Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads where you were between doing what is right and doing what is expected? I have found myself there a lot lately. 

Let me explain how I got here:

I started my photography career in 2015.  I was so unsure of myself.  I couldn’t imagine calling myself a photographer.  I looked up to so many other local photographers as if they were Eddie Van Halen or something.  I never dreamed I would be good enough to be in the same category as them, so I naturally never said or did anything to cause them to reject me.   I hung on everything they said or suggested as if it was handed down from the photography Gods bible.  I never questioned any of it, and I fought hard to bust down the gatekeeping that runs heavy among the trade.  All the while feeling like an imposter and frustrated that I wasn’t as successful as those other photographers, and worse…. watching some people start photography after me, and progress far ahead of me.   I felt like I must really stink at photography, I felt like I was dumb and just didn’t grasp things like others did.  It left me feeling like a complete failure and a joke.

Everyone needs reflection from time to time….

It wasn’t until I sought help from professionals outside of the photography circuit, that I started to step back and just THINK a little bit. I went to SCORE (a non-profit that helps start-ups and small businesses succeed) and got a mentor.  I talked to my blue-collar husband and my middle to high class working family from around the country. They told me the things I already thought or knew…which happened to be the polar opposite of what my photographer gurus preached.  

Are you curious to know what we are taught? 

The photography gurus tell you to charge high prices for your services and your physical goods because if you don’t you are cheapening the trade, and no one will take you seriously. You are told that those with the money to pay will not even look at you if you are too cheap (which to them was anything less than $500) and that all the problem clients are found in the low hanging fruit.   They give you this calculator to figure out what you HAVE TO charge to be a legitimate business.  Ironically, they are the ONLY people to use this calculator.  We are also told the riches are in the niches and that we have to pick ONE genre and leave all the others behind.

What leading BUSINESS people had to say….

SCORE and my husband both told me that they would never dream of paying more for a photographer to take pictures of them (that they are not even sure they will like), than they would to pay a LAWYER to get them out of jail!  Wow, doesn’t that make total sense?? A PHOTOGRAPHER should not cost more per hour than a LAWYER?  SCORE also said to DIVERSIFY my income! Do multiple genres of work with my camera. Keep the income flowing that way.

How I felt about all of this…..

I’ve always felt yucky charging exorbitant prices, and it sucked all the JOY out of photography for me.  Rather than concentrating on making art and beautiful portraits, I worried about being worth what I was charging and if other photographers would approve of not only my work but my prices.  As an example, this week in a female photographers group, another photographer posted a job lead that she could not fulfill.  She was looking for others to say they could do it, but she added to her post: “Don’t even think about putting your name in your hat if you don’t charge at least $1,000 for a Newborn Session”.  Is it just me or is that just nuts?  Young adults, just having a baby, out of work on leave, and you want to charge them a semester of college to do their newborn pictures, and they don’t even get any prints with that?!?!?  How has this become the norm??? 

What pushed me to drop MY prices? 

Other than my sense of right and wrong, it was exactly how many people I see asking for recommendations for a “reasonable” or “affordable” Photographer.  Even in a wealthy area like Mount Pleasant.   Add that to what my SCORE mentor said, what my family across the country has said, and how I felt about it all….and I knew the photography Gods where speaking to ME. 

I am blessed in a way that I suppose these other photography gurus are not.   I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination.  We live paycheck to paycheck and its terrifying.  However, my husband has a good job that covers all of our bills (but nothing extra like a vet bill or appliance repair).  This gives me the freedom to be FLEXIBLE.   All the money I earn pays for life’s unexpected bills, and like with everyone, we have plenty of unexpected bills, so I still NEED the money.  I would rather WORK MORE and CHARGE LESS, and stress less if what I am doing is the right and ethical thing, than scrimp by doing a few jobs a year at a higher price. Plus, there are so many photographers in my area, all charging high rates…. maybe being good but affordable is my niche?  

What am I hoping to achieve?

I’m hoping to rekindle the JOY that photography brings me and take the complicated part of doing business out of the equation.  Will this work?  I don’t know, but I hope it will.  Will I raise my rates again?  I honestly don’t know what the future holds but if this strategy pans out, I don’t think I will need too.  My goal is to GET MORE WORK, not push it away.  Right now, I’m being passed over as just another name in the crowd who charges more than a lawyer.  I need to find a way to stand out. I’m already doing what everyone else is doing.  I have my style like everyone has theirs.  If someone is on the fence on who to hire, I hope my lower rate may tip the odds in my favor. 

I need YOUR help though….

My new rates are on my Welcome page, be sure to check it out and tell everyone you know that I am here and I am eager to work! Think of me when you or a friend is in need of my services. I am someone who is into photography for the RIGHT reasons, not just to make loads of money.

https://www.CharlestonFamilyPhoto.com

Leave a Reply