An Aside: "10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do"

I found a great blog article today about why professional photographers charge for a service that many people mistakenly believe anyone can do. Denver photography business guru Lori Osterberg puts everything into perspective and words that my lack of experience won't allow me to accurately express yet.

Since I've been working overtime editing the wedding photos that are due this weekend, I've had a lot of time to think about why someone would want to hire a professional for an event like this. There were plenty of other people who were taking snapshots throughout the wedding.

This article made me believe that I really am a professional and have a right to be charging for my work instead of feeling guilty about charging $100 for one framed photo. And if you ever need to explain to a potential client why you charge when someone on Craiglists said they would do it for free, put these tips to memory and heart and let them empower you to be compensated for the product and service only a professional can provide. And that professional is YOU and ME!

No. 6 really resonates with me right now. Mike, Jason and I may have only spent 8 hours shooting the wedding and reception....but I've spent countless hours editing the images so that they are more than snapshots but a professional product, talking to the client, taking orders and answering emails and phone calls.

"6. Professional photographers can spend hours producing one professional photograph. Time can include:

creating the marketing
answering emails and phone calls
meeting with the client to talk about the event
setting up for the event
drive time to and from the event
time for the actual photographing
running to and from the lab
meeting with the client for previews and decisions
processing the image
retouching the image
mounting the image
framing the image
packaging the image
dropping off final images
production work
follow up work

Add it all up, and you can see why one portrait session may include hours worth of work. It's impossible to stay in business if you only make a few pennies per client." - Lori Osterberg