No films now… then why can’t you charge less?

A few days back I had an enquiry about my wedding photography services. Of course the person who enquired had seen my work in the internet and liked it. As a routine, she asked me to send a quote. After carefully understanding the amount of work and creativity involved in the job I did send one. She called me after a couple of days to find out if she could negotiate on the rates. I said that the rates were fixed.

Immediately she asked me why I charge so much when I am not using film rolls. Most people think that the digital work is cheaper than film for the mere justification that film is not there. (How can some one comfortably forget that the digital SLR cameras are far more expensive than film SLR cameras?). Then I reaffirmed to her that the charges were mainly for my skills and services and not for the film. Again she argued that she herself was using a digital camera and hence she also knew about photography. But the truth is that, a professional photographer’s rates can’t be attributed only for the cost of materials he uses (like films and prints).

When a professional photographer finalizes a quote or tariff, he considers the following factors connected to the business of photography,

1. The creativity and skills involved in the job
   
2. The experience and professionalism of the photographer
3. The market value or demand for the photographer
4. The time spend on and off the job at the location especially the extended working hours
5. The number of final pictures and pages of photo book planned for the job
   
6. The post production machine hours for retouching & image editing
   
7. The skills and design elements expected in a designer photo-book.
8. The cost of printing and making of the photo book (album)
9. The cost of wastages of the prints/shots
10. The kind of cameras, lenses, flashes and other photography equipments used
11. The interest on investment on the expensive professional equipments
    
12. The maintenance, repair and replacement cost of professional equipments
13. The share of revenue/overhead expenses
14. The number of assistants working along with the photographer
15. The transport or shifting expenses to a wedding location

and so on.

Don’t you think that a photographer must give money value for all the above when he finalizes a quote?

- KL.Raja