“why do you charge this much for prints when i can go to my local self-service lab and get the same sizes for just a few dollars?” this question will be asked of most career-photographers at some stage. or, if it is not asked – you can see that they are thinking it! and at face value, this is a fair question.
today’s post was inspired by an article written on this very topic, by professional photographer Andrea Joki. Here is an excerpt:
“…One phrase I hear a lot is, “it only costs 10c to make a print – so why do you charge so much?” And if the value of the image was only the print paper cost itself, that would be a valid question. But then again, a lawyer makes several thousands and all they produce is paper worth less then a penny. So why do we pay lawyers upwards of 100 euros an hour?
The easy answer is that an experienced photographer – one who has spent years studying the craft, honing skills, and perfecting style, is going to give you a much better image than the beginner who is simply clicking a shutter button.
…One thing I really find interesting is that people will buy… all manner of luxury goods that have maybe a 1-2 year lifespan. But when it comes to professional portraits, which will last a lifetime, they base the decision purely on price. I’m not sure at what point children and family become less important than a fancy purse. But I can tell you that those who purchased high quality portraits have a beautiful reminder of a time that has past – and those portraits are still hanging or displayed while the (designer) purse has long since been thrown away.
…Choosing the best you can afford will always be the best advice given to anyone looking for quality professional portraits. As with anything hand-made and requiring an artistic eye, those who produce quality work will charge more – it compensates for the amount of time they have spent learning and perfecting their art.”
and along those lines, here is an entertaining skit which highlights this issue from a different point of view
