Are you making a living or supporting a hobby?

Are you making a living or supporting a hobby?

Many people are under the impression that I do not offer digital files.  This couldn't be farther from the truth!  While I will not give them away, I do offer your complete session as  printable digital files that you are welcome to have printed any place of your choosing.

The catch?  How about a story first?

I started out as a film photographer, and not just at the end of the film days...I had to go back to school to learn to use a digital camera.  I also learned to process my own film and develop my own prints.   Ask any film photographer and many will tell you that they miss those days.   We created.  We were artists.   And we had to know what we were doing becuase there wasn't a photoshop to fix it in later.  The camera room was photoshop! or at least one part of photoshop, you'd be amazed what can be done while processing!  

But I do embrace change, not all at once and not abandoning all else to it.  I approach it cautiously, research it and make sure it is the best choice, becuase sometimes it causes more problems than it fixes.   I believe this to be very true for photography!  However, progress, onward and upward?  

I no longer own a film camera, at least none that work.  I havn't been in a darkroom in years, instead I use Lightroom, but I use it as a darkroom.  I miss the smells.

When I was a film photographer I was told never to sell the negatives.  Hmmm, as a digital photographer, I'm told to never sell the images. WAIT!  Now I'm told to sell the files or I'm old school and don't embrace change.  Progress?  More like, "I'm probably not that good, so to hide that fact, here's all 257 images I took then spent 40 hours fixing in photoshop".  (That's only about 10 minutes/image)  BTW, that person just made $2.30/hour.  40 hours in photoshop and 3 glorious hours taking your picture. 

So back to the original question....Are you making a living or supporting a hobby?

Whats the difference, huh?  Both can get paid...notice I said "get paid", not make money or a make a living.  I prefer to make money, helps me make a living....easier to buy $4/gallon gas AND pay my business insurance.  

So, while I do sell the digital images, I do have to make a living, that means you are not going to get them for less than say $1000.  You think that is too much?  If I sold you and every other potential customer all the digital images plus a session for let's say $99?--cause I have no idea the going rate on "here you go" is,  I would...

#1 have to work 79 hours/wk.   That means I would get paid $16.5/hour.  Not bad if you don't have to pay you own income tax, business insurance, health insurance AND buy groceries.

#2 have to do 13 sessions a week.  Each session takes close to 6 hours from first phone call to final pick up.  I don't know about you, but that sucks! 

So, while you can definitely find a cheaper photographer out there willing to work 79 hours a week doing 13 sessions a week to make less than $50k a year, they are only doing this as a hobby and don't care if those files open next year or not, they already got your $99 and bought a several new pairs of shoes with it.  :)

$50k?  And you thought photographer were rich?  WAIT!  Take 30% out of that for income tax.  Then figure in every penny you spend on living expenses.  Paying business insurance?  I hope so.  Internet, business phone, electric, pretty packaging, professional fees and dues...No how much did you really make?  

We'll talk Copyright next time.