Ever Wonder why hiring a photographer is such an investment? Before I started my photography journey I just thought photographers took the photos and edited them and that was that. I had NO idea how much is done on the backside!
For me it starts with education. It all started with Amy and Jordan Demos! If you want to learn more about photography I highly encourage you to check them out. Not only are they extremely talented but super sweet and down to earth! Anyways, I took their shooting and editing, posing and business classes. Big investment, but absolutely worth every penny. I then started taking Photoshop classes, flash/lighting and marketing classes. This year I wanted to really improve on my newborn photography so I invested in The Milky Way Newborn Retreat (I also highly recommend this retreat to any other photographers!). So for me, I invest a lot in education.
Then there is all the behind the scenes stuff that photographers need for their business. This includes the monthly fees for the software to edit photos, main website (Showit), website for hosting all the galleries (Shootproof), Flodesk (email marketing), and of course business insurance and the fees to be a legal Wisconsin business. Lets not forget the lovely taxes. This was my first year paying a full years worth of sales tax and it was a little bit of a sticker shock!
Lastly, there is the cost of all the gear! Besides my camera and lenses I chose to have an in-home studio, which was a financial investment for sure, but so necessary since we live in Wisconsin and have those long, cold winters!
There is the obvious cost of material things, but there is also the time away from family. Before the session time is spent emailing and preparing a style guide and then after the session all the photos need to be culled and edited.
Long story short – SO much goes into a session besides taking the actual photos! Since we are on the topic of business, did you know you can subscribe to my emails? Be the first to know about any mini sessions or specials! Click the link below to sign up!
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5fd7ac39716e9e80110a2297
