Most of the people having this question in mind think that it’s just about spending a few hours & pressing a few buttons. But that’s far from reality. The work which you see as a 2-hour assignment is stretched far beyond that. Let’s breakdown the factor involved which makes professional photography expensive.

1. Time

You might see it as a 2-hour assignment. But what you may ignore is the Travelling time to reach the location, the setup time, time spent talking to the clients at the venue. The amount of time spent in her doesn’t run for multiple assignments within a day. They would rather do one quality assignment and dedicate a lot of time planning it without compromising.

2. Gear
Professional photographers don’t compromise with the quality of their gear. They buy professional equipment. They spend thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars getting multiple camera bodies, the finest lenses, flash equipment for every situation, tripods, light stands, backdrops, props, carrying, and storage cases. Not only this, they buy professional licenses for software and different cloud back-up storage solutions, and many other things.

3. Premium Services
Pro Photographers join communities to further learn and explore new dimensions. They have to pay for their membership to different premium photography communities. Pro photographers pay for a premium account on photography services like Adobe Cloud, Flickr, 500px, and others. They pay for the maintenance of the website. Event management companies who employ photographers and even need a consultation with lawyers sometimes. Premium services may also include office and studio rent, electricity and phone bills, etc.

4. Skills
Apart from being a good photographer, they have to be CEO, marketing manager, financial manager, salesperson,  production worker, buyer, negotiator, driver, networker, organizer, etc. That’s the kind of skill-set of a Professional Photographer.

5. Compromise
Professional Photographers don’t compromise. They will give you the best they can. They don’t back off from tough assignments. Photographers would travel to any possible location and will shoot to the best of their ability. They give you their valuable time. A dedicated photographer doesn’t run for multiple assignments within a day. They would rather do one quality assignment and dedicate a lot of time planning it without compromising.

6. Technology
Pro Photographers keep themselves and their gears up to date with the rapidly evolving technology. They find things that perfectly match their client’s tastes. Their equipment is not of a hobbyist. They will be using the best technology available.

7. Experience
Experience is the one thing that may beat everything. And the Professionals are vastly experienced. They can advise you over a number of things which you would not be able to decide. They know what’s right and what could go wrong.

8. Uniqueness & Quality
Professionals have their unique style yet every shoot will look different. They know how to infuse freshness. The quality of photos is supreme.

9. Returns
The truth is that you get what you pay for. You will get photographs worth the money involved. And you know that there are no second chances.

10. Assistants and Help
They may have a small team working with them either on location or back in the studio. The Photographer pays them for their work from his income.

The next time if you think a Photographer is charging more, do consider the above points.

Lenses may cost a lot for a professional photography setup. However, there are some affordable options. Looking to upgrade your Kit Lens to a professional quality lens?