that passion full time, with The Amanda Wilson Team at ERA.
When I asked Joe what he loves about real estate, he spoke with bright eyes and animation. He loves the idea and execution of helping people find their first place for their family to call home, to be able to grow their lives and family in. He loves the pursuit and acquisition of finding the perfect property for his clients, seeing the joy this brings his clients, and knowing how this will better their lives. This isn’t to say that Joe only loves the transaction of purchasing new property or upgrading property, he also knows the importance of helping sellers be able to downsize, to assist in financial shifts, and to relieve the possible burdens that property owners face. Joe comprehends the dual realities of real estate, and very much looks to serve and assist those that require good guidance in these varying situations.
It’s fun and rewarding to help people get excited about such a large life investment.
Joe has been a life long resident of Southern Ohio, growing up in McArthur, and currently residing in Wellston with his husband of 9 years, Zach. Joe and Zach enjoy Jeeping and spending time with their pups, as well as travel and home improvement projects. They recently put their home equity to use, and did some major remodeling to their home and property. Joe cited that when you love your neighborhood, made a good investment with your own property purchase, you can take and make the equity work for you to not only revitalize your property, but to love your home even more. He is all about loving the place you call home, and for him it is cozy, but not cluttered, sleek but not bare, inviting but he’s not asking you to move in!
Joe mentioned several times that while as a stylist, he served as a bit of a therapist, but that he fulfills that role as a realtor too. He loves helping people, whether that is in accomplishing and creating something new for themselves and their family, or aiding in tumultuous times and providing relief. Real estate transactions can be joyous as well as traumatic, and Joe not only recognizes that, but is fully prepared to walk with his clients in those times, and the in between places too. Joe may be relatively new to real estate, but he is definitely a seasoned professional when it comes to serving his clients to the best of his ability, and that is something he loves to do!
If you are looking to have a real estate transaction, Joe would be a great asset in assisting you and your needs. He is able to assist locally, nationally and potentially internationally. The Amanda Wilson Team at ERA is highly capable, knowledgeable, and eager to help serve your needs, and Joe is right at home with the team!
Behind the Lens
The Photographist Life 