You might find it odd that the title of this post has both cheap and expensive in it… it’s because I’ve been asked both! Photography is a wildly varied field, and pricing is one of those things that is all over the board depending on the country, state, city, or photographer. Every photographer plans out their pricing in a different way, and for different reasons, and I’m no exception.

When I planned my pricing, I had 3 priorities in mind:

1. Clients will be able to get a fair price. They will be getting more value for their money.
2. I will be able to successfully run a business- pay my bills and make some profit.
3. Infiniti Photography will never (a) undersell every other photographer just to be the “cheapest”, sacrificing quality to do it, or (b) crank up the prices of things just because people might agree to pay it.

So what does that mean? It means that I have to sit down and consider with every session: Is the client getting a great deal? Are the costs easy to understand and reachable for the average person/family? Am I able to work at this price without sacrificing quality?

Let’s take a look at a few areas…

Sessions

Many studios and photographers charge a very low session fee- $75.00, $50.00, or even for free! But, what does common sense tell you? There’s no way a photographer or studio can charge that little and survive as a business. Yup- you’ll be paying more later. Sometimes, much more!

That’s why I decided to cut to the chase in my session pricing.  Upfront, the cost of the package includes the time and skill in making your photographs awesome, a bunch of proofs (which also means a lot of poses) to choose from, and a print voucher, so that the prints you need are included. No hidden costs or scheme to get you “hooked” into spending more to get what you should have gotten from the beginning- great photographs.

Print Vouchers

Let’s talk a second about print vouchers. A print voucher is like a gift card to Infiniti Photography. They can be used for any physical item you can buy from me. (So it doesn’t count toward sessions, but it counts for prints, canvases, albums, books, key chains, DVDs… you get the idea) Why print vouchers? Because I happen to think that locking you into a specific number and size of prints in your package is stupid. I went through this with my own graduation photographs years ago- there’s never enough of the size you want, plenty of the size you don’t, and no switching allowed! Suddenly, you’re paying $300 more than the package you signed up for, because you have to get that 8×10 for Grandma and Aunt Clohe doesn’t like 5x7s, she wants a 4×6. I knew when I started out in photography that that would be the first thing to go.

Sorry, that turned into a rant. XD Anyway, the print voucher can be used for any combo of items you want, up to the amount of the voucher. Easy, simple, and best for you!

Poses

Why do studios charge more for different poses? It was a question that made me crazy when I was buying my senior photographs, and it’s one that’s still a little bit of a mystery to me. Honestly, the pro labs that studios and photographers work with do charge us more for different poses, so it’s not the photographer’s fault, I guess. But it’s still dumb. So I decided that I will swallow the cost and let the client pick whatever darn pose they want. Stick it to the man! The only exception, because I haven’t found a way around it yet, is wallets, which have to be ordered in 4s. I say “no way around it” because that’s how pro labs do things- “order in 4s or no wallets for you.” (So, for example, you could get 40 wallets and have 10 poses. Still not bad!) I love that I can send seniors and others off with a huge amount of different photographs on their wallets… mostly because I’m too indecisive, myself, to narrow anything down to one or two, so why inflict that choice on someone else?

Clothing Changes/ Props

I think we all can agree that having to pay extra to change your outfit or bring a cool prop is silly. As long as you know that (a) changing outfits 80 times is going to cut way into your session time and means you may get less photographs taken and (b) bringing a piano, firetruck, or leopard may be cumbersome and hard to carry (and I’m not helping you with that leopard) then it’s all good.

Digital Files

I include digital files with some sessions. Why? Because I love them, and most people do. (I looked exclusively for photographers that provided them when I got married.) It’s fun, convenient, and cheaper to have files to share, copy, print, and upload. Remember, when you buy a physical print, from me or any other photographer, the photographs is copyrighted. That means that you may NOT copy or print them, it is illegal. It is also stealing from the photographer! (which is why a lot of photographers choose to offset the money they lose by charging through the nose for prints) Buying the digital files, from me, means that you do have permission to print out those photographs anywhere (although I can suggest WAY better places than Wal-Mart… ew!). So, the scenario is like this: with a session, you get some professionally printed, lab-quality prints. You also may get some digital files. Now you can print off 50 cheaper-quality prints to scrapbook or pass out to others. Best of both worlds!

There’s a lot to consider, and no one photographer or studio is the best deal in every situation. When you’re shopping around (and I hope you are!), remember:

• Ask a lot of questions. Don’t feel bad- and don’t be intimidated! Good photographers will be willing and able to explain anything you’re not clear on. If they refuse to give you full pricing information, it’s a red flag.
• Add it all up, beginning to end. Is there a session fee? Are there extra charges for extra time, changes of clothing, props, poses, or locations? How many poses will I be able to choose from? What prints, if any, are included in the session cost? How much are additional prints? (this is a very important question to ask BEFORE you book. Print prices very wildly- for example:  from $5.00 to $50.00 for an 8×10) How many poses does this include? How much are extra poses? Is there a time limit for ordering prints?
• Find out who will be taking the photographs. Some studios hire nice, random people, give them cameras and directions, and pay them the minimum wage to snap away. The studio picks the very best out of all thier employee’s photographs to advertise. So find out: am I hiring the photographer who took the photographs I loved looking at?
• Is there any kind of refund or re-shoot policy if I am not satisfied?
• Are they available? How fast do they get booked up?

As usual, hit me up with your questions! Hopefully I’ll get some that I can add to this post!

Love always,

Heather K

734.649.4279Why are your prices so cheap/expensive?

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