Why is Photography Expensive?

Before I became a photographer, I honestly thought the prices were a get rich quick scheme. I thought, “why on earth is it $$$ when the session only lasts a few hours?” Like somehow all photographers were in a secret club where they plotted to capitalize on their talent. Well.. since starting my own photography journey in the spring of 2021, I have realized just how crazy expensive it is just to BE a photographer!

Now, this post is absolutely not to invoke guilt or hard feelings.. I’ve hummed and hawed for a long time on if I should even post this.. So please read on, knowing I am only writing this for educational purposes. 🙂

Let’s charge right out of the gate here with some real and vulnerable numbers from my business in 2023. I currently have 3 different price points for Edmonton newborn photography packages, so let’s go with the middle one.

My middle price is $500. This is an all inclusive package that includes:

• 3-4 hours in my home studio
• 16 retouched images
• Use of all of my props, outfits, & wraps for the baby

Now, here is the kicker. If you only remember one thing, this is it..

I keep approximately 35% of what I charge.

Some photographers may keep less or more, but from talking with some of my fellow newborn photographers this seems to be fairly standard. 25% is set aside for year end taxes, 40% is put towards CODB (cost of doing business) and 35% goes to me.

Let’s get into the CODB that I mentioned above, where 40% of my fees go. Again, some photographers may have a lower CODB as their speciality may not require a lot of additional equipment or props. Newborn photography however is quite niche. Here are some of my costs:

• Equipment (the average newborn studio has easily over $10,000 in equipment.. I just had to upgrade my flash and it came in just under $1,000)
• Equipment maintenance and accessories (lens calibration, SD cards, bulb replacements)
• Insurance (personal and equipment)
• Business license/permit
• Subscriptions (website host, client platforms, photoshop)
• Education & safety training courses
• Studio costs (utilities, space heaters, sound machines, cleaning supplies, upgrades/maintenance)
• Marketing (business cards, promotional prints, running ads, etc)
• Props (this is the biggest niche expense.. backdrops, floor drops, outfits, wraps, headbands, buckets, bowls, stools, flokatis, the list goes on forever..)

So for a $500 session, after taxes and CODB, I am left with $175. The average session (for the $500 package) takes about 10 hours:

• 1 hour of pre & post communication with the client. This includes e-mail correspondence, preparing and sending appropriate documents like invoices, contracts, and questionnaires.
• 1 hour of session preparation. Deciding on colour schemes, setting up of backdrops and table drops, filling prop buckets/bowls, and matching necessary wraps and outfits.
• 3 hours (give or take) for the actual in studio session with the clients.
• 5 hours (give or take) for retouching your images. (I don’t airbrush my babies, but I do like to remove distractions such as baby acne, scratches, bruising, hematomas, jaundice, etc.)

That’s 10 hours, and if I only keep $175 per session, that is $17.50 per hour. This does NOT include the dozens of behind the scenes hours it takes every month just to keep a business running.

Please let me re-iterate.. I am not typing this with rage in my fingers, I promise. 🙂

Photographers who do not charge enough have to take on extra sessions, resulting in lower quality client care and burn out. So before you ask your next photographer if they ‘have any packages that don’t cost an arm and a leg’ please remember this post. I do not know a single photographer who is just in it for the money. If it was really that easy, everyone would be doing it.

Thanks for listening, xo

Suzi