One of the questions I keep hearing is
One of the questions I keep hearing is, “Why do you guys cost so much?” People who are not in the photography business have a very shallow understanding of what it takes to be a professional photographer.
For one thing, we don’t use dinky point and shoot cameras. Our cameras cost thousands of dollars — and that’s just for the body. When you add the lenses (different lenses for different situations) that is another few thousand dollars. And that’s just the beginning.
Did I mention we also have to get a back up camera in case something goes wrong with our primary? Oh, did you know we have to also equip our second photographer?
We also have to buy photo editing software like Photoshop, and plugins, and so forth. Then there is the professional lighting equipment which also costs thousands of dollars.
As you can see, the cost starts to add up pretty quickly.
That aside, your photographer makes a living taking pictures. If he does not make enough money to recoup his investment in his equipment (which he has to replace every few years), then he will just go on to do other things with his time and talent.
Fundamentally, the difference between a professional photographer and a wannabe is the quality of the photos you receive. A photo from a professional photographer is one that makes your friends stop dead in their tracks, their mouths agape, saying, “OMG! That is beautiful.” A photo from a wannabe photographer gets yawns… it’s another so so picture, like the thousands your friends have seen before or can do themselves with their phone cameras.